Forum Discussion

primek's avatar
primek
Member
9 years ago

Cording elsewhere

I knew about cording occuring in your armpit and experieneced it where it was visible and felt tight to my wrist some days. I started stretching a lot more and was doing pool workouts and it was gone by the time I saw the physio. ..she said still slightly there but okay. 

I've  noted under my reconstructed breast a bit of a pull sometimes when I stretch right up. This is always worse following chemo week...as was the under arm cording. Today lying in bed when feeling ny scar line I felt a lump...right up inside the reconstructed breast (well tissue expanders ).  Mini panic set in...thinking...OMG is this a new cancer?, is this a node? as it felt elasticity...like a node. I put my big girls undies on and said calm the f.... down Kath...had a shower and look again. Just make a GP appointment. So as I am putting on my Vitamin E cream I'm  thinking can I feel is standing...so I lifted my arms up...and there it was...visible cording from my drain scar to my breast. So lots more stretching and back to physio to see if anymore I need to do.

Anyone else had this? ...so weird.

cording
  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Hi Kath, I had cording in my armpit following rads. The physio, massage and gentle exercise certainly helped me heaps. When the cording pops, it makes you feel so much better. Persistence is the key. Sending you a big cuddle, Trace ????????

  • KristyE's avatar
    KristyE
    Member
    9 years ago

    My cording and the portocath are the bane of my life at the moment! I've had a lumpectomy and auxiliary clearance and the cording started immediately after surgery. The pain was worse than the surgery! With the help of Physio I've gotten most of my shoulder range back. However, the cord still stretches from my wrist to the chest wall and tightens up if I try to do the least bit of exercise or weight lifting with the arm. I also have lovely big lumps around my elbow. That left me with the only option of running or Step classes at the gym. They were going fine until the portocath decided that it didn't like being jiggled and now I get excruciating, burning pain with the smallest of movements. My surgeon says it's likely a stitch that's irritating a nerve and he can maybe move it. That means another general anaesthetic! Noooo!!! So I'm putting up with it and using my hand to hold the port in place when I'm doing higher impact stuff. Chemo I can deal with, this stuff is everyday!

  • lyndajma's avatar
    lyndajma
    Member
    9 years ago

    Hi, I had my lumpectomy on 24th feb this year and have had 3 long cords from my under arm to my nipple , 2 under arm to elbow and 2 from scar to rib cage, currently I am left with one very thick one on breast still and one under arm pit. My breast has swollen again with radiation so I am not getting them massaged as it would just be to painful and will have to wait another month I think. Its rather amusing the looks of oooh ouch when i de robe!

  • Ne's avatar
    Ne
    Member
    9 years ago

    It sounds like cording.  I had it in the exact same spot, under my breasts towards my ribs.  My physio massaged it with her 'scenar' tool and it worked wonders. 

  • ScorpionQueen's avatar
    ScorpionQueen
    Member
    9 years ago

    Hi Kath...'

    I have only had lumpectomies as you know but I had bad cording in my arm all the way to my wrist in the beginning...it's only come good in the last month but every now and then I get twinges in the same spots.

    I found a new cord running from the bottom of my scar on the side of my breast down to my rib....went to physio and she taught me a massage technique that will hopefully help with this one...she's never encountered cording in that spot before!

    Under my arm is also lumpy and I have a "crater" from the axillary clearance with a large fleshy "lump' type thing near the top of my breast. The physio also massaged this and said it was all scar tissue...because it took so long for the physio to contact me after surgery ( i personally think they forgot about me, so i complained to my Onc and got a call within a few days!) the scar tissue really took hold....I've been taught massage and new exercises to do as my arms and shoulders have lost strength and have been trying to do them every day..

    Go to your GP for your peace of mind, but I'm thinking and hoping it's scar tissue.....good luck and keep us updated!

    Xx