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How Long Before Your Feeling Came Back In Your Armpits After Mastectomy?

A MyBCTeam Member asked a question 💭
Victorville, CA

I had my bilateral mastectomy on Dec 8th and I still don't have feeling in my armpits and under arms. Is this normal??? Onc says it may be from surgery or may be my fibro.

January 24, 2016 (edited)
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A MyBCTeam Member

IF feeling is going to come back at all, it takes months to years for the nerves to regenerate. When it does come back, from my experience from another part of my body (left thumb) ,it felt like worms crawling underneath my skin. My next door neighbor at the time was a neurologist who said that it was my nerves trying to regenerate. It's been over 30 years ago and what started as a gradual return of sensation, eventually I have full feeling there; it took about 15 yrs.

January 28, 2016
A MyBCTeam Member

I did physical therapy (with an oncology therapist) I had the reconstructor in and still waiting to have implants done, and its help a lot, quite a bit of the feeling has returned. It's a lot better, it was a lot of work and i went to her two times a week and she constantly was massaging and stretching. I will return after surgery also once I have implant...

March 6, 2016
A MyBCTeam Member

My mastectomy was in May 15. I asked my several dr about the pain and numbness under my arm. All said was normal. Said could go to massage specialist if I wanted. I think I am going to start working out and see what happens. Good luck to you!

January 24, 2016 (edited)
A MyBCTeam Member

I have some feeling but honestly therapy helped me immensely and I still try and keep up with the exercises. I have frozen shoulder also... Sometimes it gets tight and I have to exercise it, some days are better than others and then the numbness returns.....Hope you are good! Love the fight for Christ, awesome!

October 3, 2016
A MyBCTeam Member

I had. Bil mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction in Oct 2015. I still have numbness under my arms. But it doesn't bother me.

March 21, 2016

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