I first posted on here about three weeks ago following my mastectomy & sentinel lymph node biospy. I had the surgery done in day surgery and had a pretty rubbish recovery. I mentioned that I could feel a build up of fluid behind the wound. To cut a long story short the wound burst open 4 days later, flooding the bed with about a litre of seroma fluid. I phoned 111 and was told to go to A&E. They packed the wound and I then saw my surgeon the following day. He said the wound would be left ‘open’ so that it could heal from the inside up. The wound is 4cm long and 2cm wide ( the rest of my wound is sealed). I have to wear a stoma bag on my chest to collect the fluid and empty it several times a day. I am now visiting my doctor’s surgery everyday to have the wound packed and for them to check for infection. As a result I am angry this happened, angry that a mastectomy can be done in day surgery & worried about getting an infection. I should have started Tamoxifen, but have put this off until I feel a bit better about the wound. I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this, as I haven’t read about anyone else having a wound open ?
Sorry to hear that you are having to go through all of this! I had a lumpectomy on June 10th and had initially a haematoma drained ten days post op which then changed to a seroma . The wound over the next three weeks got bigger and wider. After 5 weeks the seroma stopped draining and I was having it dressed daily to let it heal from inside out as I had a 2cm sinus inside. I eventually got tissue viability to come and look at the wound after 9 weeks post op and thankfully got a wound swab sent away which showed there was infection. So between flaminol gel ( can not recommend this enough) and antibiotics my wound has finally healed so I can start my radiotherapy next week which will be twelve weeks post op.
It is so frustrating and depressing when a wound breaks down and like you could not find many reports on here which had similar experiences. I cried many night as I thought it was just me going through this. Thankfully I am seeing light at the end of tunnel again. Never thought it would happen.
Hi Dorsetlass I am really sorry to hear about your experience. I had a mastectomy a week ago today as a daycase. I wasn’t ready to go home at all but wheeled out in a wheelchair out to my partners car. I had drains which leaked on the same night. We called the woman’s unit that night who told us to go to A&E. I was in no fit state to go to A&E so as it was late at night my boyfriend said let’s see how we go and wait for the district nurses in the morning. The drains were taken out this week, but I can not get my head round why mastectomies are day case. I hope you have a very speedy recovery x