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Post Mastectomy Pain

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Posted by Rose Berg on 3/2/2000 from 209.20.7.84:
I am writing this message in the hope that someone out there might help me. I am a thin and active 47 year old woman. I had a mastectomy 7 months ago. Ever since then, I have been in extraordinary discomfort. There is a pulling all along my scar, as if someone were sewing with a needle and thread. But what is most agonizing is the sense of constriction and compression that I feel in my armpit. It feels as if I'm wearing a metal handcuff, or as if someone were tying a rope around my armpit and pulling tight. I have consulted numbers of pain specialists. I have tried accupressure, accupuncture, electrical stimulation (TENS), magnesium, and physiotherapy. Nothing seems to help. My doctor prescribed the medication neurontin, but all that does is reduce the pain by 10%. Did anyone out there experience this kind of pain, which one of the doctors describes as post-mastectomy pain syndrome? If so, how long can it last? What have you done to help alleviate the pain? I am at my wit's end. I actually have a high threshfold for pain, but this sense of constriction is difficult to bear. Imagine someone tying a rope around your throat and pulling tight. That's the kind of sensation I'm experiencing in my armpit. If any could be of assistance, I would be most grateful.

Follow Ups:

Re: Post Mastectomy Pain - Betsy Mullen   3/3/2000 (3)
Re: Post Mastectomy Pain - Rose Berg   3/4/2000 (2)
Re: Post Mastectomy Pain - Betsy Mullen   3/8/2000 (0)
Re: Post Mastectomy Pain - Betsy Mullen   3/5/2000 (0)
Re: Post Mastectomy Pain - Betsy Mullen   3/2/2000 (0)