Forum Discussion

khill72's avatar
khill72
Member
5 months ago

Post mastectomy swelling or seroma?


How did you guys tell the difference between post surgery swelling & seroma? I’m 3 weeks post mastectomy and have swelling well beneath my incision, it kind of looks like my boob is trying to grow back. I saw surgeon last Friday & he said it was potentially some fatty tissue that may have been left behind. My chest also feels quite tight, but I also have some cording. I’m not sure if the tightness/swelling is just normal for this stage of recovery or if I need any treatment to drain potential seroma. Should I contact BC nurse or see my GP or wait & see in coming days??
mastectomy
seroma

2 Replies

Sort By
  • TanF72's avatar
    TanF72
    Member
    4 months ago
    Hi khill72
    I recently had lymphnode removal and developed a seroma within a week. It was puffy, sore right where incision was. I thought it was initially swelling so I was ice packing it every few hours for 15mins. This proved the opposite of what I should have done. I ended up with more pain and diagnosed by going to emergency it was a seroma. For me it was like a half very soft under cooked boiled egg under my arm.  That's how I saw it anyway. I said it was my egg incubating, family thought that was funny. Initially is was very soft and over time it started to get harder. If you are unsure get someone to look at it asap, it can't hurt. I should have been using heat packs 15mins every few hours. Heat will draw blood to the area and help with healing. As soon as I started this, it eased the pain dramatically & within a week started to reduce in size and another week later it was gone. I know my surgery was not as extensive as you've had done but now I know what a seroma is, I'd wished I'd checked straight away with my Dr. when I first noticed the swelling. 
    Let us know how you go?  
  • Afraser's avatar
    Afraser
    Member
    5 months ago
    The conventional wisdom with a seroma (which the swelling might be) is to
    try and let it drain naturally. Unless it is causing pain, I’d be tempted to leave it somewhat longer. A persistent seroma is one that lingers for months rather than weeks. I had one, and draining wasn’t a great solution either, it just refilled. Given it’s relatively early days and there are a number of possible reasons for the swelling, it may be best to monitor and see how things are in another three weeks. Keep your BC nurse informed though.