Monday, May 11, 2009

Revenge of the mammogram

Last year, I couldn't imagine having a mammogram given that I was still in the throes of active shingles pain. The dermatome that carried my shingles apparently had a wayward nerve branch, because in addition to the blisters on my back and side (bra line all the way), one single blister showed up on the edge of the nipple of my right breast.

About a half-day after the mammogram, the nerve pain has ramped up. The weird tickling and tingling under my right arm is back. It feels like my ribs under my arm are being crushed, and my right breast is burning. It wasn't until some time today that I connected all of this flaring pain to the mammogram and shingles.

That is one angry nerve, and it is really holding a grudge.

2 comments:

May Voirrey said...

It turns out that my diagram is actually an almost exact representation of the nerve location. I always felt like the nerve went through me like a skewer from back to front, but my PT showed me an anatomy book with a picture of torso nerves. The nerve that had shingles does, in fact, start in the spine and wrap around the rib cage, terminating at the breast. Thi explains why I felt pain under my arm and in the side ribs.

I got it right based solely on sensation. Hmm. I'm more in touch with my body than I thought.

Anonymous said...

So glad to have read this! I have shingles in the exact same place and have had them for almost 2 and a half months. PAINFUL! They are angry nerves!