Anyone else deal with cording?

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lmcclure4477
lmcclure4477 Member Posts: 180
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

I developed some pretty thick and painful cords about. 2 months ago. I have been doing stretching and going for physical therapy which has helped get rid of some of the cords but I still have one thick and painful cord in my armpit right next to my breast. Has anyone else experienced this and if so, how did you get rid of it. This pain constantly scares me because it is so close to my breast it sends on shooting pains in my armpit and breast. And then that freaks me out thinking the cancer is back. I guess I just need some reassurance.

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  • jj50
    jj50 Member Posts: 6
    edited July 2013

    I had some in my arm but my physio was able to get rid of them.

  • jj50
    jj50 Member Posts: 6
    edited July 2013

    I had some in my arm but my physio was able to get rid of them.

  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2013

    There was a long thread about a year ago about women who got these large cords, one actually had surgery on it

    Here's the thread

    http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/64/topic/778987?page=4#post_3054237

    I'd be reassured it's not a recurrence, but see your breast surgeon if it will help--although many aren't all that up on cording

    Here's another reference on it

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Cording_and_Axillary_Web_Syndrome.htm

    I'll bump the thread: "A different kind of cord question"

  • Alcie1
    Alcie1 Member Posts: 68
    edited July 2013

    I had axillary cording after radiation.  My surgeon told me to do stretches, but it didn't work.  I found a physical therapy program run by a university hospital that had an occupational therapist who cured me.  She broke up the cords in my underarm area and down my side, crunched them (that's what it felt like to me) with her hands.   I felt so much better after the very first session.

    Don't go more than once or twice a week!  It gets too painful if you overdo it.

  • lmcclure4477
    lmcclure4477 Member Posts: 180
    edited July 2013

    Alcie1: how long did you have to go to a physical therapist to break up all the cords? I have been going for 3 weeks 2x per week and although most of my cords were broken up I still have two stubborn ones that won't pop!! I stretch 2 x a day and do manual massage but nothing is getting rid of them! It causes swelling and pain in my armpit. I wear a compression sleeve when exercising and lifting but I still get swelling under the armpit.

  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2013

    Jodi Winicour, a national expert on cording, had a few cases of Lymphedema develop after intentional popping of the cords, and as they're lymphatic vessels she does not recommend intentional popping of the cords.

  • lmcclure4477
    lmcclure4477 Member Posts: 180
    edited July 2013

    Kira: then what did she recommend you do to get rid of the cords?

  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2013
  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2013

    Jodi recommends both stretching by the patient and gentle manipulation by the therapist and if a cord snaps while being gently stretched that's ok, it's when they're aggressively intentionally snapped that she saw LE occur.



    the cords are primarily clotted off lymphatic vessels and some will reopen, some are never going to.



    I had read in the Burt and White LE book about "skin lifting" techniques, and I'd put my hand over my axilla and gently stretch the skin down toward the opposite hip ( their suggestion) and hold for 30 to 90 seconds. I also found stretching up the arm helped.





    The therapist techniques are to isolate a portion of the cord and put traction on it both up and down in an s maneuver.



    Her stretches were to lay on the bed, arms overhead and flex your knees and let them go to the opposite side while keeping the arms flat. also child's pose with arms overhead.



    I have the PowerPoint of her lecture I'll try and look for more stretches.



    On SUSO we have access to videos of a German therapist demonstrating how to work the cords and we restrict access to therapists and have gotten requests from all over the world. A lot of cords out there and in my CLT course how to treat them was not addressed.



    Maybe that's why Jodi's lectures at the NLN conference are standing room only....

  • lmcclure4477
    lmcclure4477 Member Posts: 180
    edited July 2013

    My physical therapist does only stretching and she stretches it slowly. That is why it is taking some time. I stretch twice a day and do manual massage. It has gotten better but I still get that feeling of armpit swelling at times.

  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2013

    My cords hung in there for a long time, and even now, five years later one will pop up in my upper arm of I suddenly do more. It goes away quickly.



    I saw a slew of PTs as my LE therapist is an LMT and didn't feel qualified to manipulate them, and only the fifth (!!!!) one, Klose trained PT and an LMT really helped.



    I've been going for myofascial work with an LMT who is also Vodder trained and she's working on my tight radiated chest and breast area and my remaining cords...

  • Lainey64
    Lainey64 Member Posts: 740
    edited July 2013

    I completed radiation more than 4 years ago and am now experiencing some pretty painful cording.  My therapist stretches my arm and has shown me how to do some exercises at home.  I have also been doing some work with 10 pd hand weights that helps.  I know what you mean about the pains.  Over the weekend I had some that were shooting just above my breast (on surgery side).  They nearly took my breath away but the stretches helped a great deal.

  • GlobalGirlyGirl
    GlobalGirlyGirl Member Posts: 269
    edited July 2013

    I was raising my arm to shave, and I think I felt a cord. I followed it down from the armpit. It stopped around the middle of my inner arm.

    I find myself touching it a lot. It hurts at different points. Will rubbing it help it go away?

  • lmcclure4477
    lmcclure4477 Member Posts: 180
    edited July 2013

    That sounds like a cord to me. To get it to go away you must do stretching and gentle massage. Gently massage down the cord to try to get it to go away.

  • GlobalGirlyGirl
    GlobalGirlyGirl Member Posts: 269
    edited July 2013

    Thanks lmcclure447. Massaging down the cord - is that like putting two fingers on either side of it and pulling down?

  • Annette47
    Annette47 Member Posts: 957
    edited July 2013

    I had it - started about 4 weeks after surgery, but it went away during radiation .... I just kept doing tons of stretching which helped quite a bit.    Had they not gone away by the time I was done rads I would have asked for a referral, but fortunately it was gone by then.

  • lmcclure4477
    lmcclure4477 Member Posts: 180
    edited July 2013

    Put your two fingers together and start where the top of the cord is. Don't pull hard, you gently pull as you move down the cord. That and stretching really helps me!

  • GlobalGirlyGirl
    GlobalGirlyGirl Member Posts: 269
    edited July 2013

    Thank you so much lmcclure447. Now I have a way to hopefully get rid of this thing.  Smile

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