› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Complications from surgery-help!
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Pattyka.
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- June 23, 2011 at 12:24 am
Hi everyone, (sorry this is long & thanks for taking the time to read my post)
I am new to MPIP and need your help. I follow the posts but this is the first time I am posting. You are all wonderful & I hope you have some advice for me. I am stage 3C. I have had 3 sugeries (2009, 2010, 2011) to remove 3 recurrences all in the same place in my thigh.
Hi everyone, (sorry this is long & thanks for taking the time to read my post)
I am new to MPIP and need your help. I follow the posts but this is the first time I am posting. You are all wonderful & I hope you have some advice for me. I am stage 3C. I have had 3 sugeries (2009, 2010, 2011) to remove 3 recurrences all in the same place in my thigh.
My most recent surgery was 2 weeks ago today. My tumors/ subqs recurrences seem to continue to grow in the same area in my thigh. My surgeon indicated that he would have to take out the new tumor all the way down to the facia of my muscle & then also cut out the old scar area & beneath to get clear margins.
He told me that my new scar would only be 1 inch longer than my old because he was going to use the old scar area. He said that he would have no problem stitching up the area on my thigh that I would have more than enough skin to pull together. I am 62 & my skin is saggy skin so my skin would be able to be stretched. At the pre-op appointment he said this was an easy surgey for him.
When I woke from surgery, my thigh was bleeding through the gauze over my incision. This was the first time that any of my incision on my thigh ever bleed. Also, My surgeon made the incision approximately 6 inches longer beyond the old scar because he told me that he could not close because my skin came together funny & my skin looked like rabbit ears at the ends of the incision so he kept cutting my skin until the ends came together better.
Plus I am bruised from the top of my thigh to below my knee (both sides of my leg). The top of my leg is swollen all the way down to my knee. I have numbness from my thigh to my knee. I knew that he would be cutting nerves so I understand why I am numb. Maybe I am being paranoid but I suspect that he is not telling me what really happened because of the extensive bruising. The surgeon told me that I am bruised so much because of cutting close to veins.
Now that you got the picture, yesterday the surgeon confirmed that I also have a large hematoma at the top & along side of my incision & a large seroma further done the incision. The surgeon recommended that both the hematoma & seroma will eventually dissolve after a few months & I need to be patient. He rather not use a needle to drain/resolve the hematoma & seroma because it would risk infection.
Needless to say, I am very upset. I am very active & run daily. Now I can barely walk. It is painful & the hematoma & seroma do not seem to be going down. My surgeon told me to comeback to see him in 1 month and to continue my normal daily activities, but not walking too much and watch for signs of infection. Does 1 month seem like a long time to wait to see the doctor again.
Thanks again you for taking time to read my long story. I would appreciate any advice, and/or your experience with hematoma & seroma. Any recommendations what can be done to resolve hematomas & seromas. Can ice or heat help reduce the swelling? Any other comments and feedback about my situation are sincerely appreciated.
God Bless you all
Suzy
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- June 23, 2011 at 1:48 am
Hi Suzy,
Some of this is similar to the issues I had after my groin lymph node dissection. I had a very large seroma after the surgical drains came out. I ended up needed the drains to go back in but even after the fluid output was finally slowed down enough not to need drains, I had a seroma that took a very long time to dissolve, although it finally did. I also had the issues with being numb. I can't answer in terms of whether a month is too long to wait to come back because our situations were different in that I had drains related to the groin LND so I was getting checked about that in terms of the first few months post op. However, once things settled down enough for me not be be coming in as frequently, it definitely took several more months for the seroma to finally disolve completely and I have a hard area where it used to be. It has been over 6 years since all that was going on so my memory is a little hazy but seromas can take a long time to dissolve. Best of luck, Carver
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- June 23, 2011 at 1:48 am
Hi Suzy,
Some of this is similar to the issues I had after my groin lymph node dissection. I had a very large seroma after the surgical drains came out. I ended up needed the drains to go back in but even after the fluid output was finally slowed down enough not to need drains, I had a seroma that took a very long time to dissolve, although it finally did. I also had the issues with being numb. I can't answer in terms of whether a month is too long to wait to come back because our situations were different in that I had drains related to the groin LND so I was getting checked about that in terms of the first few months post op. However, once things settled down enough for me not be be coming in as frequently, it definitely took several more months for the seroma to finally disolve completely and I have a hard area where it used to be. It has been over 6 years since all that was going on so my memory is a little hazy but seromas can take a long time to dissolve. Best of luck, Carver
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- June 23, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Hi!
I had SLN and WLE on May 3 and inguinal node disection on June 10th. For both procedures and with my surgeon's knowledge, I took something that my naturopath recommended for pain/bruising/swelling: Arnica Montana. I took a low dose for the first surgey (30 mg 3xday) starting right after the surgery. I had no pain but quite a bit of bruising and swelling. For the second surgery, I was given a high dose (not sure of the exact amount but it was at least 10 times what I could buy in the health food store). I took the first dose before surgery and then hourly after I woke up, gradually recuing that to 3-4 times a day. Again no pain. This time, practically no bruising and minimal swelling.
Homeopathics are not for everybody. It's a personal decision. If you and your medical team are comfortable with it, you may want to consult a naturopath.
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- June 23, 2011 at 6:24 pm
I got it from my naturopath. In Ontario, this is a regulated profession, so tthere is a low dose, like non-prescription medications and higher doses are only available through a doctor of naturopathy.
If you are considering this, it is important to go to a reputable naturopathic doctor. Check to see if this is a regulated profession i your state/province. If you cancer supports integrative medicine, thay may well be able to direct you towards someone. It's never a good idea to be self prescribing, particular in combination with traditional medical treatments.
As for taking it, I continue to take it 13 days out from surgery to keep the swelling down.
Good luck!
Joslyn
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- June 23, 2011 at 6:24 pm
I got it from my naturopath. In Ontario, this is a regulated profession, so tthere is a low dose, like non-prescription medications and higher doses are only available through a doctor of naturopathy.
If you are considering this, it is important to go to a reputable naturopathic doctor. Check to see if this is a regulated profession i your state/province. If you cancer supports integrative medicine, thay may well be able to direct you towards someone. It's never a good idea to be self prescribing, particular in combination with traditional medical treatments.
As for taking it, I continue to take it 13 days out from surgery to keep the swelling down.
Good luck!
Joslyn
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- June 23, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Hi!
I had SLN and WLE on May 3 and inguinal node disection on June 10th. For both procedures and with my surgeon's knowledge, I took something that my naturopath recommended for pain/bruising/swelling: Arnica Montana. I took a low dose for the first surgey (30 mg 3xday) starting right after the surgery. I had no pain but quite a bit of bruising and swelling. For the second surgery, I was given a high dose (not sure of the exact amount but it was at least 10 times what I could buy in the health food store). I took the first dose before surgery and then hourly after I woke up, gradually recuing that to 3-4 times a day. Again no pain. This time, practically no bruising and minimal swelling.
Homeopathics are not for everybody. It's a personal decision. If you and your medical team are comfortable with it, you may want to consult a naturopath.
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- June 23, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Thank you so much for replying to my post.
My surgeon did not put a drain. My thigh & area around my incision is swollen, hard, and painful immediately after surgery. Both side of my leg from the knee to thigh are extremely bruised & numb.
As I wait for 1 month to see my doctor, I am trying to deal with my lack of mobility & pain do to the above side effects. He told me that pulling the fluid out with a needlle could cause infection so I need to see if my body can improve the hematoma & sermoa.
I do keep my leg elevated periodically during the day, but my hematoma & seroma are so large it does not seem to make a difference. Even when I wake in the morning being off my feet all night, the swelling seems to be same with no improvement. I was warned by my doctor that a blood clot could form so I walk and do daily activites but my limited mobility even causes more swelling & fluid build up.
It is difficult to wait possibly many months to see improvement. I sincerely appreciate any recommendations to improve my situation. Anyone have experience with a surgical hematoma and or seroma that can recommend a home remedy (like heat or cold, massages, stretches) or anything that might improve the swelling, etc
Thanks again to everyone taking time toreadmy post.
Suzy
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- June 17, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Suzy,
I had a first melanoma wide excision surgery on my thigh April 27, 2012, and also got a hematoma and could not bend my knee. The scar is three inches long, and it is about three inches above my right knee. The hematoma was all around the wound. I had a lot of pain, a limp and my knee would lock up after two to three steps. Any slight slope, like walking down my driveway would lock up my knee as well. I assumed I would be lame for the rest of my life, but decided to try to fix this with PT. My surgeon left the sutures in for four full weeks. And I did the following things, to get my knee mobility back:
Three things help this hemotoma, ice, laying my back and head on a floor with my calf resting on a chair and relaxing so my thigh was verticle, letting gravity move fluids through the area. I did this at least twice per say. Then I worked the leg hard twice a week with a physical therapist to loosen the scar after two weeks of healing. That included light massage while the stitches were still in, and working on a stationary bike, doing some weights as my leg was very weak. Started very slow on this. Then I iced the swelling every night, even sleeping with a blue ice on the spots that hurt a lot after PT. I also started to walk slowly every day. First it was a few yards. Then I worked up to a quarter mile, then several miles. It seemed that walking helped the process, although the swelling would be worse every evening and is still a problem.
My experience is that my knee mobility is back now after four weeks of two thirty minute sessions of PT per week. I can bend my knee fully. But swelling is still a problem if I walk a lot or try to walk up hill. I develped a Baker's cyst directly behind the knee on the leg with the surgery, in the exact spot where the bruise was back there. The cyst bothers me less and the swelling is down. I may consult an orthopedic doctor next.
Hope this is helpful Suzy. If anyone knows about Baker's cysts I would appreciate any advise on how to treat it.
Pat
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- June 17, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Suzy,
I had a first melanoma wide excision surgery on my thigh April 27, 2012, and also got a hematoma and could not bend my knee. The scar is three inches long, and it is about three inches above my right knee. The hematoma was all around the wound. I had a lot of pain, a limp and my knee would lock up after two to three steps. Any slight slope, like walking down my driveway would lock up my knee as well. I assumed I would be lame for the rest of my life, but decided to try to fix this with PT. My surgeon left the sutures in for four full weeks. And I did the following things, to get my knee mobility back:
Three things help this hemotoma, ice, laying my back and head on a floor with my calf resting on a chair and relaxing so my thigh was verticle, letting gravity move fluids through the area. I did this at least twice per say. Then I worked the leg hard twice a week with a physical therapist to loosen the scar after two weeks of healing. That included light massage while the stitches were still in, and working on a stationary bike, doing some weights as my leg was very weak. Started very slow on this. Then I iced the swelling every night, even sleeping with a blue ice on the spots that hurt a lot after PT. I also started to walk slowly every day. First it was a few yards. Then I worked up to a quarter mile, then several miles. It seemed that walking helped the process, although the swelling would be worse every evening and is still a problem.
My experience is that my knee mobility is back now after four weeks of two thirty minute sessions of PT per week. I can bend my knee fully. But swelling is still a problem if I walk a lot or try to walk up hill. I develped a Baker's cyst directly behind the knee on the leg with the surgery, in the exact spot where the bruise was back there. The cyst bothers me less and the swelling is down. I may consult an orthopedic doctor next.
Hope this is helpful Suzy. If anyone knows about Baker's cysts I would appreciate any advise on how to treat it.
Pat
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- June 17, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Suzy,
I had a first melanoma wide excision surgery on my thigh April 27, 2012, and also got a hematoma and could not bend my knee. The scar is three inches long, and it is about three inches above my right knee. The hematoma was all around the wound. I had a lot of pain, a limp and my knee would lock up after two to three steps. Any slight slope, like walking down my driveway would lock up my knee as well. I assumed I would be lame for the rest of my life, but decided to try to fix this with PT. My surgeon left the sutures in for four full weeks. And I did the following things, to get my knee mobility back:
Three things help this hemotoma, ice, laying my back and head on a floor with my calf resting on a chair and relaxing so my thigh was verticle, letting gravity move fluids through the area. I did this at least twice per say. Then I worked the leg hard twice a week with a physical therapist to loosen the scar after two weeks of healing. That included light massage while the stitches were still in, and working on a stationary bike, doing some weights as my leg was very weak. Started very slow on this. Then I iced the swelling every night, even sleeping with a blue ice on the spots that hurt a lot after PT. I also started to walk slowly every day. First it was a few yards. Then I worked up to a quarter mile, then several miles. It seemed that walking helped the process, although the swelling would be worse every evening and is still a problem.
My experience is that my knee mobility is back now after four weeks of two thirty minute sessions of PT per week. I can bend my knee fully. But swelling is still a problem if I walk a lot or try to walk up hill. I develped a Baker's cyst directly behind the knee on the leg with the surgery, in the exact spot where the bruise was back there. The cyst bothers me less and the swelling is down. I may consult an orthopedic doctor next.
Hope this is helpful Suzy. If anyone knows about Baker's cysts I would appreciate any advise on how to treat it.
Pat
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- June 23, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Thank you so much for replying to my post.
My surgeon did not put a drain. My thigh & area around my incision is swollen, hard, and painful immediately after surgery. Both side of my leg from the knee to thigh are extremely bruised & numb.
As I wait for 1 month to see my doctor, I am trying to deal with my lack of mobility & pain do to the above side effects. He told me that pulling the fluid out with a needlle could cause infection so I need to see if my body can improve the hematoma & sermoa.
I do keep my leg elevated periodically during the day, but my hematoma & seroma are so large it does not seem to make a difference. Even when I wake in the morning being off my feet all night, the swelling seems to be same with no improvement. I was warned by my doctor that a blood clot could form so I walk and do daily activites but my limited mobility even causes more swelling & fluid build up.
It is difficult to wait possibly many months to see improvement. I sincerely appreciate any recommendations to improve my situation. Anyone have experience with a surgical hematoma and or seroma that can recommend a home remedy (like heat or cold, massages, stretches) or anything that might improve the swelling, etc
Thanks again to everyone taking time toreadmy post.
Suzy
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