I had a mastectomy four weeks ago including lymph node removal and still have underarm and side swelling, does anyone have thoughts as to how long it will be before the swelling goes down?
Hi Dorothyann,
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I have only just seen this thread. Did you have reconstruction?
I had swelling under my arm/side and across the top of my implant after mastectomy and immediate silicone implant recon and have had the area aspirated to remove seroma 4 times since the surgery (6 weeks ago). I also had a drain in for 7 days after the op. Has your surgeon said whether your swelling is fluid or is it just bruising etc? I think seroma will usually be reabsorbed by your body but I had it done to reduce the pressure on my wound as it was all very ‘tense’.
Unfortunately I have since picked up a skin infection across the breast somehow and had to spend a week in hospital on IV antibiotics, but that’s a different story I am about to start a new thread on for advice.
If you are concerned about it ask your BCN or consultant as it may be that you need some fluid taken off to make you more comfortable.
Hope that helps?
Kate x