Wondered if anyone had any suggestions to help with cording. I had some cording in my arm after chemo, but since i had a mastectomy and recon with full clearance 4 weeks ago it has been much worse. I have been doing the exercises i was given by the physio to help with this but they haven’t made much of a difference. I can’t get my arm straight and its making my other exercises more difficult. Due to start RADs next week so keen to do what i can.
Thanks
Lesley
X
Hi Lesley
I also got cording from chemo in one arm and now have cording in the other arm due to the same op as you. I’ve been told to keep up the exercises and also massage the area. The main thing is that for your rads planning appointment you can get your arms in the right position. The position is lying on your back with your arms up above your head but not straight.
Best wishes
Ruby x
Hi Lesley,
I too have cording, though it has mostly gone now. Mine appeared after my mastectomy last March, and although the arm exercises seemed to reduce it for a while, it started getting worse again after about six months (during chemo). I found the only thing which helped it go again was swimming, which I started as soon as I was able to after chemo. I have been swimming now for about threee months, I still have a minor bit of cording which is visible if I stretch my arm up, but it doesn’t bother me, except for getting in the way of the electric razor when shaving.
This cording is a weird business. I saw it quite a lot when I was working with ladies who had lymphoedema. As you mention, exercise to keep the arm as flexible as possible seems to help. What usually happens is that eventually the corded areas seem to “snap” and then disappear of their own accord, but nothing else much that can be done about them until that happens. Hope yours won’t be too long disappearing! Good luck. Sarah.
Hi,
Sorry to but in but could someone clarify what cording is.
i had right mast and full node clearance on 17/01 08 i carn’t fully stretch my arm yet and can feel and see what looks like a couple of string bits just under the skin were my armpit is when i try to stretch my arm,up is they feel really tight (is this cording) and is this what my bc nurse said need to snap.
How long does it take to get back to full mobility the bc nurse said i should be nearly there now ( only 3wks post op )
Thanks
Mandy xx
Pennypig. Yes that sounds like cording. I had my op on the 2 Jan 08. If I lift my arm high (which I know I should lift about 90 degrees until 6 weeks after which is next week) I can feel like a “tube” under my arm pit. Felt gross!!! And quite sore. I made an appointment with the physio as they know how to “strech” it properly. Apparently when it goes you can hear the cording “pop”. Nice!!! She felt mine pop a couple of times and felt much better but was a bit painful and sore at the time. Once I can lift my arm over 90 degrees she said she can do much more for me to stretch it. At the moment at home I am moving my arm to a position where I can feel the cording pull and then doing a couple of stretches where i can just about bear it and “bouncing” which will hopefully make it go away. Ring the physio and get an appointment my one just specialisises (sp) in breast cancer patients so knows her stuff.
Hi Lseley - cording does seem to come and go, mine was worse afer each chemo and then really kicked in after rads and more surgery. Best thing I found was stand infront of a wall and see how far you can walk your arm up the wall - each day try for just a cm more and by the end of a week you will be surprised at the progress you have made!! Also found that while I was lying in the bath or in bed when arm is warmer it was much easier to push it that bit further above my head.
I actually work for the NHS and my office is opposite the community physio so I used to pop in and see them for ideas and this is what helped me.
Good luck
Sarah x x x
I had cording too after my op last August, it lasted about 8 weeks and I religiously did all the exercises my BCN told me to do… the main one being as Sarah said, walk your arm up the wall. I never felt mine ‘snap’ it just sort of disappeared whilst I was having rads and having to put my arms above my head.
hi, i didn’t have chemo or rads, and i only had 9 lymph nodes removed, but i still get terrible cording under my arm, and sometimes i can feel it in my forearm as well, normally when i have done far too much, and i had my op in june last year and i do my exercises daily
Alisonxxx
hi lesley
are u the same person who had surgery in royal. if u are ive a few things i would like to ask u. if not sorry to bother u.
maria
hi lesley thanks for responding so quick.
i was supposed to be having my op/recon tomorrow at hairmyers both ops done by one doc a mr musa. got phone call last week to say he could not do op so had to be referred to royal but could not give me any idea when my surgery would be so i was a wee bit upset by this. i phoned the royal and due to the state i was in and the fact that i have had no chemo now for eight weeks(had chemo first to shrink tumor 10.5cm) it was put down as very urgent. i am going tomorrow to royal to meet ps i think his name was mr mallings not to sure of spelling and the doctor is still mr musa.op on 22nd feb
how did u find your stay.
what was the bc nurses like
how long were u in for
did u need to come home with drains in(i am petrified of this happening as i have a boy who is autistic and he can be very rough)
when did u let yr kids see u after op
are u pleased with results
is yr arm movement restricted
if u drive how long did u need to wait till u could drive again
sorry for asking so much
hope u r well
thanks for ur time
maria
Hi Maria
No problem to answer your questions
how did u find your stay.
I was on 2 different wards 49 and 46. 49 is high dependency and you will be there for anything from 2 days to 5 depending on which type of recon you are having and how you are. I had the LD recon and didn’t respond to badly to the anesthetic so i was only in 49 for one night you are there longer if you have a DIEP. It’s 1 to 1 nursing in 49 and they check your flap very regularly to make sure it is ok. This can be quite intrusive but the staff are really nice. I was in a 4 bedded bay and all the other women were also having recons. Ward 46 is a general plastics ward so it can be a mixed bag who you are in with, again its 4 bedded bays. The food is not great so make sure you get brought food parcels.
what was the bc nurses like
The staff on the wards aren’t bc nurses but there are two bc nurses Claire and Dianne who are both great, they tend to pop into the word regularly and are a great source of info. The rest of the staff were in the main great but you do get your usual mixed bag.
how long were u in for
I was in for nine days, it really depends on how your drains are going. Each of the plastic surgeons seems to have a different rule about when the drains come out. For some it was when it went below 50mls others the drains would come out 7 days post surgery irrespective of the amount. There is different schools of thought.
did u need to come home with drains in(i am petrified of this happening as i have a boy who is autistic and he can be very rough)
They don’t let you home from the royal with your drains in.
when did u let yr kids see u after op
They aren’t supposed to let kids under 10 into high dependency, i didn’t have to worry about this as i was only there one night. I got my op on a Wednesday and my kids came to see me on the Friday but i would have been ok on the Thursday. Another lady i got to know was in high dependency for 5 days and they did let her kids in her youngest was 8.
are u pleased with results
Yes i am. Have to be honest wasn’t happy at first because of the way they had closed the wound but its really smoothing out now. Its a nice shape although slightly smaller than my other breast. I knew this would be the case and i will have an uplift and reduction on the other side to match me up.
is yr arm movement restricted
It’s getting back to normal although i am not there yet. I have been doing my exercises and have seen the physio a couple of times since discharge due to some cording. I did manage to get into the RADs planning position 3 weeks post surgery.
if u drive how long did u need to wait till u could drive again
I drove for the first time today 5 weeks post surgery, they say you can drive after 4 but i didn’t feel ready
The woman in the bed next to me had her DIEP flap done by Mr Mallon and she is very happy with it.
I was like you had chemo first then mastectomy and recon, my gap from chemo to surgery was 7 weeks. I have my first RADs tomorrow got 5 weeks worth.
Hope this answers your questions, anything else please just ask.
Let me know how it goes.
Lesley
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hi lesley
thanks for the info i found it very helpful.
why did u get chemo before op and did u get any after it. i have been told i may require further chemo and that i will definately be getting a year of herceptin.
thanks again
maria
Hi Maria
I got chemo before the op due to the size of the tumour and the risk of spread. Fortunately all the scans to date have been clear so fingers and everything else crossed. My onc is of the view that the chemo before surgery did the trick, the tumour shrunk significantly so he hopes it also mopped up any microscopic cells floating around. So no more chemo for me at the moment just the radiotherapy, 2 years of zoladex and 5 years of tamoxofin.
We are all so different that it’s hard to compare treatments main thing is having faith that your onc is doing the best for you. Unfortunately for my poor onc i read lots and ask loads of questions, he has got used to me now and quite often is able to guess what i am going to ask him about.
Have you been to the hospital now and met the ps?
Let me know how you are getting on
Lesley
Hi Lesley,
After my mastectomy and reconstruction I had terrible cording, so tight and painful. I experimented with several exercises and finally found my own solution. I held my hand firmly on top of the cording under my arm and slowly stretched my arm up, holding the cording and not letting go.
I repeated this over a number of times over a very few days gradualy increasing the amount I streched and it just went away. It didn’t snap at all. I was thrilled.
I don’t know if this will work for you, we are all different
Pattyann.
hi lesley
went for my pre op today and met with ps and bcn diane. both seemed really nice. he made me feel confident in him and i think that is really important. i go in to hos on 21st and will get my op on 22nd. i hope this week goes quickly so as i can get it all over with.
thanks for yr help it has been a great support
maria
hi everyone i have had my cording since november 06 after lumpectomy still had it after mastectomy and reconstruction i really stretch my arm but nothing happens , but when i go for surgery to even the beasts up the doc says will release it, by the way has anyone else had shrinking of the breast after radiotherapy.
jean
hi everyone.Have been reading about cording and am a bit concerned that i cannot get my arm into the position yet that i need for radiotherapy treatment.Havent had my appointment through so could have a couple of weeks yet.I had my op on 24/1/08.should i contact my bc nurse or just keep on with my own exersises.I dont want to delay treatment if i cant lift my arm !!!
Hi MINIMODE
I had my op on Jan 31 and am going for tatooing tomorrow with radiotherapy starting in 2/3 weeks time. My cording seems to be getting worse rather than better although I’m doing the excercises. Like you, I’m hoping treatment doesn’t get delayed.
I think it’s worth contacting your bc nurse to run it passed them.
x
Thanks lynnietom.Feel better now i know it is probably quite normal for the cording to be like this but i will contact my bc nurse next week if no improvement over the weekend.Good luck for tommorrow.x