Seroma post-op

Yep, refilled constanty. Your body is trying to help you by pushing nutrient rich fluid to the site and overdoing it. Conventional wisdom is that to disperse naturally is best, rather than to risk introducing infection by aspiration but as you already
have bacteria in your system naturally infection can occur anyway.

I didn't have to pay for aspiration( was covered by my insurance)but my observation was that draining only led to refilling.

I finally got my lympohoedema therapist to massage the seroma which was gradually working well but I got hit by a very bad infection ( bacteria in the seroma soup) ended up in hospital and surgery. That fixed it once and for all
but 12 months start to end. My first aspiration drew one ad a half litres. It can get a bit crazy. 
 
I suggest you give it another go, but if it just fills up and is uncomfortable again you may want to discuss massage with your 
surgeon. You need a trained therapist though.And yes, it may cost but see what's possible through your hospital. 

Best wishes.

@Afraser
1 1/2 litres! I felt uncomfortable with a much smaller amount! I can’t even imagine that. Thanks for your input :-)

I was thoroughly impressed i could hold that amount!  No wonder I didn't look flat. It never got that much again, but I had about 6 aspirations around the 400mls mark. The body is remarkable if a bit inconvenient occasionally.

I had a seroma in my axilla, what I could feel was bigger than a hen's egg. I'd had a small seroma, but it came up like that almost overnight a few months post op. It was uncomfortable, and I had it drained once. It reaccumulated so quickly that it wasn't worth bothering again.
I also developed one at the tumour site that I had drained a couple of times.
3 years post surgery, both are still there. I can't feel the one in my axilla, and the one in my breast.... well, the advice is that if I had it drained, my breast shape would be significantly compromised. My decision? Don't bother draining it! I'll keep the breast shape, thanks.
Other than an infection during radiotherapy,  it's never caused any problems

Thanks @lrb_03
My surgeon has given me that same advice although my seroma is right from the back of the axilla right across the top of the R breast, where the removal of the tumour was done. Initially after surgery I had a smaller breast as he had taken quite a large sample as I also had an extra 'satellite' tumor which was DCIS. I now have a larger R breast than my normal breast and I am going to have to head out to get a larger bra as I am finding it is now cutting in and the cup is now not fitting my breast. Annoying and uncomfortable at present, but hopefully that settles as healing continues.

I would simply suggest going to Best & Less or Kmart and getting some cheap ah bra type bras, in a larger size to normal. They're soft, and depending what you find more comfortable, you can take the padding out, or leave it in, or, do what I did..... took out the one from my "larger" breast (non cancer side),  and left the other one in. Evened me up a bit.  My breasts now have a 25-30% difference in size, so I do have a partial prosthesis. I've worn this since around 6 months after surgery.

Those bras are also great during radiotherapy, becouse of the softness of the fabric

Did you get your pathology results today? 

I got those after surgery, too.  If you don't like having one padded and one not, get two bras and move the padding around so that you have two pads on the smaller side and one on the larger.  The soft forms and knitted knockers can be put in these bras to help out, as well.

Hey @Mjheke,

The best and less bra's are great, very comfy.
Seroma is a pain in the butt.  However, it did give me fantastic cleavage for 12 months LOL.  The darn thing was huge and rock hard.
My team was against draining unless it was ridiculously painful.  They said it would constantly recollect if I'd drained it, could introduce infection and cosmetic outcome would be better if I could let it heal naturally.  It has taken nearly two years to go and a small amount is still visible on MRI but hasn't really presented any issues and the appearance is good.  Although I have the opposite problem where the naughty side is a bit smaller now (to be expected I guess :) so bra's fit but I have to be careful what I buy or the wire sits in the wrong spot under my arm and can cause it to puff up.
 Thoughts are different with different surgeons depending on the situations I guess.

xoxox

Hi Ladies,

@lrb_03 , thanks for the great advice. I guess by the time the swelling and hopefully seroma go down I expect that the R breast will be a similar percentage smaller as yours is (25-30%). So I will need some sort of prosthesis. I'm heading out tonight with my husband bra shopping so will definitely have a look at Best n less, I think a seamless one will be good as I have very sensitive skin (have reacted to ALL of the dressing material so far), so am a bit worried about the effects of Radiotherapy. I will have about 5 weeks I am told. 

@Sister Where do you buy the soft forms and prosthesis from? At the moment with the swelling I nearly need one for the other side....haha, how Ironic. @kezmusc, my cleavage  is a bit wonky-the other way at the moment! My surgeon has said no more draining now. It is quite uncomfortable, especially when walking, trying to sleep. But hopefully with the new bra, all will be fine.


I did get my results today and they are the best of a bad bunch you could say!. 2.7cm tumour Grade 1 invasive carcinoma
which is ER and PR positive, Her2 Negative, 0 of 2 lymph nodes involved  with DCIS scattered throughout, Margins well clear.  The sample also had LCIS throughout the whole sample with 10% pleomorphic and 90% classical. 
So will need Radiotherapy and hormone therapy definitely. The Cancer panel is discussing my case next Wednesday, because I have a family history and my age (49), there is a slight chance they may recommend Chemo. All GONE!!

xox



 

Yes sleeping is interesting for a while.  I ended up with a squishy duck feather pillow I could rest underneath both boob and arm (side sleeper) to take the weight off.  Worked really well.  While you're at Best and Less have a look at the Kayser Brazillian bra.  Probably not for now but later on.  I jammed myself into one of these two weeks after surgery to go to my stepdaughters formal.  They are slightly padded, pretty and are the bomb to even things out under a tight fitting shirt.