From the first moment my wife discovered she
had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones
whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a
gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble
about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…That
was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across
my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry first appeared in
January 2015.
My wife
wanted me to find out the answer to this
question: “Why do the implants make it feel like I’m in a C-clamp all the
time?”
I found out that
she’s not alone. In addition to covering other issues with breast
reconstruction, the BREASTCANCER.ORG website has this to say: “Some women
feel pain or discomfort from the tissue expander, the implant, or scar tissue
putting pressure on a nerve or other sensitive area.”; also “A breast reconstructed
with an implant may move in unnatural ways as you flex your chest muscle
(pectoralis muscle).”
In both cases, the
solutions while not “simple”, suggest that exercise and massage may help
alleviate the discomfort. Some suggested exercises are: shoulder “shrugs”;
should rolls; shoulder raise; arm swings; body turns; lifting your arms above
your head (while laying down!); “walking your fingers up the wall”; same as the
previous one, but “sideways”; “beach pose”; and finally, the chest stretch.
The Breast Cancer
UK site article “Exercises after breast reconstruction surgery using implants”
will give you specific details and directions of how to do each one I mentioned
as well as a time frame. They start with immediately after the surgery and
proceed to weeks and months later.
This doesn’t
completely answer however, the concerns of Roseanne Valletti (54) “...she is
uncomfortable. All the time. ‘It feels like I’m wrapped up in duct tape,’ [she]
said of the persistent tightness in her chest that many women describe after
breast reconstruction.”
It appears that this kind of feeling is both common and unavoidable: “...it
is major surgery. Even with the best plastic surgeon, breast reconstruction
carries the risks of infection, bleeding, anesthesia complications, scarring
and persistent pain in the back and shoulder.”
“A syndrome called upper quarter dysfunction — its symptoms include pain,
restricted immobility and impaired sensation and strength — has been reported
in over half of breast cancer survivors and may be more frequent in those who
undergo breast reconstruction, according to a 2012 study in the journal
Cancer.” As usual, when you’re talking about pain, there are a million voices
all clamoring for your attention. This site written by a chiropractor makes the
startling claim that everything from butt pain to deafness can be cured by
breaking up something he calls “fascial adhesions” with some sort of bruising
method...he does, of course, rail against the medical establishment because
they don’t acknowledge his methodology as effective. (http://www.doctorschierling.com/fascia.html)There
are claims that shots work (usual hydrocortisone) as well as surgical removal
of scar tissue all the way up to and including the removal of the implants
altogether.
What works will likely be what you decide works. All of these methods are
available and you will find a physician somewhere who will agree to treat you
with whatever method you find online or through conversing with doctors.
I myself don’t know WHAT to think.
Resources: http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/reconstruction/types/implants/risks,
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery/reconstruction/exercises-after-breast-reconstruction-using-simple-implant,
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/no-easy-choices-on-breast-reconstruction/?_r=0
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