20 months after mx and lymph clearence still have a seroma encapsulated the surgeon says due to radiation treatment making like a doughnut of now non pourous mass and despite draining comes back within a week. Very uncomfortable and prosesthis dont fit too good except the new bean bag type. Now talk of surgery to correct with just a 50/50 chance of reoccurance. Has anyone had surgery to improve or remove their seroma ???
Hi dee
No the same at all but I did have a seroma that went on for months and months. It was drained many times but always came back within a few days.
In the end it became infected and althtough it seems really stupid now I didn’t realise untill it was really bad( it was red hot and very painful but I was so fed up with it I was a bit head in the sand about it) when the surgeon saw it in clinic he took one look and admitted me to hospital then and there. The mx scar was opened up and the whole thing was flushed out and cleaned. Because of the infection they would not restitch it. It had to be packed and dressed regularly until it healed on its own - it took months.
You did ask about seroma problems and I had a major one BUT the surgeon and his team have always said that what happened to me was not only unusual but unique.
It did eventually heal, and has not come back.
I hope your team can sort yours out , let us know how you get on
Andie
Hi Deedee,
No experience of seroma that bad - poor you - but after a couple of weeks I was given a steroid injection into the site, described by my surgeon very technically as ‘a magic injection’ which has a very high success rate. For me it worked perfectly. Have you had such an injection? Don’t know if it’s worth mentioning to your surgeon? I am told by some, though don’t know if it’s so, that in some hospitals it’s pretty standard to try the injection, so s/he should know what you’re on about.
Hope it soon gets sorted.
Dee Dee, I have also had a seroma for the last 21 months, and had surgery in March 2011 to remove the capsule that had formed (medics call it excision). My capsule formed before I even had radiotherapy, and was caused by doctors delaying draining the seroma (they thought it would resolve if left alone).
After surgery the seroma initially worsened, and they were draining off 360mls per week, but then they recommended wearing a compression bra to keep everything squashed down, and now I only go for fortnightly draining (the last time they drained around 100mls).
Doctors have said that if things continue, they are going to try injecting a steroid into the seroma, as this might reduce fluid production (but it’s an experimental technique, and not guaranteed to work).
Like you I’m quite fed up with it, and it’s very uncomfortable.
Hi andie can remember keeping up with your seroma saga at the time you were going through it have since then have been mindfull of infection and so releived for you and me that it can be beaten in the end Revcat thank you for bringing the injection to my notice as i was thinking only surgery as an option. Lemongrove whilst i would hate to think anyone is also going through this so sad i am also releived to hear i am not alone in this. I am scared of more surgery especially as my surgeon tells me she has done this op to remove capsual and smooth area only twice and seroma came back in one of them so 50/50 odds. I had 1000 mls taken out origionally ouchhh and 100 mls the other day. Have till sept to decide on op bit trying to research options myself and trying to find someone who has expertise in this area as i think i was left too long too. Please keep in touch. Your a gem to reply lets hope we can both find an answer Where are you from i am in somerset xxx thx all
Hi Deedee, As I said in my earlier post, the excision operation does seem to be working slowly, because they are now just draining 100 mls fortnightly. Prior to the op, when it was at it’s worst, they drained over 700mls on one occasion. However, I do also wear a compression bra to stop fluid building up, so that may have some impact. I can’t advise you whether to have the op or not, but as you have a capsule (as I did as well), the seroma will never go down unless the capsule is removed, because your body will constantly attempt to fill the void with fluid, and the capsule will prevent all the tissues from knitting together (that’s how they explained things to me anyway). There is a steroid injection that you could try (that revcat also mentioned) which apparently works by being an anti-inflammatory. But unless you have the capsule removed, your body will just try to fill the void up again.
The op doesn’t take long, so it’s not like having a MX ( I went in as a day case), and they sent me home with drain in-situ.
One word of caution though, if your surgeon has only done a couple of excisions before, it might be an idea to get a referral elsewhere, because the op is not just about removing the capsule. You really need someone who knows what they are doing, because they also have to inject a colourant to find out where the fluid is coming from, because that determines how they do the operation.
By the way I live in Sussex.
Hi lemongrove its so good of you to reply and explain so well to me. I will get a 2nd referal as i now have more info to go on and feel i deserve a skillful knowledgeable surgeon for this. I have never heard of a compression bra have had to revert to a bean boob as they mould themselves around the seroma. I bet like me you will be happier when a bra fits n feels better. Have you considered recon yet or has this put you off going into that? Thx again not so scared now xxx
Hello Deedee,
The compression bra is really just like a bandau, or tight sports bra. The idea is to flatten everything down to stop fluid building up. After I had the op to remove the capsule, I was worried it had not worked, because for a few weeks they were draining off 360 mls, but since getting the compression bra (which I have to wear day and night0, there has been a steady decline. I went to have it drained two days ago, and this time they could only get 40 mls (thats over 2 weeks), so I’m very pleased with that. Obviously, the bra wouldn’t have worked without the surgery, because the capsule was preventing the tissues from knitting together.
Funnily enough I did mention to the surgeon about reconstruction, and he has agreed that I can have it (which is brilliant because I am stage 4, and they can be a bit reluctant to do reconstructions for stage 4 peeps. But I have not had any progression in 20 months, so I could be around for a while (which makes the op worthwhile).
Best news is that he has agreed to take skin and fat from my tummy, so you never know I might get a tummy tuck on the NHS as well!.
Anyway with regard to the bra, I actually bought a sports bra off Ebay which is very similar to the compression bra the hospital provided, so I will try and find the retailer’s / product details and send you a link.
Hi lemongrove
Just got back from a holiday break in devon. Just a rest from work really with my family including 10 year and 10 week grandaughters. Your news is fantastic and gives me hope too. It sounds like a long journey you have had to here and a good 5 months since your capsule removal op to finally get some results i am thrilled for you. Keep me up to speed on volumes they are getting and info on your recon. From what you are telling me i really do need to find another surgeon that can help but dont know where to start as the one i have was under private medical and i travel quiet a way to see her. Thinking the royal marsden might know as they origionally gave me the info on my inflamatory breast cancer type as i found it hard to find out about that too. But again quiet a train journey. Great your care n tummy tuck on nhs Go girl I feel if its not making someone money they dont want to know. I may have done better on nhs too. Who is your surgeon ? They sound they have really come through for you. compression bra sounds good again proving the advise to date i have had was wrong. My seroma after draining 3 weeks ago is now back just as big and uncomfortable.