bonehammer73

Hello everyone.

I have undergone partial mastectomy for a stage IIa carcinoma on the
15th of October and everything has been fine until three weeks ago. I
started feeling a dull pain at the surgery scar - right where one of
the 'lumps' from the subcutaneous stitches is - and it doesn't seem to
subside. The doctor who examined me says that the stitch hasn't been
reabsorbed and will probably be tender until the body manages to get
rid of it.
I have never been a fast healer and am a little concerned about how
long the process could take - in the meanwhile, I have a 70%
functional arm and driving is a chore.
I wonder whether anyone else has experienced anything similar and if
there is a faster way to solve the problem. BTW, I'm in the middle of
chemo and although I haven't been taking blood thinners, I seem to
bleed a lot for eve the smallest scratch.

Thanks in advance,
Chiara

tim jackson

Chemotherapy can be expected to seriously slow down the healing process.
Healing involves rapid cell division, which is what chemotherapy
attacks. They usually wait for most of the healing from surgery to
complete before starting chemo.

For the incision to start hurting after more than three months sounds
like it might be nerve damage regeneration, but the dull ache sounds
more like it might be an infection. If it stays as it is then I'd not
worry about it not healing completely until after chemo. But if it gets
more painful, or hot and red, or swells, then I'd take it back to the
doctor.

--
Tim Jackson

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