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Can I have hand surgery on same side as radical mastectomy

Posted by finger @finger, Dec 4, 2022

I had a radical mastectomy 38 years ago on my left side. Now I am scheduled for trigger finger surgery on my left side tomorrow. What risks am I taking?

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ksue3 | @ksue3 | Dec 6 1:20pm
In reply to @quiltingrx "I had a double mastectomy 9 months ago. Within 3 months I developed bilateral trigger fingers...." + (show)
@quiltingrx

I had a double mastectomy 9 months ago. Within 3 months I developed bilateral trigger fingers. Rt after my 2nd reconstruction surgery I had shots in my thumbs. They worked, but this week, the shots wore off abruptly. I’m seeing my hand surgeon next week. I know the shots aren’t the long term answer. I knew this had to be connected to my mastectomy bc I hadn’t had it before & it developed bilaterally within 3 months. Hearing people’s experiences helps me feel validated in my belief this is related to my mastectomy.

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Were you taking an AI drug like Anastrazole? I don't see that the mastectomy itself as a cause.

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Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | 2 days ago
In reply to @quiltingrx "I had a double mastectomy 9 months ago. Within 3 months I developed bilateral trigger fingers...." + (show)
@quiltingrx

I had a double mastectomy 9 months ago. Within 3 months I developed bilateral trigger fingers. Rt after my 2nd reconstruction surgery I had shots in my thumbs. They worked, but this week, the shots wore off abruptly. I’m seeing my hand surgeon next week. I know the shots aren’t the long term answer. I knew this had to be connected to my mastectomy bc I hadn’t had it before & it developed bilaterally within 3 months. Hearing people’s experiences helps me feel validated in my belief this is related to my mastectomy.

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@quiltingrx, I love your username. I assume you're a quilter and that it is important enough to you that it is your balm, your prescription Rx, so to speak. I can imagine then that the bilateral trigger fingers are seriously affecting your quality of life and slowly down the activity that brings you joy.

How did the appointment with the hand surgeon go? is surgery an option for you?

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quiltingrx | @quiltingrx | 2 days ago
In reply to @colleenyoung "@quiltingrx, I love your username. I assume you're a quilter and that it is important enough..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@quiltingrx, I love your username. I assume you're a quilter and that it is important enough to you that it is your balm, your prescription Rx, so to speak. I can imagine then that the bilateral trigger fingers are seriously affecting your quality of life and slowly down the activity that brings you joy.

How did the appointment with the hand surgeon go? is surgery an option for you?

Jump to this post

Thank you Colleen. Quilting is my therapy these days. My visit with the hand surgeon went well. Turns out his wife is a retired breast surgeon. He confirmed the trigger thumbs are due to trauma & swelling from the breast surgeries. Then he said, “then we divorce the two things”. There’s cause & effect, but the treatment only happens in the hands, either shots or a simple tendon release surgery. That’s a relief!

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