I am so sorry if this a stupid question. I have been having alot of pain under my arm were i had 5 nodes removed after a WLE back in Feb this year. The pain only started about a week ago, i noticed it when i stretched my arm to reach something high up. I felt around and at first couldn’t feel anything but today i can feel a definate string like/hard vein and can see a cord like structure under my arm and it is soooo painful - what do i do ? Does this mean i am now more likely to get lymphoedema ? Is there anything i can do myself to help ease the pain?
Hope someone can help
Melx
Whilst you wait for the other forum users to reply with their experience and advice you may find it useful to have a look at the BCC publication ‘Reducing the risk of lymphoedema’ If you would like to order a copy or read this on line hust follow this link:-
I had terrible cording after my snb, mx and recon in June but now it’s pretty much gone. I went to physio and had massage and my consultant suggested that I use an empty deodorant ‘roll-on’ to massage it myself. as far as I’m aware it doesn’t mean you get lymphoedema - I haven’t .
Check with your consultant on Monday to see if you can be referred to physio.
X
I had my dx in May 2009, several lumpectomies before an mx in the September followed by chemo and rads. I had 11 nodes removed in total, and had cording which returned a couple of times in the first six months. Touch wood it has not returned since and there is no sign of lymphoedema although I get a little swelling in a couple of fingers when hot - I’ve been told that is due to the tamoxifen.
Hi, like others, I had quite bad cording after mx, and have had it at intervals for some time afterwards. I have found that stretching my arm out to full length helps, even if painful at first (my OH says it’s my dalek impression) - but I’ve never had lymphodema even after 2 lots of surgery and 2 lots of rads. All the best, Mo x
cording and lymphoedema are unrelated… most people who have LO never had cording and LO is more common after a full clearance… some people get LO in their breast or back and not just in hands and arms.
you can get cording in the vessels from your finger tip, through wrist, inside of elbow, auxilla and even through the breast, which is called mondors disease… it usually goes away by itself but you can ask for physio, massage and kinesio taping but there didnt really do much for me… it tends to be caused by trauma and its thought that some people are maybe just more prone to it… i have cording in right arm and it moved about a bit but after about 6 or 9 months it had pretty much gone away… i also got mondors in my left breast following my next surgery… i only had an snb on either side with no nodes and only 2-4 nodes removed… i did get some hand swelling when i was doing a lot of driving. recently had further surgery to left side with partial aux clearance and no cording this time.
Thanks Lulu- I think it was a shock to clearly see it and feel it all of a sudden, well as soon as i finished my radiotherapy it appeared and it is so painful.
Can you see the cording if it goes into the breast ? my cording is right under my arm but my breast is also painful when it never used to be.
Melx
I have cording in my arm pit after having a partial clearance 3 weeks ago. BCN told me to just massage it. I have no idea how often I am supposed to do this and it is so painful especially as I also have a seroma which thankfully is going down now albeit slowly.
Any advice would be welcome. I don’t really want to have physio if I can do it myself.
Think it must have been Mondor’s that I had. A short time after surgery I felt the strangest thing, like a thin rope under the skin running down the front of each boob, and in certain lights you could see it quite clearly. It freaked me out and I was down at GP surgery the same day. She thought it was phlebitis, don’t know if there’s a link, but it did go away quite quickly.
Hope yours does too.
S
in the breast it can either look like a dimple like its drawn in he same way as happens in your arm but it can pop out like a rope under the breast too like with sheil.
i found the massaging doesnt really do too much but what you may find helpful is rubbing in some ibuprofen gel if you can use it and also stretching your arm…kinda pushing it to the limits like walking your fingers up the wall as far as you can… i think actually it just gets better in its own time really.