Hi All. I am 3 months out from my second mastectomy going flat for symmetry. My first op went great but my second has resulted in a persistent Seroma. It has been drained 3times to no avail. I has used a compression garment and heat pads. The last procedure resulted in a possible infection that was treated with antibiotics.
Has anyone had any interventions for a Seroma besides needle drainage? How about a Penrose drain? A flexible tube that is left in for 3-5 days and drains fluid into a dressing that is changed twice a day?
Any info about other folks experiences would be greatly appreciated. 
You really have my sympathy, since I had to have a large, persistent seroma drained weekly for over a month some years ago. Try cold compresses alternately with the heat pads–I put a damp flannel in a sandwich bag and put it in the freezer, which was more flexible than than a chill pack, and would rechill quickly.
I don’t have any experience of the drain you mention, but my experience of a bottle drain after my mastectomy a week ago means I will avoid drains unless medically necessary. But maybe a short drain into a dressing would be better if your care team agree to it’s safety.
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Thanks for your info! I’ve done all the heat and cold things… and the compression vest. Will be going back to the consultant and team in a few weeks. No bottle drains for me! But the other seems to work well for some plastic surgery procedures. I guess they don’t do it much in the UK. It will get sorted somehow. At least it’s given me pleanty of time to investigate a possible tattoo. It seems the painted silk tattoo garments might be a better idea.
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I saw your post and thought I’d share what I’ve learned about seroma formation and treatment since beating breast cancer last year.
Seromas are incredibly common- it’s an immune response, and everyone’s body sends fluid to fill spaces where tissue was surgically removed. Most people’s bodies reabsorb the fluid, but some of us are different
The key with seromas is to extract the fluid quickly and frequently. Once the fluid sits for a week or two, a fibrotic sac begins to form around it. Let it sit for longer and the fluid becomes completely encapsulated. The body has no way to absorb fluid that’s been encapsulated, so surgery is often required for long standing seromas. This is exactly what’s happened with me. Had I known the importance of getting that fluid out asap, my situation would be vastly different.
My mastectomy was 11 months ago, shortly followed by latissimus flap reconstruction. Since then, I’ve carried between 3 and 5 seromas at all times. One of these has been an absolute beast- It’s been drained countless times and surgically removed on 3 occasions. It always comes back because, the first time it formed, it sat for way too long, and the capsule fused with my surrounding tissue. Somehow leaving a little capsule behind increases the odds you’ll build another one, so I go round again.
I’m cautiously optimistic, though. 3 mos ago, I had a procedure called sclerotherapy. They removed the fluid and then injected something to irritate the capsule. The inflammation from that process encourages the walls of the capsule to stick together. I’m due for another recheck, but 10 days after the procedure, the thing had shrunk considerably.
I your physicians suggest a drain, I can’t encourage you enough to consider it. Additionally, you have to monitor it like crazy once they pull the drain. If you think it’s refilling, make an aspiration appointment right away. Surely you don’t want to end up in surgery again.
I hope this helps someone
Casey