I had a lumpectomy and sentinel nodes removed two weeks ago. It’s all healed well and the soreness gone. However, about 5 days ago I noticed a long strand-like thing that runs under the skin of my under arm - it feels quite tight and can be painful if I raise my arm up. I’ve googled it and apparently it’s called “cording”. It’s something the doctors and nurses didn’t mention. Has anyone experienced ‘cording’? Is it a temporary thing?
Thanks,
Cocoa xx
Hi cocoa I had cording after an mx and full node clearance . It was very painful but keep up with the exercises and I had physio from the hospital Mine has just gone six weeks post surgery and it is so nice to be able to move my arm and stretch for things without any pain. It will go but you do need to do the excercises even though it hurts. Contact your BCN and see if you can get physio.mxx
Hi Bella boo,
Thanks for your reply. I’ve been avoiding the exercises a bit because it’s particularly sore when I do them - but I’ll get back to them properly and just grit my teeth!! I see the oncologist soon, so might ask him about physio. I’m relieved to hear it’s just a temporary thing. What causes cording? Is it nerve damage??
Cocoa xx
Hi Cocoa,
yes,I had cording too. Exercise has definitely reduced it and it’s not really painful anymore. However, mine has not completely gone. I notice it when I use roll on deodorant. I do think it is getting better every week so hope that it will go eventually. I am now 4 months post surgery.
Hi 1960sgirl,
Thanks for the reply. The 2 lymph nodes I had removed were actually in the breast, right next to the tumour. They were very enlarged, I could feel them very easily. The doc reckons they’re a bit suspect as they were so enlarged and near the tumour site. I’ll found out if I need full lymph node clearance later this week. Yes, they did mention lymphodema and gave me some leaflets to read about it.
Cocoa x
Hi, I just wanted to pass on some great advice I got from the physio, who I saw three days ago, to possibly help anyone struggling with cording. I developed very painful and restrictive cording about two weeks after my mastectomy where I also had three sentinal nodes removed. I understand that it can be even worse if you’ve had more nodes removed so I can only imagin how painful that must be.
Along with telling me to keep up with the exercises as much as I can (she said as long as when you put your arm down, the pain goes away…if the pain stays even with your arm down, you’re overdoing it!) the best advice she gave me was to gently ‘move’ the scar. She showed me to put my hand flat over the scar, keep it in the same place on the skin but move the scar and skin up/down, left/right and in circles.
This has helped me enormously, not only with the cording, but also with the hypersensitivity and also emotionally getting used to the new look and feel of it. It’s like the more I avoided touching it the worse it felt, but as soon as I started getting to grips with it (so to speak!) the more I accepted it and the more normal it felt, both mentaly and pysically.
This might not work for everyone and I have to say that my stiches were all out and I had healed well, so check with your BCnurse beforehand, but I hope it helps someone.
Pookie1 x