How Does One Relieve Some of the Pain from Breast Tissue Expanders?

You can alternate Ibuprofen with your pain medication. Also, muscle relaxers have been shown to help. You can also ask your surgeon to progress slower or take a week off now and then if you need a break. Obviously, I defer to the specific instructions of you surgeon. I'm sorry you are suffering. The good news is that it is temporary.

The only way to relieve the pain associated with breast tissue expanders is to slow the rate of expansion and use over the counter pain relievers.  This will also result in a longer expansion period further delaying the completion of breast reconstruction. But everyone mst creed at their own rate. 

It is quite common to have pain with the epxansion of the tissue expanders. I usually recommend tylenol to my patients.

It's interesting how pain and tissue expansion are related. Sometimes it is painful for a few days and sometimes not. Be sure and discuss this with your surgeon. Maybe you need more time between expansions or a smaller volume expansion. If you are developing capsular contracture that is resisting the expansion, you may need a surgical procedure before further expansion. Pain control otherwise can be obtained from various type of pain pills and sometimes cold packs will be of help. Doctors are interested in keeping their patients as comfortable as possible so please speak with your surgeon first. Too much pain may be a sign that too much pressure is being exerted against the ribs and that can actually deform the ribs, negating some of the benefits of the expansion.