Seroma

Public Archive
1

Hi

Can anyone tell me how long seroma occurs for after Mx. I had my Mx 13th Oct and had to have it drained 26th Oct which was only last week and now it is filling up again really quickly. I am going to contact BCN tomorrow but just wondered how long it goes on for as it is really uncomfortable. I know it’s not infected as it’s not sore or red just tight. What happens if it keeps filling indefinitly??

Thanks M

2

Erm, not a lot. I had my axilla seroma drained a few times. Once it was done twice in two days. My surgeon drained it the last time in theatre and it never came back.

3

I’m getting drained again on Tuesday.

BCN said that it is normally weeks rather than months before they abate.

I have a boob one (covers the whole of the area from the sternum to part-way round my back and several cms high) which is FULL and very tight. Never expected to have such a defined cleavage after an Mx!
Blinking uncomfortable.

I also have one just under my axilla, shaped like a cone. That one gets sore as it catches on under- and over-garments.

The two of them extrude out towards my over-sensitive arm so that’s feeling bad, too.

I hate seromas!

4

Hi

It’s not as bad as yours ninja but it is very uncomfortable, I have one d cup on my none mx side and a b cup at the moment on my Mx site!!! It goes round onto my back and I find wearing a bra is too sore. I couldn’t do my execises today as it hurts!!

I had my op in a different town to mine and that is where my BCN is, I’ll phone the number they gave me tomorrow and hope my local hossie has a BCN there.

I think my body is secretly in denial and trying to grow a new right boob!!!

Thanks for the replies M

5

Hi I had my Mx on 23rd sept.I have a seroma not very big according to doctor and reading your posts it seems their right but it is still painful,very tight and gets really hot sometimes feels as though i still have a nipple with someone sticking pins in.My doctors don’t drain seromas as they say they just come back and can take a few months to absorb back into your body I was told I have to wait until my body realises its not going to be attacked again not very comforting though when your in pain

6

My remaining chest skin can’t stretch any more so the boob seroma is now moving ever upwards towards my neck and has filled my armpit. Can’t sleep; it either flows down towards my back, or if I lie on my good side, it slops down towards my sternum and my skin at the cleavage point is terribly stretched and aches.

I’m sick of it!

7

Hi

I had quite a nasty seroma after axilla clearance. Hospital did warn me that it could happen and that their policy wasn’t to drain them because of infection and the possibility of re-filling. Well, I was in so much agony and discomfort, my skin was virtually stretched to its limit and very red and angry looking, that my BCN drained it and touch wood it hasn’t refilled. This was just over a week ago. Although I still have a small swelling it is nowhere near as bad and it seems to be getting smaller by the day. I am now left with cording, another problem to sort out.

8

Hi

I have the same problem as ninja, the skin I had left from Mx is stretching to it’s limit and then the fluid moves up. I have to sleep on my back as if I lay on my side it slops around and is very uncomfortable!! Have phoned BCN at local hossie but it is an answerphone only. Just have to put up with it until they get back to me. M

9

I’ve been drained once, Sunshine, but it’s even bigger now than when they got 4 large syringes of fluid out.

I seem to have cording also. Physio appt this afternoon. I keep doing the stretching exercises.

When does this cr*p end? Rads now imminent.

10

Hi

getting drained tomorrow!! only one more night of being uncomfortable, poor OH is in the spare room getting no sleep with me tossing and turning trying to get comfortable!! M

11

Ninja - Ive had a sermoa drained once and its now spred to my back .PAIN !!! Re cording , i have what feels like 3 ropes under my armpit , thinking its cording ?? Really tight when i attempt to get my arm past a certain height. Is this like you ?

Lorna

12

I have had my seroma drained every 10 days since MX, Aug 12th,I too have a cleavage and each time 200mls and more is extracted by BCN who says she is referring me to surgeon next time ,I am to be drained next, immediately before 3rd Tax chemo on Wednesday.Does anyone know if Rads are done with a seroma in situ?Also I am unable to have a prosthesis fitted until I am flat,so managing ok with “softie”
xxMavis

13

Hi

“I have had my seroma drained every 10 days since MX, Aug 12th”

Bl***y H**ll!!! Mavis, I was thinking maybe once or twice would be enough.

The first time it was drained last week, the fluid filled one of those paper kidney bowl things, it took ages. I am going to have a word with the BCN tomorrow. It is quite painful of nightime.

What will the surgeon do? I don’t want anymore surgery!!! The last one was enough for me!! M

14

Same here, Mavis, no chance of real falsie while I have a B cup seroma.

Lorna, my arm feels really tight along the inside length and there is a visible like-a-tendon-thing showing in my armpit. I’ll get it checked by the physio.

15

Hi

I looked up the cording thing, I don’t have that but I think it’s called Mondors Cord and you get it with breast surgery. Even if the surgery is elective it can happen. M

16

Hi Ninja

I would be very grateful for any tips you get from physio. I have just been told to massage my tendons under the armpit but it is most uncomfortable.

17

I had seroma drained once a week for 7 weeks,On visit to consultant post op he wasn’t aware I had been having problems and wondered why I hadn’t had a cortisone injection. I was very tearful as it was so uncomfortable and getting me down. He said he would sort it for me, drained it again, had injection and have not had any further problems. BCN did the draining and do wonder why she never offered cortisone to me.

18

Hi

What’s a cortisone injection? And does it hurt?? M

19

Hi, sneaking back as I’ve been lurking on seroma watch threads! I had a steroid injection into the site of my back seroma after 6 weeks of drainings. It didn’t hurt at all as my back was totally numb from the surgery (was lucky enough to have immediate LD recon); my surgeon who is extremely eminent - goes to loads of flashy international conferences and advises hospitals all over the place - called it a ‘magic injection’ so she must be right! It worked - flat back ever since. Definitely worth asking it your surgeon can do it.

Don’t think it’s cortizone though, I think it was triamcinolone. You can read some medically guff here if you’re interested… ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17499035

20

Hiya revcat

Thanks for the info, I can’t imagine having seroma on your back!!! Sounds v uncomfortable. I am hoping that it will settle down but we’ll have to wait and see. M