Does your scar still hurt?

[blaze100]

I was helping the hubby put chains on the tractor yesterday - yes it snows in northern CA.

I had to lay down on my bad side and reach around behind the back tire. And I got that old familiar twinge of pain down my scar. Kind of like whacking your elbow on a table.

It's been 6 years. Will it ever completely go away?

Does everyone else have pain from their scar?

Barb

[carolhg]

I don't have pain on the incision but I do occasionally have soreness there. I thought it might be because the numbness has finally started to go away.

[enyaw061032]

Hi, Barb:

Yes, I do have pain at my scar. It has been two years since my surgery and I still can't be comfortable in a regular bra; so wear a soft one a bit big for me.

I know what you mean, but it does seem a long time for 6 years, but maybe it was the extra pull you made that might have caused it?

Barb

[Snowflake]

It may be scrambled nerves, too, and that they're just more sensitive in that spot...

I have areas in my scar that are numb, some areas that when touched I 'feel' in other places (like scratching a dog's belly and watching him start his motorcycle). I have odd itches, twinges and sometimes downright discomfort on the scar line, but there is at least one spot that when hit just right (or better yet, "just wrong") can almost put me in orbit. It may be where my rib was damaged with the spreader, I don't know, but I know it hurts like a son of a gun and just radiates from that point to every nerve fiber in my body. Yeah, like a funny bone, times ten!

...and at night, I can't WAIT to get home and into my jammies so I can get the darn underwired torture device OFF MY BODY! As soon as I pick my son up from B-ball practice, it's jammie time for me!

[terriep]

Yes, my whole side still hurts - usually if I lift something heavy or carry a lot of groceries, etc. And I am still numb on the right side - it's been over 4 years for me.

[Frank Lamb]

I still get pains in the scar and incision area.Sometimes for no reason,they just show up.

[Don M]

I still feel stiffness and sometimes muscular back pain along the incision. Occasionally I get a stab of pain. Mostly I don't think about it.

Don M

[blaze100]

Thanks for sharing. It makes me feel better that others are in pain too....now that didn't come out right did it?

Barb

[golden275]

Barb, I know just what you mean.

I too have pains that haven't gone away since the procedure in Nov 2005 (although the numbness is now gone). Hearing that others still have pain, especially when they lift their arm, makes me feel that I'm not alone in this. And hearing others come home and get into their jammies makes me feel right at home.

[Froggiegirl62]

My mom had VATS 13-1/2 months ago and still has discomfort. She had to have a 2nd chest tube inserted six days postop, and that is the spot that is the most uncomfortable. The first thing Mom does upon returning home is snap off the bra.

Although I am sorry to hear that others still have discomfort, it is somewhat comforting that Mom is not alone in this. Sometimes when she has a twinge, she says "Thank you Dr. ***," and names her surgeon.

[Welthy]

Barb,

Oh yeah, Tony still says he has pain/numbness/"odd" feelings in the incision areas and he didn't have a lung removed, only a wedge biopsy. Nerve damage can be a bite in the butt.

He'd say, "I feel your pain."

Welthy

[ellakc2]

I don't know if it ever goes away. It's been 3 yrs for me and I still have it. It nerve regeneration, supposely.

[Debi]

Barb,

Just read this and I'm with you 100%.

My pains/aches/sensations are like everyone else has described particularly Snowflake. Besides all of the above, sometimes if I touch my side or the scar, its almost like an electric shock that ends up in my toe or leg or wherever it feels like. And then I still have that "thing", that charlie horse pain, that feels like something gets stuck under my ribcage when I twist a certain way or bend down and I can't even breathe until it straightens out. And yes, the bra is the first thing to go when I come home from work (I constantly tug on the right side all day long, pulling it down and away from my body)...

[blaze100]

Yes Debi, I'm with you. Toss the bra.

Does the skin around your scar feel kind of rubbery too? My scar-skin feels like gummy bear material.

Barb

[Liz13]

I found this topic interesting lately. I had my surgery in Sept. and have had constant numbness all through my scar area and under the breast in the front. In the last week and a half I started going to the chiropractor to try to eliviate the muscle pain in the center of my back from inactivity for the last 4 months. Surprisingly, my insurance pays for a 30 min. massage, so I said, "let's go!!" How lucky is that? I have had 3 so far and have them scheduled at 2 a week for the next 5 weeks. After the 2nd massage, the muscles started to come alive under my scar and the numbness is going away. I can't say that the muscles are happy, in fact they're screaming mad, but I can feel them now. And I feel better everyday. I know how lucky I am to have this "benifit" but if you don't, perhaps someone in your life could start massaging your scar area. Hugs for all, Liz

[MaryAnna]

Hi Debi

I am glad you described that pain I had last week. Charlie Horse was a big kick in the side. It was my first with that one and I could hardly touch my lower rib cage after that. It really scared me at first and was sore for a few days. That area just lets me know every now and then that it is still there. I never really like wearing a bra. I think the whole bra thing was invented by a man just like that vice that they ask you put your breast in for a mammogram.

GOD Bless

MaryAnna

[Connie B]

I am soon to be 12 year survivor and I still have the numbness around the scar and under he left breast. That has never changed from day one. Also just tender to touch. Braless is so much better though. If I wear a bra for more then 6 hours it just makes that area throb for about an hour after I take the bra off. But, that's all I having going on.

WOW, the rest of you are a mess! Just kidding! I guess it's a small price to pay for 12 years!

[Maryanne]

Yep, Joel does not have pain from his first surgery, but he had that numbness which eventually went away.

His 2nd surgery he had that VATS and the doc. stuck his hand in pass his ribs to feel for other nodules, so I guess he spread the ribs by doing that. He has pain where the scar is and it does not seem to go away.

Its only been since October, but reading everyones post here it seems it can last a long long time.

Maryanne

[Michael Lewis]

For those experiencing residual pain and stiffness at surgery scars, a physical therapy technique called Myofascial Tissue Release can help.

I discovered this by accident after complaining to my wonderful PT about my scar. She rolled her eyes and said, "take off your shirt". She then performed a technique for releasing the "sticky" scar tissue along a portion of my scar. Later, she showed my wife how to perform and continue these manipulations. The results were excellent.

She later commented that surgeons know about this, but sometimes fail to mention dealing with the tissue they leave following surgery. A word of caution...this is for well-healed tissue, not for those a few weeks or months post-op. Also works for scar tissue resulting from tube insertion.

I do experience pain in the cartilage where my surgeon separated ribs. There is a definite lump there which is quite sensitive and shows up on scans but hasn't changed since a few months after surgery. I take medicine for diabetic edema which really helps. Hope this is helpful to some of you. As always, YMMV..

Michael

[wfshaw]

My scar pain went away in about two months. However when I had gallbladder surgery awhile back, the old way, I had a 6-8 inch scar that bothered me for over two years before it finally went away.

Bill in PA

[mhutch1366]

I have pain and numbness at the scar/chest area too. Surgery 2000.

Only can wear sports bras since I lost a

collarbone too. Due to the goretex chest wall, which has dropped down and in, I don't have a matched pair anymore anyway, and straps slip right off my nonexistent left shoulder.Only for modesty's sake...

XOXOX

MaryAnn

[blaze100]

Thank you for the responses. It helps to know others are going through same thing to various degrees.

The cold wet weather makes my pain worse. And wearing a bra to work everyday certainly doesn't help.

Nobody told me it would be sore for so long. My surgeon only siad it would leave me slightly sob and that it would hurt a lot while I was in hospital....still I guess we can be grateful.

Barb

[Snowflake]

IT STILL FLIPPIN' ITCHES TO DRIVE A GIRL NUTS - AND I CAN'T REACH IT!!!

[Donna G]

You wear a bra every day! Wow! That is one thing I really avoid. I can not say I am in agony all day long but every day my right chest wall reminds me of the thorocotomy and how lucky I am to be alive nearly 10 years later.

Donna G

[Muriel]

I've had these pains (seemed like muscle spasms) on both sides ever since my 2nd surgery in Nov. 2004. Once the surgical site healed, I was able to wear a bra, but whenever I move too quickly or turn too far to the left or right the sharp pain returns. At first I thought it was bone mets, but the CT and PET scans were all clear. My Onc and Pulmonary specialist didn't seem very interested in the problem. My PCP was interested, but didn't know what it was. A while ago 6 mo. - a year ago) Debi mentioned the problem in a post and I realized that it wasn't uncommon. Still painful, tho. Since I started losing weight (20 lbs.), I've only had one incident. That's good, but what really bothers me is why none of my doctors seem to be able to tell me this was "normal." I certainly talked to them about it enough.

Muriel