Seroma after mastectomy

Hi, I posted earlier in the year about my mum who had a lumpectomy in December followed by a mastectomy and lymph node clearance in January, they discovered a second lump after the first op. She was lucky enough not to need chemo or hormone treatment but had 3 weeks of radiotherapy.She is recovering well. Still very tired but she is 77 so that is to be expected.

The main problem she has is a hard swelling on both sides of her scar, almost entirely over the area of the breast which was removed. This becomes painful when she wears a prosthesis and at times she can't even wear a bra as it causes a swelling under her arm. She has spoken to her breast care nurse, the surgeon and her GP but all anyone says is that it's ok and will go eventually. I keep reading about people who have a seroma but it seems that it goes after a few weeks. Has anyone else had one for 6+ months and did you have to get it removed surgically? Thanks

  • Hello and thanks for posting,

    I can understand that you would want to try and get some definite information.

    But bear in mind that your mum's situation is unique to her, and others experiences on the forum may be different. It isn't very likely to be a seroma, as the surgeon and the others would have mentioned it, if they thought it likely. Also you would not do further surgery unless absolutely necessary. This is because surgery can create more scar tissue. 

    Unfortunately, the effects of surgery can take a long time to settle down, often several years, for some patients. 

    I hope that this has been of some help to you. 

    Best wishes,

    Vanda