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Artferret's avatar
Artferret
Member
8 years ago

Breast seroma after lumpectomies

Got my 6 month all clear yesterday from my surgeon but she said i had a collection of fluid in my breast in the cavity where my haematoma was from the original biopsy. I gather this will gradually absorb back into my body. From what I've read it can take up to a year. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. There's no pain and i wouldn't have picked it from just looking or feeling as the original haematoma cavity was right in the middle and against the chest wall. First thought i had after being told this was 'ah well, so my boob is going shrink even more!' 

3 Replies

  • Artferret's avatar
    Artferret
    Member
    8 years ago
    Thanks Afraser and Irb_03. 1.5 litres! That's impressive! My surgeon didn't seem worried and only said to go back to massaging the incision area as she thought it could have been softer, so that's been added to my morning routine. Mammogram is in July so we'll see how much is left as well as me keeping an eye on things.
  • Afraser's avatar
    Afraser
    Member
    8 years ago
    It's a pain - not literally, but in the neck! My deeply attached breast seroma was drained several times (personal best 1.5 litres and no I am not exaggerating, it's quite remarkable what a cavity can hold!) , two minor infections, one doozy - hospital for a week, heavy duty antibiotics on a drip and then surgery as my breast surgeon was not convinced it was resolved and he was absolutely right! Little pocket of poison! 12 months from go to whoa. Sloshed when I bent over. Personally I would talk to a qualified lympheodema therapist about massage to help it disperse before the bugs get entrenched! Good luck.
  • lrb_03's avatar
    lrb_03
    Member
    8 years ago
    Hi @Artferret. I'm 2 years out from active treatment. My Gp sent me for an ultrasound about 4 weeks post surgery, only to discover I had a seroma where my tumour had been, and another in my axilla. I'd had no symptoms.  I had a lumpectomy and axillary clearance.  Around 2 weeks into radiotherapy I developed an infection in the breast seroma and had it drained. Big mistake. The next week of rads were a nightmare, as I spent up to 2 hours on the table while they got me positioned correctly.  Once it refilled again, no more problems with radiotherapy. I had it drained 1 more time, but as it just refilled again, I didn't bother again. Each scan or CT I've had since shows it slowly getting smaller. I know where it is and can feel it, but it fills out my surgery site. If it collapsed now, I'd have a huge indent in my breast, so I now hope it doesn't completely reabsorb.