Other than the tightness, my whole chest area had been numb, but lately I've noticed a bit of feeling coming back, including in my right underarm, I think. It's hard to describe, except to say that it feels not just tight and numb anymore. It feels kind of weird. The seat belt especially feels weird when it presses against my chest. I've settled on using two seat belt pillows, a larger one positioned directly over my chest area to cushion it, and if I'm driving, a smaller one positioned on my left shoulder to lift the seat belt entirely away from my port.
The actual act of driving is almost back to normal. I can still feel some tightness when turning the wheel or turning my body to look behind me, but I don't think my driving is hindered. At this point, I'm pretty much as functional as I was before surgery; I can do all the usual household tasks like cooking, washing dishes, and doing laundry. The break from chores was nice while it lasted. Haha.
When I'm doing my physical therapy exercises, I'm starting to feel muscles in my chest being pulled that I hadn't felt since surgery. I hope this means that the numbness is fading. Plus, my range of motion has improved a lot! I'm really pleased with the progress.
Meanwhile, though, the cording in my right underarm has gotten worse. I can now sometimes see and feel a cord extending halfway to my elbow. If I hold my right arm out to the side, at just the right angle, there's like a line where my skin looks indented, like there's a "cord" pulling on the skin from the inside. If I rub the line with my left hand, it feels like there's a very thin, taut wire just under the skin. It's not painful, but it's uncomfortable when I try to stretch and it restricts my range of motion.
I've since redoubled my efforts to do my physical therapy exercises, so I do them multiple times a day whenever I think of it. I think it may be helping. The cord already feels a little better than when I first noticed it had worsened (a couple days ago).
I'm a bit disappointed that my physical therapist hasn't stopped in during either of my first two chemo sessions, but maybe she figured I need time to adjust to the routine. I feel comfortable with my range of motion progress, but I think I'd like her to look at the cording. I'll see how things feel after this long weekend, and I'll think about calling for an appointment next week if necessary.
The actual act of driving is almost back to normal. I can still feel some tightness when turning the wheel or turning my body to look behind me, but I don't think my driving is hindered. At this point, I'm pretty much as functional as I was before surgery; I can do all the usual household tasks like cooking, washing dishes, and doing laundry. The break from chores was nice while it lasted. Haha.
When I'm doing my physical therapy exercises, I'm starting to feel muscles in my chest being pulled that I hadn't felt since surgery. I hope this means that the numbness is fading. Plus, my range of motion has improved a lot! I'm really pleased with the progress.
Meanwhile, though, the cording in my right underarm has gotten worse. I can now sometimes see and feel a cord extending halfway to my elbow. If I hold my right arm out to the side, at just the right angle, there's like a line where my skin looks indented, like there's a "cord" pulling on the skin from the inside. If I rub the line with my left hand, it feels like there's a very thin, taut wire just under the skin. It's not painful, but it's uncomfortable when I try to stretch and it restricts my range of motion.
I've since redoubled my efforts to do my physical therapy exercises, so I do them multiple times a day whenever I think of it. I think it may be helping. The cord already feels a little better than when I first noticed it had worsened (a couple days ago).
I'm a bit disappointed that my physical therapist hasn't stopped in during either of my first two chemo sessions, but maybe she figured I need time to adjust to the routine. I feel comfortable with my range of motion progress, but I think I'd like her to look at the cording. I'll see how things feel after this long weekend, and I'll think about calling for an appointment next week if necessary.
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