Cording surgery

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Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited May 2018 in Lymphedema
Cording surgery
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  • jan-m
    jan-m Member Posts: 88
    edited April 2018

    I have tried massage therapy to release the cording but it has never worked.

    I am booked to have it released surgically May 18/2018, but am a little concerned that it may induce lymphedema. I have it a little in my arm but don't want to wake a sleeping lion and have it get any worse.

    Has anyone had surgery to release cording?

    How did it go?

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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited May 2018

    Welcome from the west coast.Don’t know much about cording. Go to stepup-speakout.org It’s our lymphedema website some girls here wrote about le education. It’s fantastic. It will have cording education there.

    You also need to be seen by a lymphedema therapist to teach you self care with your lymphedema. That website will help you find a therapist nearby who specializes in this therapy. No fly by night course therapist allowed. Certified only. This is tricky treatment that needs to be done proper. Keep asking questions. Also at the main menu here at lymphedema threads type in cording in the search bar and see what comes up.

    Even if you have a little bit of lymphedema you will want to educate yourself to keep it from progressing because then it turns into life long beast. You must look after it now and not ignore it. Proactive is smart with LE.

    Jump over to British Columbia threads and join us there. We are a friendly bunch.

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  • Outfield
    Outfield Member Posts: 1,109
    edited May 2018

    Yes, I did.

    I had one enormous cord that was much like a tendon. On the path report, the diameter is listed as 1cm. None of my doctors had ever seen anything like it, and it was just too big and thick to respond to the usual treatments. I really, really tried hard to stretch it out - 100% effort for about a year.

    My incision was very small - horizontal in my axilla above my mastectomy scar. My mastectomy scar follows the bottom of my pecs. The surgeon removed a lengthwise piece of it so it couldn't reattach - similar to a vasectomy. I still have smaller ones but they were stretchable and don't bother me, and we agreed he was just going after the big one.

    I had lymphedema before the surgery - mild and manageable - and it didn't change afterward.

    Good luck.


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  • jan-m
    jan-m Member Posts: 88
    edited May 2018

    Thanks so much for your responses hugz and Outfield!!

    I will definitely go and check out the website you suggested hugz!

    And Outfield, I am very glad to hear that your surgery went well and that your Lymphedema didn't change after the surgery. Yours sounds very similar to mine and I feel encouraged that mine will not change as well!!

    Thanks again, ladies!!

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  • buttonsmachine
    buttonsmachine Member Posts: 930
    edited May 2018

    Hi jan-m, please let us know how things go with your surgery. I have had lymph nodes removed three times and I've had cording every time. The first two times it resolved with gentle stretching, but this time the cords are not releasing the way they did before. Not yet anyway, maybe they still will. Best wishes to you and keep us posted.

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  • jan-m
    jan-m Member Posts: 88
    edited May 2018

    Thanks so much buttons!

    For sure I will let you know how things go!

    Thanks again!

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  • jan-m
    jan-m Member Posts: 88
    edited May 2018

    So far so good on the lymphedema in my arm not getting any worse from the cording surgery :)

    As with Outfield, my surgeon took a little piece of the cording out using my mastectomy scar. He got the large cord but I have found since that I have smaller ones also, which do get quite tight.

    I will be going to see my surgeon in a few weeks for a follow up and I guess will go from there to see if we go after any of the other cords

    It is very nice to have the extra extension in my arm when I put my arm up

    .

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  • buttonsmachine
    buttonsmachine Member Posts: 930
    edited May 2018

    Glad to hear your range of motion is better, and that the surgery hasn't worsened your lymphedema - that's great news! Let us know how things go for the smaller cords too.

    My big cord has improved slightly, but not much, so I started PT last week. We'll see if that works - although I'm glad to know there are other ways of dealing with stubborn cords.

    Thanks for sharing your experiences on this! :-)

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