Sharp stabbing pains in the breast.

You get some strange this happening to you when you have had an operation to remove a breast tumour. I had a lumpectomy, or as it is known more so now a wide local excision, same thing really the doctors tell me. I do find, from time to time, that I will suddenly get sharp shooting pains in my breast. The first time I had this I became quite alarmed as they are really quite painful and ofcourse inevitably you wonder what is wrong. I mentioned it to my surgeon and also my GP and was told, by both of them, that it is merely the breast tissue knitting together and you can get pains for years while this happens. I felt better for knowing that this was a normal thing which was expected to happen and I think maybe somebody could have warned me that I may expect this to happen rather than have me find out by having the life frightened out of me, thinking my cancer was back.  Even though it is coming up to 7 years, well to be exact about 6 and three quarter years, I still get the sharp stabbing pains from time to time which can come on without any warning nor it seems any reason. I went to bed the other night, took off my bra and realised that not only was my breast quite swollen on the one side but it was also so painful I could barely touch the area and every time I moved my arm in a certain way the pain made me flinch. I could not sleep for the pain, could not lie on my left side, and began to wonder, during that long night, if I had my cancer back. However, thankfully, when I got up the next morning the swelling had gone down and the pain all but gone! It has not returned since, "touch wood", though I daresay it could, at any time. It is as well to be aware of this strange phenomenon just so you are not scared out of your wits thinking the worse, most of the time it is quite normal, just your breast tissue knitting together again!