Pins and needles following surgery

[Humpy D]

My OH had breast surgery in April but since that time she has been experiencing pins and needles in her legs mainly but extending to her stomach at times. She has also said that there are times when she can't feel her toes.

She has spoken to her GP about this and he has told her that it's not unusual and it could take up to 6 months for things to return to normal.

Sounds to me like it's a circulatory problem but is it normal and is there anything she can do to help it?

Thanks.

[Humpy D]

Would like to give this post a bump as my OH's symptoms have got significantly worse over the last week.

But to recap since the original post, my OH has seen a neurologist who hasn't been able to diagnose anything but has asked to see my OH annually.

She was 'fine' last week when on holiday but since she came back the pins and needles/numbness has gone further up her body into her upper legs, buttocks, waist. But she did say to me that on her flight home (only a shortish flight - 2.5 hours) she found the seat very cramped, with limited leg room. To me this is too much of a coincidence that since this flight her symptoms have been worse and I can't help thinking that the issue is something like a trapped nerve.

She is seeing her GP next week and I have told her that chatting to a physiotherapist friend might be beneficial as they may be able to help.

Would be grateful to hear from anybody who has/had anything similar and what treatment they had and whether it's helped.

Thanks.

[Pebbles167]

While a physiotherapist might help, the underlying cause could still be unknown. I would think a trip to the hospital with various scans would be needed to actually inspect the nerves and see if anything obvious is wrong. As for the plane, not sure if that's likely to be a factor or not. The cabin is obviously pressurised so problems wouldn't come from there, but being cramped could definitely cause a problem. Has your wife ever had similar symptoms after a long car ride, or sleeping in a bad position at home?

Real shame to hear she's having such trouble. As you saw in my thread, it's horrid having these sort of pains that won't go away.

[Deebeezee]

Have a look at vitamin b12 deficiency. Apparently anaesthetic used in general surgery can deplete your system with lots of different symptoms. My mum suffered for years after having her gall bladder out which was linked to b12 defiency post surgery.

[Humpy D]

Thanks for the replies.

She doesn't usually have problems after a flight although we always buy extra legroom seats so the issue doesn't arise as much.

As for the B12 deficiency, when she had her last meeting with the consultant they put her on a course of 6 injections of B12 over a period of about 2 weeks. She had the last one about a month ago and whilst she hasn't seen any improvement I guess these things take a while to kick in.

One thing that I don't think helps though is that she gets very down and/or anxious about it particularly at night which whilst understandable could have a negative effect on her condition.