I retain my title as "Queen of Side Effects"

I was evaluated by a physical therapist and learned the name for my latest cancer-treatment side effect: axillary web syndrome (AWS), also known as "cording." 

It causes pain and tightness that makes it difficult to fully extend my left arm or to raise it. This is a side effect of the surgery I had to evaluate and remove lymph nodes. 

Here's some information I gathered from the breastcancer.org website: 

Researchers are still studying what exactly makes cording happen. Some experts believe that the surgery to the underarm and chest area traumatizes the connective tissue that encases nearby bundles of blood vessels, lymph vessels, and nerves. This trauma leads to inflammation, scarring, and eventually hardening of the tissue. This hardening can spread down the fibers of the connective tissue, which causes the cords to form. 

Aside from the obvious problem with being unable to function normally, the radiation therapy I am supposed to have requires that I have mobility in that arm and shoulder. I was supposed to start the radiation-treatment process next week, but now who knows?

Treatment for AWS includes doing specific exercises four times a day, getting more exercise overall, and specialized massage of the affected arm. I will be seeing the physical therapist once a week for as many as five weeks, depending on how I respond to treatment. 

This is all getting very old.