Help please - Pain 3 days post op

Day three since operation and although day one was painful, yesterday was much better. Late last night I started getting a really big pain in the lower right side of my left breast. It has been giving me more trouble than the right from the start and the surgeon said he had struggled to make a pocket in the left side so it would probably hurt more.

This morning I have woken up in so much pain and I am really scared. It feels like someone sticking needles into the area to the right of my left nipple - kind of a burning pain. But not constantly, only when I move a certain way and it stops if I cup the breast in my hand. The breast isn't hot to the touch or anything.

I am taking paracetamol and codeine and ibroprufen but they aren't helping.

Can anyone tell me if this is normal? I have no feeling below the nipple on my left boob, so I did wonder if maybe it was the nerves starting to work again, as I have the same pain but much, much milder on my right boob too.

Can anyone tell me if this is something they have experienced, and roughly how long it takes until the disruptive pain stops when you have overs? Getting pretty fed up now!

Thanks

Hi Hun

It's normal hun I know it's a horrible pain and sensation but it is totally normal. Try to rest as much as possible and take your pain relief every 4 hours. Maybe an ice pack may help (although I don't think I could have done this). All your nerve endings are sorting themselves out. I had the numbness below the nipple too but this is improving each day now.

You are so early after the op hun, you are also still suffering from the affects of the GA which can make you feel depressed. Try to drink as much water to flush this out. I am over 4 weeks hun and I have good pain free days then I might have a few days of discomfort, but this time soon passes and soon you'll be pain free with lovely new boobs xxx

Thanks Yetti. I have been Googling a bit this afternoon (with a bag of frozen peas wedged between me and the pc table!) and I think it makes more sense now. It is just so damned painful! Takes your breath away but in a very bad way if you know what I mean!

By the way...your boobs look amazing!

Thanks xx

Angel,
The first 3-4 days ARE bad, they're supposed to be, I slept badly and woke up in total pain, but the good news is that for me it then disappeared overnight, I simply woke up I think on the 5th or 6th day and I suddenly didn't feel the pain any more!
Be careful which painkillers you take, for example I was told that ibuprofen was not okay but your surgeon may have different instructions, follow them.
Hold on, you've not got much longer to endure
xxx

Yes it seems to just get better quite quickly however I was feeling better then I've just had a weekend with discomfort again :-( Not as bad but just sore. Those pins and needles pains are horrible aren't they! I only really got mine in my right one and it was if I was laying down then moved a certain way...ouch ouch...took my breath away.

Thanks Star2Angel, I think maybe the dress is quite flattering anyway but it's nice to see my boobs without the deformaties I had with capsular contracture. It's funny though as my boobs are settling at different rates and my right one has fluffed but my left isn't quite there yet. I just tried on a dress that I want to wear to an upcoming wedding and it's really obvious that my right one is bigger than my left...so I have to hope that lefty catches up with righty by July

If the PS had to do more work to one breast than the other, it is completely normal hun. My advice is to keep on top of the pain killers with an alarm set for every 4 hours (or however close together you are allowed to take them) this will mean they are always in your system and dont run out. You are doing the right thing with the frozen peas. It will pass hun and it will get easier.

sounds normal hun, I find it gets worse before it gets better in the recovery process. As long as there is no signs of infection such as heat, fever, discharge ect then you are fine. It sounds like perhaps you may be getting more feeling back and therefore are able to feel the pain more. I had the most discomfort below my boobs and it sound like you may have the same discomfort as you say it feels better when you cup the boob... it is just the weight of the implant causing the pain, the skin has to stretch to accomodate the implant. I actually went back to my ps and he taped me all up underneath my boobs (its called strapping) and the tape gave support and a lot of relief, I wore it for a week and by the time they took off the tape the discomfort was gone.

sarahdawn31 wrote:As long as there is no signs of infection such as heat, fever, discharge ect then you are fine.

That's what I'd look out for. Sounds like it's just nerves stitching back together, but if you develop a fever or your boobs look red or feel hot to the touch contact your nurse asap.

Think you said in your other post that you'd been given tramadol to take if the pain got too much. What you're describing sounds quite normal and a stronger painkiller should help x