surgery complications?

I had bi-lateral tram flap surgery in 2004.  A few days after surgery I had a severe tearing like pain above my right breast.  I can usually tolerate pain but this was extreme.  The plastic surgeon said it was nothing. I continue to have pain at the top of the right breast & shoulder today.   In 2007, I bent down to pick something up and it felt like a muscle had rolled down my left abdomen.  I now have a bulge at the lower left abdomen which after a CT scan, my surgeon says is o.k., although I continue to have discomfort there.   Now I am having pain across the top of my breasts.  It is almost like in a straight line across my chest.  (I tolerated my mastectomy, chemo and radiation fine and had no complications, what-so-ever.  But after reconstruction, I feel that I am always in pain?  Can you help??? Any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!!!

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  In spite of what your surgeon is saying, it's definitely not "OK" since you continue to be in pain.  My suggestion is to seek a second opinion with another surgeon from a reputable institution (preferably a cancer center).  The pain may be a result of complications arising from the surgery.  In a worse case scenario, that pain may be an early sign of recurrent cancer.  Now I'm not saying that it is certainly recurrence, only that the possibility is there and needs to be ruled out.

I've had some breast cancer patients who have also been experiencing moderate to severe pain long after the surgery.  What I have observed in these patients is that they seem to respond to Neurontin (gabapentin) or Lyrica (pregabalin).  These are drugs which are used for treating neuropathic pain (pain produced because of damage to nerves).  You may wish to ask your doctor about these drugs to see if this kind of treatment is appropriate for you.