Hi everyone,Please help with any advice 'seroma related' as I am very frustrated.My lump was removed start of December and I'm going tomorrow for my 7th drainage of the horrible '3rd boob' that is hanging out under my arm. My port and 1st chemo session were originally scheduled for 16th Jan but have now been postponed until 6th Feb!I know it's probably not a bad thing to delay on the 'poisoning' but I was ready to start and now I just feel in limbo. i have asked so many times if there is something I can do to stop the thing refilling ...compression, massage etc but everyone keeps saying that it will stop in its own time.Any advice is greatly appreciated as I just want to get rid of it! ThanksKim x

I got the same advice, but it didn't and after 12 months (don't panic!) I got a bad infection. If the fluid doesn't drain or disperse, it can create a rather good environment for the bacteria we all have internally. Massage did help me, and I was well on the way to getting it entirely clear when I got the infection. My sensible surgeon, in spite of me having lots of antibiotics, wasn't convinced I was clear so operated "for a good clean out" - there was still a lot of infection, he did the right thing, no more infection and no more fluid! A good lymphoedema therapist may be a start. Most seromas do clear by themselves but not all and not always fast. Good luck.

Ah Thankyou Afraser! Oh my goodness 12 months (eekkkkk) Well I think my surgeon is planning a 'clean out' operation next week if it's still there after tomorrow's drainage session. I feel like another op and reinserting another drainage bag is such a pain in the butt. Thanks for sharing your story and best wishes x

Good thinking, sooner rather than later!! Mine wasn't in such an awkward place as yours but I confess the sloshing when I bent over was bizarre!! I suspect low level infection may encourage refilling but that's just my theory. My lymphoedema therapist solemnly intoned the conventional wisdom that seromas don't cause lymphoedema, then grinned and noted that it's still really hard to get the water out of the sink when the plug is still in the hole. Got to laugh!

Hi Kimmerb, I had a seroma too that finally cleared up after being drained 6 times, but I also had an infection at the same time that cleared after 2 courses of antibiotics. It was a staph infection probably from the drains. My chemo was delayed too. Is the fluid getting less each time? Mine started at 200 mls & then reduced to 100 & then my surgeon said my body would deal with it. Hopefully yours will start to clear without a further procedure, what a nuisance!

Hi I also had a seroma under my arm after a lumpectomy. I had it drained once but it filled up again in a couple of hours so I couldn't See any point in draining it again. Eventually it went away. I can't remember exactly when, maybe a couple of months. I didn't mention it to my oncologist so it didn't delay chemotherapy. I have some lymphedema in my breast and arm now. I don't know if it is related. I hope yours goes soon. Good luck.

Sick of the drainage! | BCNA Online Network

11 Replies

lgray3911
Member
9 years ago
I had Level 2 node clearance on the 23rd of March (had double mastectomy on the 9th of March) I developed a seroma on the node op side. I got it drained by my surgeon 4 times since, the last being the morning before my first chemo (last Friday) It did refill but I started to massage it at night in bed for bout 15 minutes and it has really gone down well. A couple more nights and it will be fully dispersed and flat. I also wore one of those sports bras from target. That held it in or compressed it and I think that may have helped too maybe?!?! Good luck ☘️ Ps massaging it didn't hurt xx
Bon_Bon
Member
9 years ago
Both my breasts just leaked and leaked, then one stopped, the other got worse. As there was a small hole in cut line, infection got in and to the muscle expander, they ended up taking them out.
Brenda5
Member
9 years ago
I had mine drained 3 times. Best its not allowed to get huge as it makes a bit of a pocket which makes room for it to refill quickly. The emergency dept got a big sticky dressing which acted like a compression wrap. I couldn't shower for days with it on but it did stop the lump establishing itself again. Hurt like hell to get it off though lol. It was huge!
Afraser
Member
9 years ago
Great if a seroma goes down on its own, but 12 months is excessive and the amount of fluid was too (first draining was 1.5 litres and no, I am not exaggerating). This is of course uncommon, and yes I was well aware of the infection risk, but infection was I think already present and contributing to the problem and proved impossible to clear without surgery. As always, there are so many variables. Certainly would agree to give a good chance to clear naturally as the first course of action.
Mira
Member
9 years ago
Hi, I had a seroma after my surgery and went into the ER (it was late at night). Luckily someone from the breast clinic was working that night and recommended that I don't have it drained as it can cause infection. Sorry, I know this doesn't help you but it might help someone else. She explained (to me and the dr on duty) that the area is like a sponge and not like a balloon, so its not that easy to drain. Mine went down on its own.
Zoffiel
Member
9 years ago
My seroma kept doing its thing for 8 weeks with the resultant delay of all other treatments. I got to know the medical imaging people very well getting it drained every four or five days. Then it started to septate and then it stopped. Couldn't believe it was all over.
In the interim I tried massage cold packs compression...Nothing made any difference. I too asked about reinserting a drain but the risks of infection go up and , in the end, you body has to get over itself, deal with the insult of the original wound and heal. More surgery seems counterintuitive.
Karenhappyquilt
Member
9 years ago
Hi I also had a seroma under my arm after a lumpectomy. I had it drained once but it filled up again in a couple of hours so I couldn't See any point in draining it again. Eventually it went away. I can't remember exactly when, maybe a couple of months. I didn't mention it to my oncologist so it didn't delay chemotherapy. I have some lymphedema in my breast and arm now. I don't know if it is related. I hope yours goes soon. Good luck.
Glemmis
Member
9 years ago
Hi Kimmerb, I had a seroma too that finally cleared up after being drained 6 times, but I also had an infection at the same time that cleared after 2 courses of antibiotics. It was a staph infection probably from the drains. My chemo was delayed too. Is the fluid getting less each time? Mine started at 200 mls & then reduced to 100 & then my surgeon said my body would deal with it. Hopefully yours will start to clear without a further procedure, what a nuisance!
Afraser
Member
9 years ago
Good thinking, sooner rather than later!! Mine wasn't in such an awkward place as yours but I confess the sloshing when I bent over was bizarre!! I suspect low level infection may encourage refilling but that's just my theory. My lymphoedema therapist solemnly intoned the conventional wisdom that seromas don't cause lymphoedema, then grinned and noted that it's still really hard to get the water out of the sink when the plug is still in the hole. Got to laugh!
Kimmerb
Member
9 years ago
Ah Thankyou Afraser! Oh my goodness 12 months (eekkkkk) Well I think my surgeon is planning a 'clean out' operation next week if it's still there after tomorrow's drainage session. I feel like another op and reinserting another drainage bag is such a pain in the butt. Thanks for sharing your story and best wishes x