swelling and red streaks after excision

Bellevue1110

It will be four weeks tomorrow since I had an excisional biopsy for adh/fea. I've been healing fine and grateful this was behind me. Saturday morning I woke up to pain in my breast and fluid swelling around the areola and throughout the incision site. Painful! It was red, pretty warm and hurt like a son of a gun walking, driving...Any jostling at all. I assumed it was a seroma and applied a heating pad off and on. Called the surgeon office this am and they want to see me tomorrow. The nurse said it was too long after my surgery to be a seroma...but certainly several hospital websites suggest they can happen later than the first 10 days. Tonight getting ready for bed I noticed red streaks above and under site. Nothing huge or angry looking...just have not been there before. The pain is less today however. I guess I'm wondering if others have had similar experience? I've no fever or chills. NUTS!

sbelizabeth

Hi, Bellevue. I've had a bunch of seromas and they don't ordinarily hurt; they just slosh around and are annoying. That being said, a seroma can easily get infected, and it's the infection that hurts; kinda like a big, angry zit. Your description of pain when it's jostled is a giveaway. It's possible you've had a small seroma this whole time that only recently became colonized with bacteria.

Be sure to keep your appointment with your surgeon tomorrow. I sense antibiotics in your future. Good luck. SB

thecargirl

Sounds like a breast infection, I got an infection after my lumpectomy. Good thing you are seeing the Doctor, I am sure he will put you on an antibiotic.

Susan

Bellevue1110

Thank you so much sb, I hadn't thought about possibility of could have been lurking a while. Makes total sense.

Cargirl I think you're right. I'm off to doc so I'll find out for sure. Thank you both!

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