Seromas?

Evilmidget

I had a unilateral mastectomy without reconstruction on Jan. 21st and so far it's been really painless. I got my drains out eight days after surgery (it was a relief, but wow...did that burn!!). Anyway, today I noticed that I've got a small to moderate seroma around the scar. It's not infected, just had that "waterbed" kind of effect where I can push on it and actually see that there is some fluid in there. I've read that they will eventually reabsorb, but that sometimes they need to be aspirated with a needle.

Has anyone had this issue and what did you do? As I said, it's a pretty small swelling...no sign of infection, just fluid. I don't know if it's significant enough to call my nurse navigator or not.

Pessa

I had a recurrant seroma and had it drained with a needle 3 times. It was actually large and thus was uncomfortable. The surgeon would have preferred NOT to put a needle in and would have preferred to just let it reabsorb by itself, but I really pushed for it because of the discomfort. After the 3rd time, the fluid did not reaccumulate

Vanmama

I apparently have developed a couple of recurrent seromas, one on each side. My surgeon aspirated them last Tuesday and removed 100cc from the right and 40cc from the left. I'm going in tomorrow to have it done again. I think there is more fluid collected this time!

I can't imagine leaving them to reabsorb. I was hoping I could but they are becoming uncomfortable.

I'm hoping this is the last! At least the aspiration didn't hurt!

Laura

glennie19

I had a seroma too and had it drained 3 times.  The fluid will eventually reabsorb, but it can take a while. You may want to call just to inform them that this has happened and see if they advise coming in.  Also ask if compression would help. After my draining, they put on compression bandages.

Kittybelle

My BMX was 1/14 and I developed a couple of small seromas (1 each side) a few days after they took the drains out. I saw my BS on 1/27 and she said she'd drain them if i wanted, but they weren't bothering me so we just left them alone. She said to call if they got bothersome and I could pop in to have them drained. I agree you may want to call your nurse and she what she says.

At this point, my left one is pretty much gone now and right side is much smaller. I did notice they would get a bit bigger towards the end of the day, esp. if I'd been really active, but the decrease in size was pretty steady. I took pictures every couple of days just to track things.

Evilmidget

Thanks for the replies. Mine is very small and not uncomfortable and I noticed it after my workout yesterday. I think I'll wear a compression top today and see what that does but I think I will just wait and see if it gets any larger (good idea Kittybelle about taking pictures to track the size).

Oh...and off topic, does anyone know why my diagnosis doesn't appear at the bottom of my posts? I have it set to "members".

Evilmidget

Oh sure...and now it shows up!

Kittybelle

What kind of compression top are you wearing? I can't quite get into mine (they all have racer back straps)

Evilmidget

I just have the one they put on me after my MX surgery. It's like a 1980's tube top...but tighter. Today I just wore one of my HB compression tops from my workout stuff. Since I am a personal trainer/fitness instructor I have a lot of this type of clothing but I have found that the tops with the built-in bras irritate my scar and I don't think they do anything but increase the pressure that might cause the seroma to get larger.

sewingnut

I had 2 cups of fluid drained out my seroma. It felt a lot better after I got deflated I developed a second one in my armpit which was also drained. Surgeon felt it would take too long to absorb and aspirated.

Erica3681

Evilmidget, I would check with your surgeon before using compression. Different doctors have different feelings about that. My surgeon never recommended it (though I never asked about it, so not sure if she would have thought it was a bad idea).

Like you, I had a small amount of fluid after my bilateral mastectomy. My surgeon (head of breast care at a Harvard teaching hospital) said she doesn't like to aspirate unless it forms a large, uncomfortable seroma. Every time you aspirate, she said, there's a small risk of infection, so unless the seroma is huge or painful, better not to.

In my case, on one side the fluid spontaneously absorbed (literally overnight) after about three weeks. The other side, where I'd been radiated three years earlier, took six months to absorb, but that was a very small seroma and never hurt at all. Even after virtually all of it absorbed, there was a truly tiny (like a thimble-full) amount that lingered for three years, then drained away in the course of a week. Even after all that time, I never had any discomfort, infection, or other problem. I was relieved when the fluid was finally all gone though.

Jennie93

It sounds like they are very common. I got a small one, right at the bottom end of the scar, after the drain was pulled. Saw the surgeon a week later and he said not big enough to consider draining it, just leave it alone and it will eventually go away. Well it did get smaller, very slowly and gradually, and changed from slightly pinkish to normal skin-colored. But it never went away completely. There's a small, like about a quarter-sized spot, that still has a little fluid there, even over 2 years out. It's tender but not downright painful, unless something presses on it. The docs just shrug and say no big deal, leave it be, nothing to worry about. But I wonder if some sort of massage or something might encourage it to go away. Anyone tried that?

Erica3681

Jennie, I had the exact same situation as you! Except the tiny spot left for me didn't even feel tender. But it was there and it bothered me. Then I decided to try something called Lebed exercises. They were developed for women with lymphedema by a woman who has lymphedema (Sherry Lebed), along with her brother, who's a physician. I didn't really think they'd help, but they're an excellent series of stretches that I felt would be could for me, especially for the tight area on one side where I'd had radiation. So, I ordered the DVD and started doing the exercises. To my complete shock, about a week later I noticed the spot was smaller and within two weeks it had completely drained away! I don't have lymphedema, but I guess that doing these exercises opened some drainage channels and encouraged the fluid to drain away. If you're willing to spend the cost of a DVD, I'd say it's worth a try. I still do these exercises, as I find them an excellent way to stay limber. I think they have some of the same beneficial effects as Tai Chi. I should worn you, Sherry is quite a character and the commentary along with the exercises is a little hokey. But I just go with the flow!