six month check up

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I have just come back from my six month check up since mast and rads. Surgeon really pleased with how the scar has healed, but have been told that I have lymphodema under my arm and on my back, and although I have only had a snb not a full axillary clearance, this was unusual and also he was surprised at how much pain I am still in as this apparently does not happen very ofeten with mast and snb, has refered me to pain management clinic. Has any one elese had this sort of problem, would love to hear from you

Thanks Heather

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Hi Heather
I’m sorry to hear of your problems but, if it’s any consolation, it’s made me feel a bit better!
I had WLE Jan 31 and finished 16 rads last week. I jumped at your comment of ‘lymphodoema under my arm and back’ as I have a pain on the side of my back which I’ve had since surgery. I had chording a week after surgery and that’s when it started. I wondered if it was tissue moved when I had my WLE but during rads the chording got worse and the pain in the back returned. I asked the onc at rads but he just said that the surgeon wouldn’t have moved tissue that far.
I’m not sure how chording and lymphodoema are connected but I’ve got a bulge the width of my little finger running from my arm pit over my bicep down to my elbow. The skin is very painful to touch and it’s difficult to straighten my arm.
Have you been given any exercises to help you?
Take care
L x

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L - that sounds like some serious chording you’ve got there! I had some nasty chording post-op and as I skipped the chemo and went straight to rads I had a week of intense physio to help with the arm mobility. The woman I saw was wonderful (depite the fact I was convinced she was trying to rip my arm off with her bare hands) and she fantastic at stretching out and ‘popping’ the chords. Might be worth asking about some physio.

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Sorry to butt in but what is chording?

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Hi cathy59

Chording is a thrombosed lymph vein (I think). When the nodes are removed the lymph can’t travel down the channel so it leaves an empty string like structure which tightens making it difficult to stretch the arm etc. Blooming painful too!

L x