Night sweats post mastectomy and lumpectomy

Very common sad to say. And they can be awful. Please tell yourself during an episode that it’s ok and it won’t last much longer. You’re stronger than it and you will prevail. The calmer you are the less stressful they can be…. I hope anyways. Just remember, it’s temporary and it will not last forever.

Thank you. I was having them before surgery so am concerned that there might be more cancer in my body. My oncologist has ordered a Pet scan.

Hang in there! In time they will diminish. 🙂 best wishes on your next scan too 🙂

Bodys have different side effects, and we can never know till we get them. Are you having another surgery?

I hope the scan has results that ease the mind. Fear can trap us in our minds. Not a safe place to be. Be good to yourself.

I agree wholeheartedly with @simondsa1 and @katgob
Sadly this is really common and no one warns us this will happen so it is very frightening. I remember the first night vividly (20 years ago) thinking oh my goodness, am I dying? Because I was suddenly just burning up and sweating profusely. It lasted an hour or so and then I felt wrung out and cold, so I put on a dry nightgown and went to sleep only to have it happen again and again.
After the third or fourth day it subsided, this coincidentally is about the time the fear about it subsided. They still came but milder, and decreased frequency.
I am still really glad your doctor ordered a PET/CT, if all it does is ease your mind, it is worth it. I also believe in making sure you have all the information you can have in order to make the best decisions for yourself.
How are you feeling now? Has your PET been scheduled yet?

Thank you for your response. My Pet Scan has been scheduled for June 25. At least I feel like I’m covering all my bases. If night sweats is this common I wonder why they don’t tell us. I agree with others who say “ we need to do our own research and be our own advocates.”

I had it two years ago and I had the worst night sweats. Being scared how long it will be , it lasted a little more than I was expecting but they are gone. I occasionally have night sweats but they are not severe as I had after surgery

I had a double mastectomy in October 2023. Hot flashes and night sweats were my constant companion before, during, and after surgery. (They started months before surgery when my oncologist took me off of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and put me on Letrozole.) Symptoms continued 8 weeks of chemotherapy with adriamycin and cyclophosphamide, and subsided somewhat during the 3 months of Paclitaxel. Radiation therapy after that threw my body into fairly tolerable cold and hot flashes. Now, two weeks out of radiation, I finally have no hot flashes or night sweats. I actually feel really good aside from some intermittent, mild fatigue.
I am not looking forward to my oncologist putting me back on Letrozole with the added "bonus" of Verzenio and it's side effects.
I hope that you can get some relief soon. I find it helpful to sleep with a fan (on the floor on my side of the bed so I don't freeze out my husband) and an ice pack at bed time.

I had terrible night sweats after my surgery/radiation and being put on letrozole. One thing that has really helped is the supplement Evening Primrose Oil. I take a capsule of 1000 mg at night before bed and within a week or two my night sweats diminished significantly (and that is a very minimal dosage). Where I would have night sweats for hours before, I rarely get them and if I do they go quickly.

Of course, check with your oncologist before trying a supplement, but mine had told me that this was safe for me and it has really helped.

Good luck in your journey!

Thank you!