Hi everyone, I hope everyone is doing OK,
I was hoping I could draw on your valuable experiences please.
I had a full mastectomy and all my nodes out (10 in all) on 11th June so 5 weeks this Monday coming.
I’ve got a tight cord thing under my arm pit and I can feel it running down my arm to the crook of my elbow although it is only a little bit visible in my arm if I try and get my arms above my head. I’ve been doing my exercises and I can get my arm above my head but not straight up because it’s so tight in my arm. I am trying to stretch it a little bit more each day but it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier.
Is this a temporary thing or am I stuck with it? Am I being impatient not even been 5 weeks post surgery?
Also I’ve still a bit swollen at my mastectomy site, it seems sort of puckered if you know what I mean and I’ve still got a little baby breast where there is some fluid. How long in people’s experiences did it take for all that to settle down? I had it drained once about a week and a half after the operation and it has helped but the fluid is just not going away. It’s not a huge amount and I know they probably wouldn’t drain it again.
Sigh, sorry so many questions! but I have found this site to be fantastic for information. It really helps me to talk to ladies that have been there.
Thanks so much, love to all
Carole
Hi Carole
I’m not an expert on ‘cording’ as it is called, but they can occur in ladies post breast surgery. They are temporary, I believe, but they can take some time to go. Physiotherapy can help with them. I think you are doing the right thing by stretching and doing your exercised, but your surgeon really needs to be the one to give you direction on this - when are you seeing him/her next?
Fuschia
xxxx
Thanks Fuschia,
I’m seeing the surgeon on the 24th, the date of my next chemo as well so that’s handy! I’ll speak to him about it then. I think it would be good to have a follow up appointment with the physio as well but that doesn’t seem to be offered as standard.
Cheers!
Carole
Hi Carole
I think it will be physio if you have cording, as it’s specific exercises and physio help you need to get rid of it - it is a proper ‘cord’. They don’t really know why these cords occur, but I promise you it will go eventually.
Fuschia
xxxx
Hi Veggiebean
Sorry to hear you are experiencing cording following your surgery.
Breast Cancer Care publishes a leaflet with useful tips and exercises which you may find useful. I have given the link here:
breastcancercare.org.uk/docs/bcc_exercises06_web_0.pdf
Hope you find this of help.
Kind regards.
Sam
Moderator
Breast Cancer Care
Hi
I had cording (had WLE and full node removal) I could see and feel the ‘cord’ in the opposite side of my elbow. It went gradually by completing the exercises but can’t remember how long it took - just keep up the stretching and i’m sure it will go eventually
I had the cording down to my elbow…and it blooming hurt. I was doing the exercises etc, but it didnt seem to do much good. In the end after a nice hot bath I decided to bite the bullet. Lay down on my bed, quilt in mouth and stretched my arm out as far as it could go until I felt a ‘pop’. I then started to massage the cording and funny old thing it disappeared a few days after that. I still do the exercises everyday, but it seems to have become part and parcel of normal daily life…doing the housework with my left arm a lot more instead of with right arm has really helped it along.
Keep doing your exercises, massage it from elbow up to armpit, either along the cord itself or in circles. It will go, but you do need to work at it chica, hope that helps
Hi Carole,
Snap, I had my mastectomy 5 weeks ago yesterday (Thursday).
I haven’t got a cord, it is certainly tight under my arm, but my nurse assure me this will ease in time. I do my exercise everyday, three or four times a day.
Yes, my scar is sort of puckered and with a little bit of fluid. I’ve had 150mls of fluid removed in my first two weeks, but I’m not bothering about the little bit I have now.
I rub Aqueous cream on my scar everyday without fail which I believe encourages the blood flow and will ease the scar with time, plus, I have bought some vitamin E caps and I cut them open…about two or three…and rub that into the scar, that also I believe is good to alleviate scar problems, though you may need to cover it with some lint, because it can get on your clothes.
Good luck with your recovery.
Linda xx
Mega thanks to all for the responses, I’ll take that all on board. The cord’s days are numbered!
Cheers
Carole
Hi
I also have cording following surgery on 20th June and lymph node extraction. I am continuing with my physio, and also started taking anti- inflammatory s (diclofenac) and paracetamol prior to doing my physio in the hope that this will give more flexibility.
Cheers
Kim
I
I got cording following my surgery last year. My nurse advised me to take painkillers beofre doing my exercises and to “push it” when I did them, as I could n’t do any harm by doing this. she was right and the cording went away. I also went back to the gym 5 weeks after surgery, doing weights and stretching exercises. It went away pretty quickly.
Geraldine
I had a sentinel node biopsy on 9 June and suffer from cording. I went back to the physio this morning and she said 83% of women having lymph removal suffer from cording. What I don’t understand is why this is said after the op and never before. I now am nervous that there is a possibility of late onset of lymphodoema. Is this still possible?
Greenie
I had WLE 6 weeks ago and only found out this morning that this piece of ‘string’ in my arm is called cording. I agree Greenie why is nobody told about this before surgery - well I certainly wasn’t, even post-op on the ward when exercises etc were discussed.
Surely if 83% women get it with this type of surgery surely it needs to be at least mentioned!
I have been worried all this time that my op had been a bit botched and it was something I would have to live with. I was so relieved to find out what it was and that it’s quite normal, and it GOES!! My BCN recommended massaging up the cord with cream when doing stretch exercises - should disappear eventually.
Also, I started FEC last Friday and in the last few days my nerve pain has got a hundred times worse, sleeping is impossible! Does anyone happen to know if this normal when starting chemo or is it just co-incidence?
Thanks for all your help so far everyone - good luck to you all
hey guys,
I don’t have cording yet, thankfully but i am sure there is time. I had an auxiliary clearance on Tuesday. I have good range of movement but its sooooo numb!!! I cant feel anything from my elbow to my scar? hope this is normal??? was told i wound have a numb patch but wasn’t expecting this much. How long does it take before it goes away?? I have been doing my exercises and have really good range of movement already.
Hope everyone is good,
al xxx
I had a wle may 14th and had to have lymph evacuation june 10th,I had something similar to cording but the best thing that has helped since the wound has healed has been swimming-the cording under my armpit has gone altogether and the tightness down my arm which felt similar to an electric shock when I reached has also virtually gone.So check with your surgeon when you next go and ask if its ok to go swimming-mine said it was brilliant therapy.
Hi AlexJH,
I don’t think I noticed the cording until several days after my operation (on May 9th)… and it was there for several weeks. I religiously did the exercised and it did feel very tight under the armpit, but eventually it did reduced. There’s still slightly raised cords, but not a problem… Re the numb feeling, I was told that it can be a year or so until it completely goes, so it’s quite normal… after all, it’s the nerves taking time to heal. I still have areas that are numb (on the upper arm, near the wounds and even going slightly round the back of the armpit), but can slowly feel it improving. Just takes time…
Keep at those exercises!!
Ali x
Buttons - you brave thing, you! I was going to suggest having a physio ‘pop’ the cord as I know someone who had it done. She said it was excruciating but sorted the problem right out.
I had cording for a good few months following my lymph node surgery and it gradually disappeared as the swelling subsided. My breast care nurse said it is caused by hardened lymphatic fluid and that massage sometimes helps to break it down.
I had my surgery at the end of January and the cording is completely gone, although I still haven’t reganed the ability to fully stretch on the affected side.
Gosh it is really common then, I agree you should be told about all this stuff before surgery, maybe they just don’t want to burden you with more than you can cope with, who knows?
Just as a matter of interest I went to get my 6 week post-op check and I mentioned the cording. The surgeon actually said it was blood clots in the vein running from my armpit down my arm and that it would go eventually. It’s confusing isn’t it when we’re all told different things?
Take care all
Carole
Hi Carole, i had three ops all in the space of four weeks, including some lymph clearance, except for the booklet they give you on exercises i have never seen a phsyio since, and i have a lovely big cord in my armpit! even though i did my exercises i have good movement of my left arm, but washing my hair is the height limit for me! mind you, i only had the first op on the 15th of june, so still early days yet, but like you i was not told about cording and its only been the good people on here who have given the information.
hugs
alison
Hi Alison,
Yes I find reaching up the worst thing for me, it’s so tight at the top of my arm, but it is getting there.
The physio came to see me in the hospital one day after the operation and said the aim is to get your arm straight above your head one week post op. Er sorry but that was totally impossible for me (and most people I suspect!) My Mother-in-law (whose just had 2 knees replaced) says she was told that they deliberately give you an impossible task so that you will push to achieve it and manage maybe 50% which is really good going. Does that make sense?
Anyway one day at a time and we’ll get there I’m sure of it.
Take care
Carole