Can anyone tell me how long it takes for seroma to go. I had my WLE nearly 4 weeks ago and the seroma built up in the cavity to an excruciating level within a couple of days of the outer skin healing, so now I have a wick in which has to be changed everyday. So still cant shower and now having to visit the health centre daily for the nurses to do it. They’ve made me appointments for the next two weeks and said I’ll still need more after that probably.
I had my oncology appointment today and was told that they cant do the planning for my radiotherapy until it has completely healed. I just want my treatment over with.
My seroma took 5 months to heal. I had chemo after op, and the seroma was gone after cycle 5 out of 6, just in time for rads.
Just remember everyone is different. Good luck.
C
Thank you cavabien
I suppose I’m really lucky in that I dont need chemo, just radiotherapy and letrozole. That was a great relief, but now this ongoing problem is just dragging it out to the next step.
The thought that it could last 5 months is frightening. I’m getting married again in July and was hoping to get all treatment over with by then. Is that really such an unrealistic hope?
No, it’s not unrealistic, I had a seroma which settled after a month and 5-6 aspirations. At the time it seemed as if it would go on for ever, but it stopped re accumulating quite suddenly.
Best of luck!
I had a very stubborn seroma after my mx & ld flap, but it was regularly drained for 9 weeks, sometimes as much as 500mls. It was very spongy and sore. Eventually, they stopped draining due to Chemo, it did reabsorb but although I am now 12 months post op there is still some residual fluid left. Some units offer steroid injections into the area affected. My BCN advised to wear tight garments to help the body reabsorb. Good Luck.
Seromas - mine did last for 4.5 months but I was told that was very unusual. I also had a lot of fluid with 500 mls being drained at a time. It seemed to all improve once chemo finished which I think compromised that healing process ( I had chemo before and after surgery).
As it got near to my Rads time, I was told to have it drained a few weeks before and then to leave it. I think they can do rads with seromas but what they don’t really want is the area to be going up and down in size due to the precise measurements they take. Luckily mine seem to respond to this new threat, it was drained and then finally dried up, so rads went ahead no problem.
It is hard to face any delays during treatment. I had some between surgery and chemo as my mx wound reopened.
If you don’t see any improvement within those two weeks I would speak to the Oncologist again about this.
take care and fingers crossed.
Elinda x
I had a seroma after wle in July. There was still a small amount here in December. I think seromas are good tho. Tissue grows to fill the space the fluid was in, leaving less of a hole. (or so a nurse friend told me).
Jo X
Sorry to disappoint you, but a seroma can take quite a while to settle - and in some cases doesn’t.
I have had a seroma for over a year now, and am due to have it operated on next month. In my particular case, it seems that rather than filling in the hole, my body has decided to form a capsule around it, and keep filling the capsule with fluid. Apparently it’s rare, but it does happen.
I had a seroma in March and was getting married in the August. Mine cleared after a few months. I know it’s a worry but try not to let it spoil the run up to the big day. I concentrated on all the wedding day worries which did help me push the others to the back of my mind. However, there were times when I thought it would never end. In my experience these things are different for everyone.
That was two years ago and the day was the only sunny day in a fortnight - how lucky was I. If i say so myself, I looked radiant and felt it! Amazing what a wig, a false boob and a bit of slap can do! The wedding was a week after my third chemo and I kept going until 2 in the morning. (And I was 52 at the time!)
You can do it. It will get better - maybe not as quickly as you want. Let us now how it goes.
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