Anyone ever had a Seroma?

[carolyn122162]

I have metastatic Thyroid Cancer and had surgery 10 days ago. Many lymph nodes in my neck were removed. I had no swelling when I left the hospital. My second day home, my neck started to swell. By the third day it was so swollen I couldn't eat or swallow without difficulty. Had my post-op visit on day 7 and he said I had a Seroma. It may go away on it's own but if not then it would need to be drained. Has anyone ever experienced this? I'm wondering how long I have to wait before I need to have it drained. Will it go away on it's own? Some areas feel hard, while other areas feel squishy. It is extremely uncomfortable and almost impossible to sleep. Still have to be elevated. The worst part is absolutely no working out!!

Thanks for any input

 

[Trixoo]

If it's that uncomfortable, I wonder why didn't your surgeon drain the seroma while you were there? Hs correct that they sometimes resolve themselves, but if its' causing a quality of life issues/imparting your recovery, there's generally no need to wait.

Do you think maybe you downplayed how much it is impacting you (we women tend to do this...)? If so, that might have caused him to decide to take a wait and see approach. I'd call, explain what's happening and ask to have it drained. Having said that, there may be something about the particular location of your surgery that makes it preferable to drain only as a last resort, but you really should call and explain how much you're being affected so your surgeon can reassess. And DON'T feel like you have to wait until Monday.

Best of luck....I hope you have some relief soon.

 

[bayerngirl]

Hope you feel better soon (((HUGS)))