Has anyone started having nerve pain after radiation?

@mchler73
I had a lot of pain during the last couple weeks of my radiation treatments and after while healing. So much so that I hardly slept the last couple weeks of treatment. I would also get mock heart attack pain in my chest and upper back (maybe even neck and shoulder -- hard to remember exactly now) for 4 hours at a time that usually hit around midnight. Awful and intense. When I first described it to the radiation oncologist he asked why I didn't go to the ER to check for a heart attack. I told him because I have pre-x neuro issues and was playing the odds that the radiation was inflaming my nerves. I do have a hereditary neuropathy that makes my nerves get damaged easily. The chest pain did go away after radiation ended, but not immediately.

Also, is the sharp pain in your breast where you had the tumor removed? I still get occasional sharp pains where the tumor was removed from my chest wall and pectoral muscle. The pains were frequent in the beginning. Still makes me jump when one hits. It's also still very tender to touch that spot after 3 years so I guess it always will be. My sides under my arms where the extra tissue landed after my double mastectomy 10 years ago is still painful to touch, but again probably due to my pre-x neuropathy. Hopefully your pain will clear up quickly if you didn't have nerve issues prior to treatment. Prayers for you.

Thank you for your reply. I’m sorry you are still having pain and issues so many years later!
Yes, the pain is near where the tumor was.
What’s weird is that I had 2 Lymph nodes removed and they were clear, so I don’t need radiation in that area but I am having some pain there now. I did have a tough time recovering and a lot of nerve pain from that Lymph surgery but it had gotten much, much better, so I was surprised when it started hurting again. It makes sense how you said the radiation is inflaming the nerves in my breast but i didn’t think I’d have issues under my armpit from it. I will mention it to my Rad Oncologist.
Thanks again and take care!

@californiazebra
Hello,
Did you say that you didn’t start having pain until the last couple of weeks of radiation?
Today will be day 3 for me and I am having soreness in my breast and underarm area. I didn’t have any pain until after my first treatment this past Monday.
The nurse and tech said they don’t think it’s from the radiation because it’s too soon for it to cause that….but unless it’s a coincidence, I feel like it did.
So I’m not sure what to think. Thoughts?

@californiazebra
I had my appointment with my Rad Onc today and she said that although it isn't typical to have symptoms after the first day, she has had a few woman who have.
So I’m glad to I hear that because I thought I was going crazy or something!
She also said she doesn’t love to hear that because she worries what the next 3.5 weeks will be like…. But fingers crossed it won’t get too bad!
Take care!

@mchler73
Glad your rad onc could bring you some peace of mind. You mentioned soreness which makes me think it's more skin irritation. I had two different reactions, one being pain from the skin burning and one being inflamed nerves that went much deeper. They both hit late in the process. That was 3 years ago so I can't remember exactly when, but I'd guess after 20-25 treatments and I had 37 altogether which is a lot compared to what other women I know have had. I think they told me 39 was the max or something like that. I was really good about using the cream they told me to use which was calendula (Amazon). I used it twice a day and they said that really helped protect me. My skin was just pink for quite some time then started getting more red like a bad sunburn then eventually had open sores more like raspberries and it was a second degree burn. At that point I had to switch to Silvadene cream used for burn patients. It's Rx. I survived it and it all healed up. Hopefully, you'll have fewer treatments and less issues. Just be sure to take all precautions. Wishing you the best!

@californiazebra
Yikes, 37 is a lot! Luckily, I only have 20. The first 3 weeks will be the whole breast and then the last week will be intensified and will only target where the tumor was.
The nerve pain in my armpit seems to be better but occasionally I get a feeling like someone is shocking me there. My breast is pretty sore on the inside, similar to the first few days after lumpectomy surgery but a bit worse. And At this point, my skin is a only a bit pink.
Thank you for the tips about the Calendula. I will check into that.
Glad to hear you healed up nicely! Thanks again for sharing your experience.

@mchler73, you may also be interested in these related discussions that I found searching for "nerve pain and radiation" in the Breast Cancer support group:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/breast-cancer/?search=Nerve+pain+and+radiation&index=discussions