Lark77

Hi Lark77

Sorry to read of your pain after your breast biopsys.  I didnt have  needle aspiration biopsys  I had core punch biopsys 5 in all  three in my right breast ,2 under my arm which was very painfull ,it felt like I'd been shot,and I had a metal marker put into my right breast as well , whuch also hurt.

I was very sore and bruised for a long time after this procedure was done. I dud ask my breast care nurses if it was normal to feel pain after such a long time. I was reassured that it was very normal, I was told the breast tissue is extremely sensitive and has lots of nerve endings,and these are very sensitive, and what I had gone through ,and all the bruising I had, would take time to heal and recover. 

So I hope this helps  you in some way.Hope all goes well with your treatments and operation. 

Hello Lark77 and thanks for posting us a question, 

I am sorry to learn what has been going on and can appreciatte that waiting for things to happen is horribly stressful. 

I am glad that Jassoscared has posted her experiences and hope reading her account will be helpful.

With regard to literature, I haven't been able to find all that much that is open (free) access. I expect something like this, that is the duration and intensity of post breast biopsy pain, is probably a little bit under researched. A 2008  paper which you find at this link might be of interest, it doesn't look at pain levels in the weeks following a biopsy, but may still have a bearing on your situtaion. In this study women with dense breasts seem to experience more pain and the number and depth of biopsies were a factor. 

I can't say for sure what is causing your pain, but some women do experience significant pain after a breast biopsy that can radiate away from the breast and take a while to settle.  This is most likely due to nerves being disrupted/damaged during the biopsy procedure or as a result of bleeding/bruising/inflammation which can also disturb tissue containing nerves. Unfortunately, this can take a while to mend. 

As regular over the counter painkillers don't seem to be helping, I think it is reasonable to ask what else you should be taking and if something can be prescribed that might help.  

I hope things improve for you and that your appointment with the oncologist goes well.   

If you want to talk anything over, please do give us a call on Freephone 0808 800 4040, we are here from 9-5, weekdays,

Best wishes, 

Julia

Thanks very much for this link Julia. Currently waiting on gp to call to discuss pain relief.

Hoping also to find some answers around whether the pain, if linked to nerve damage, is likely to fade in the near future or be ongoing. And whether there's anything (other than or as well as taking painkillers) that I can do to ease this?

Obviously just trying to be in best possible shape for starting chemo. Worried that at present I'm not able to do many basic tasks around the house so not relishing the thought of the impact that might have once treatment starts.

Thanks again

Hello Lark, I'm glad you are going to chat with the GP, hopefully that will improve things for you.

Hopefully soon you will have all the information you need and things will start to improve, until then take care of yourself and allow your body time.

Take care and if you want to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline the number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040, 9am till 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Sarah.

Hi

6 months+ on, I thought I should add an update here incase it's of interest to anyone in a similar situation. 

Several days after I wrote the original post I learned that the cancer had already spead to my bones. Including spine, ribs, sholders and pelvis. Most of the pain was being caused by a fractured vertibrae and a number of lesions. 

Still find it difficult to think about the 6 weeks that passed before anyone appeared to take me seriously regarding how my body was feeling. But (thankfully) life goes on!