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Against Breast Cancer

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Posted by Betsy Mullen on 4/11/2001 from 152.163.194.206:

In reply to: shoulder pain following radiation posted by nina alter on 4/8/2001 from 152.163.206.208:

Dear Nina:

I am curious as to the type of surgery you had, if any and to the specific area that was radiated. Perhaps there is a correlation. If you can give some details regarding the pain you are experiencing, that might prove helpful. Is the pain constant, severe, "shooting", intermittent, etc? Is the pain made worse by any particular activities and/or movement? Are you experiencing any numbness or tingling, if so where and when? When did the pain begin and if you had surgery, does it differ from any pain you experienced after your surgery and before your radiation treatment?

Also, have you been seen by a physical therapist and if you did undergo breast cancer surgery, were you given any post-operative exercises to regain your range of motion? This information will help us help you. Please bear in mind that we are not health care providers, but we do have many wonderful medical advisors with whom we work and consult with on a regular basis, and we do have a good working knowledge about breast health and breast cancer related issues.

If you have not done so already, I encourage you to fill out the special Personal Profile Form (blue link at the top of this page) with your specific information and with requests for some of the information and resources I have outlined below. All of your personal information will remain confidential.

The intercostobrachial nerve runs through the axilla (armpit) area, so perhaps there is a problem that originated in that area. I am not a physician so this is speculation on my part.

Here is some background information and resources re: the intercostobrachial nerve:

Intercostal: Between the ribs. (Source: Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 18th ed.)

Intercostobrachial: Pert. to the intercostal space and the arm, as the posterior lateral branch of the second intercostal nerve supplying the skin of the arm, or a similar branch of the third intercostal nerve; formerly the intercostohumeralis. (Source: Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 18th ed.)


If you have not contacted our office directly yet, we have trained information specialists that can speak with you one on one to determine the best materials to send you (all free of charge), including a booklet entitled "Understanding Breast Changes" and an in-depth WIN ABC resource guide with great resource listings and suggested reading. You are more than welcome to call us at (626) 332-2255. If it is a long distance call for you, just ask us to call you right back so that the call is "on our dime."

WIN Against Breast Cancer has several additional resources that I think will be very helpful to you. We have our Breast Buddy Breast Care Program which matches women who are at least 1-year post treatment (excluding tamoxifen) with new patients to mentor and support them throughout the diagnosis, decision-making, treatment and recovery periods -- for at least 1-year. We make every effort to match Buddies with new patients by age, geography, marital status, type and stage of breast cancer, type of treatment, hobbies and on and on. If you are interested, we could look into matching you with a buddy who shares a similar profile to yours. Depending upon where you live, this may need to be a telephone and e-mail relationship, but it certainly helps to speak with another woman who had a similar diagnosis and who faced similar decisions regarding her treatment options.

We will be happy to send you educational materials, free of charge regarding breast anatomy, breast health, understanding breast changes, questions to ask your health plan about exemplary care (found on our web site under help yourself – 10 key questions for women to ask their health plans), various videos including nutrition during cancer treatment, dealing with side effects of treatment, tamoxifen, breast reconstruction and much more depending upon your individual needs.

In addition, WIN Against Breast Cancer has published a very extensive Breast Health/Breast Cancer Resource Guide. We will be delighted to send these materials to you (all of which are free of charge to patients and the public).


RECOMMENDED READING AND RESOURCES TO HELP YOU


Books Dealing with Pain, Pain Control and Complementary Approaches to Cancer Treatment


A book that I highly recommend was written by Michael Lerner, the Founder of Commonweal. There is a link to Commonweal in the Resources Section of this site as well. The book is entitled "Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer".

"A Physician’s Guide to Pain and Symptom Management in Cancer Patients" by Janet L. Abraham was published last year by the Johns Hopkins University Press and is very comprehensive. It is available in paperback for $21.50 or thereabouts. The ISBN number is 0-8018-6246-9. This resource includes a bibliography of suggested reading for physicians, patients and families, which includes descriptions of each book and includes the following titles preceded by numbers:

1) "Pain Relief: How to Say No to Acute, Chronic & Cancer Pain!", by Jane Cowles

2) "Cancer Doesn’t Have to Hurt: How to Conquer the Pain Caused by Cancer and Cancer Treatment), by Pamela J. Haylock and Carol P. Curtiss.

3) "Management of Cancer Pain: Clinical Practice Guideline Number 9", published by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 1994; written by Ada Jacox, D.B. Carr, R. Payne, et al. AHCPR publication number 94-0592. This publication is available from AHCPR Clearinghouse, PO Box 8547, Silver Spring, Maryland 20907; telephone: 1-800-358-9295.

4) "Getting Relief from Cancer Pain", published by the Cancer Information Service (CIS); telephone: 1-900-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).


A resource that we have used for years is "The Chronic Pain Control Workbook" by Ellen Mohr Catalano, M.A. and Kimeron N. Hardin, Ph.D., New Harbinger Publications, Inc., is another good resource. The book is a step-by-step guide for coping with and overcoming pain.


Books about Breast Health and Breast Cancer

There is a great book out entitled "Be a Survivor, Your Guide to Breast Cancer Treatment " written by Vladimir Lange, M.D. You can purchase the book through our site’s bookstore. An additional book that I highly recommend for you was written by Michael Lerner, the Founder of Commonweal. There is a link to Commonweal in the Resources Section of this site as well. The book is entitled "Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer".

Additional good books that extensively cover breast health, breast cancer and reconstruction are entitled "A Woman’s Decision, Breast Care Treatment and Reconstruction, 3rd Edition" and the newest edition of "Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book" which are also available in our "virtual bookstore". Another book I think will be helpful to you is entitled "The Road to Immunity: How to Survive and Thrive in a Toxic World" by Kenneth Bock, MD and Nellie Sabin. It covers in depth information about the immune system and how to keep our immune systems functioning at peak capacity.

The Complete Book of Breast Care by Niels H. Lauerson, MD, PhD and Eileen Stukane is also a very good resource with comprehensive and easy to understand information.

Another great resource about breast health is: Diseases of the Breast, Second Edition; Editors: Jay R. Harris, Marc E. Lippman, Monica Morrow, C. Kent Osborne; Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000; ISBN #: 0-7817-1839-2. Most medical libraries should carry it; I’m not sure about regular public libraries.

The books can be purchased on line in our virtual bookstore via Amazon.com and should be available in most public libraries.


Here are some sites that provide information re: the intercostobrachial nerve:

http://www2.kumc.edu/instruction/sah/handkines/nerves/intercos.htm

http://www.vesalius.com/graphics/cf_storyboards/axillary/cfsb_axi_anat1.asp


http://www.anes.ccf.org:8080/pilot/ortho/7-7a.jpg {provides a diagram of the nerve

Supplementary Nerve Blocks: http://www.anes.ccf.org:8080/pilot/ortho/AXILLARY.HTM
{same site as above

Gray's anatomy provides medical drawings of the nerve system in question: http://www.bartleby.com/107/210.html



AN IMPORTANT REMINDER: It is very difficult to render an opinion without knowing all the facts of any one particular case. But one strong recommendation we would like to make is that you pursue your question(s) with your own physicians. You should feel fully empowered to obtain a satisfactory answer and feel free to seek a second or third opinion. We have some great tips on partnering with your health care team and key questions to ask your doctors, communication tips and informed decision-making tips to help you get the information you need. There is a special Personal Profile Form on our web site (blue link at the top of this page) that you can fill out and e-mail to us to help us best meet your needs and you are also welcome to call us at (626) 332-2255. Your information will be kept confidential.


Nina, please know that I am holding you in my thoughts and look forward to hearing from you with an update on how you are doing and how WIN ABC can best be of help and support to you. Please keep us "posted".


My warmest personal regards,
Betsy


Elizabeth ("Betsy") Mullen
Founder, President/CEO
WIN Against Breast Cancer
Main Office:
536 S. Second Avenue, Suite K
Covina, California 91723
Telephone: 626-332-2255 Fax: 626-332-2585
San Diego Office:
Telephone: (619) 284-4900 Fax: (619) 284-7900
Web Site: www.winabc.org

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