Seroma

Hello, I had a lumpectomy & then needed a mastectomy 10 days later & developed a seroma & an infection which was very painful. I had 2 courses of antibiotics & had the seroma drained 6 times before it cleared. Sometimes the breast care nurses did it or my surgeon. I was seeing her twice a week at first for drainage, it built up very fast. I had chills with the infection & felt very unwell & it turned out to be Staph. 

Hi Chanel, I had a seroma after my operation and ended up in er late at night because of the pain.  Luckily the surgical registrar I had seen from the breast clinic was on duty that night, she advised me not to have it drained saying it could cause all sorts of problems re infection, recurrence etc.  It was actually interesting, she was giving the staff on duty a lesson in seromas while I was sitting there (half naked mind you!).  

She gave me a prescription for some stronger painkillers and said to wait it out, and if it became the size of a football then yeah I should come back  :) Plus she booked me in for a return visit to check on it in a weeks time, but it had completely gone down by then.
 

I had a rather long drawn out experience with a post operative seroma, and two minor and one serious infection. You should certainly rediscuss with your surgeon - draining may only provide temporary relief, mine refilled pretty fast! You may also want to discuss the possibility of massage (a qualified lymphoedema therapist may be best) to help dispel fluid. I didn't have any pain with infections, just a temperature and flu like symptoms, even when I was really sick, so there may be another reason for the pain you are experiencing. You are quite right to seek answers, when you know what you are dealing with, it's easier to handle. Good luck, hope things improve very soon.