Cording After a Mastectomy

As I heal from my double mastectomy I noticed a “cord” in my armpit. For the longest time, I figured it was a tendon of some nature since it was on the side they took lymph nodes from. After doing some research I came to the conclusion it’s cording. There’s SO much to tell patients but had no idea this was a thing.

What I’ve started to do is really massage that area during my shower when my muscles are nice and warm. Thankfully I had done some research on what to expect when the cord releases. Had I not I think I would have panicked. It’s a loud popping noise followed by relief of restriction. 

Prior to bed last night I had used a heating pad to warm up the area and did some slight massage on the dimpled section. “POP”  There’s still a larger cord that needs to be released and more can form. 

That leads me down the path of a physical therapist, which we’ll be connecting with hopefully soon. I need to be on the mend before I can pick up my camera again. 

WHAT IS CORDING?

Following lymph node dissection, a woman may notice a sharp pain in her armpit (axilla). Typically, the pain occurs when the arm is stretched and raised above shoulder level.

This condition usually starts within days or weeks after surgery. A tightness develops from the site of the axillary scar, which extends along the inside of the arm, sometimes past the elbow and as far as the wrist. It can also run down the trunk and into the chest wall.

Over a period of weeks, it gradually thickens and becomes palpable and visible, looking like a tight cord under the skin. It may be a thin cord, or there can be more than one cord, creating a thick web of hardened tissue in the axilla.

CAUSES OF CORDING

Lymph nodes are removed to determine whether cancer has spread, either in sentinel lymph node biopsy, when usually only two nodes are removed, or in axillary lymph node dissection, when many nodes are cleared. The removal of axillary lymph nodes causes the lymphatic vessels connected to the removed nodes to undergo fibrosis and harden. The more lymph nodes removed, the higher the probability of AWS, but even the removal of a single lymph node can result in cording.