In my case, it could be. I had 2 incisions, one for the nodes & one for the tumor, close to the same area. The docs believe the nerve pain seems to be a combination of scar tissue at the surgical sites & perhaps continued healing from the radiation. I had a bit of the nerve twinges in the few months after radiation, but nothing like this. It was just every once in a while. This new sensation started 10 months after radiation. They did a CT scan of the arm & chest to be sure it wasn't some sort of blockage, they found nothing more than scar tissue at the site, which for me is close to the chest wall. I am doing exercises & lymphatic massage to help things break up and keep the fluid moving. Icing the arm is great for nerve pain, just numb it right up!

I think radiation is mentally tiring because you have to go every day, except weekends and its a constant reminder you are a cancer patient. Barely takes 30 minutes from when I got there to when I left. I felt no different in energy level until into the 3rd week when the afternoon fatigue began to hit.

Keep up your PT exercises after your skin feels better. I found it helped to ease the soreness a bit. Can't imagine what my scar tissue would have been like without doing them. And I can not speak highly enough about Aquaphor. Even my surgeon was surprised at how great my skin looked. I started right after surgery and continued for 2 months after radiation every night. I bought some cheap tank tops a few sizes too big at Wal-mart to throw away after, so I wouldn't ruin my favorite pjs, as the Aquaphor will leave a bit of a grease stain.

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