Today I received a comment from a fellow cancer blogger requesting some cording information. I’ll share my experience and then I’d invite you to share yours.
In 2000 after my mastectomy, I developed what the oncologist described as cording. My arm started to hurt and there appeared to be a hardened cord that formed from my arm pit all the way down to my wrist. I could not straighten out my arm for the pain it caused. The oncologist gave me some daily stretching exercises. The whole thing became quit painful with tendinitis developing in my wrist.
I ended up going to a chiropractor that did deep massage therapy. After numerous visits, he stretched and massaged that cord out and massaged the scar tissue out of my wrist. To make sure the cording and tendinitis didn’t come back, the chiropractor suggested I create this exercising tool. It’s a 1” x 18” dowel with a string and a 2 lb weight attached to the center. The string is the length of my arms stretched out horizontally down to the ground. My exercise was to roll up and unroll the weight. I did this a couple of times twice a day.
I just Googled cording’s proper name and it appears to be Axillary Web Syndrome.
Has anyone else had experience with cording and would you like to share it?
In 2000 after my mastectomy, I developed what the oncologist described as cording. My arm started to hurt and there appeared to be a hardened cord that formed from my arm pit all the way down to my wrist. I could not straighten out my arm for the pain it caused. The oncologist gave me some daily stretching exercises. The whole thing became quit painful with tendinitis developing in my wrist.
I ended up going to a chiropractor that did deep massage therapy. After numerous visits, he stretched and massaged that cord out and massaged the scar tissue out of my wrist. To make sure the cording and tendinitis didn’t come back, the chiropractor suggested I create this exercising tool. It’s a 1” x 18” dowel with a string and a 2 lb weight attached to the center. The string is the length of my arms stretched out horizontally down to the ground. My exercise was to roll up and unroll the weight. I did this a couple of times twice a day.
I just Googled cording’s proper name and it appears to be Axillary Web Syndrome.
Has anyone else had experience with cording and would you like to share it?
13 comments:
I have cording in my chemo arm. The doctors told me it was caused by the Epi-Rubison which is known to aggrivate the veins.
my cording starts just above the elbow and reaches to the left part of my upper hand. My arm is painful and sometimes I get pain in my little and ring fingers when I use them.
I have been advised to massage the veins gently but as often as I can and to stretch them out and clench my fists.
I have been told not to overdo things but if I carry on like this things should get better.
I wish I had known about this before hand but its one of the many things they decided to keep a secret!
Thanks for sharing Daria. How are you today anyway???
Experienced the cording as well after being on the epirubison as part of my chemo treatment. I went for physio treatments and it eventually did go away.
Thanks for sharing this for other readers. Hope yours is greatly relieved soon.
I have not experienced this . . . yet! I so much appreciate your telling us about it so I can do the exercises now and maybe avoid this! Sorry you had to go through it all. Sounds painful!
This is a good resource, with photos.
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Cording_and_Axillary_Web_Syndrome.htm
I have never heard of this - it sounds most uncomfortable! Good grief, look at all of the side effects of this disease! At times, they seem endless!
Hello Daria,
Thanks for sharing the experience. I feel that way too with my left arm. After my operation in last august, I could not raise it beyond the shoulder level. But now, things have greatly improved because I can now raise my left arm way above my head.
Sure hope you are feeling much better now.
Lots of love.
No experience of cording, and certainly don't want any. Its like adding insult to injury.
THANKS Daria, a lot! and all of you who left a comment here!
I got the word and soon I will write about my case on my blog...
Have a great rest of the week! :)
Me tOO! and JUST yesterday a friend suggested a physio visit tOO! How coincidental, Thankyou for this post (((Hugs))) x
(Ps) i am now following up some pain symptoms that may or may not be associated with my ovary removal (in my upper back!?!)
(Ps) Could you post a pic of your exercising tool? x
I have that cording too, I just didn't know what it was called and could never find anything on google!
I did see the lymphedema physiotherapist and although she didn't give me a name for it, she described it as the vessels being caught in the scar tissue. She massaged it and taught me how to massage it (even though it hurt). It is much better now but not 100%.
Thanks for the info!
I had issues with this as well. It started out as huge clots in the superficial veins in my wrists, and the pain and bruising has yet to completely disappear. Heat helps. I finally had a port placed when those veins became so painful that I couldn't tolerate chemo IV anymore. I still have flare-ups when I have flare-ups of edema.
Screw cancer! What a pain in the a@#!
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