› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Need advice
- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 4 months ago by
mandyjill.
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- December 1, 2018 at 12:17 pm
I was here a couple months back – but trying to stay away as I got clean margins in surgery and my lymph node was negative.
But I think maybe someone here has had a similar experience and googling only gives me results for breast cancer surgeries.
I had a stage 2B nodular melanoma on my right upper back shoulder removed on Sept 5th. It took over a month for me to be able to use my arm due to horrible pain which could not be controllled with any pain medication. No opioid would work, so I did not use them and ended up having to employ meds for neuropathy. Also my incision got infected after failure to close fully. I suffered lymphatic cording and now have lymphadema so need to wear a compression sleeve during the day.
I have a seroma under the incision in my armpit which still has not dissipated and has not reduced at all. And the incision is finally healed, but has turned into a huge keloid scar which is very painful.
So, does anyone have experience with seromas after SNLB? How long should they last and when should I demand something be done about it? Keloid scarring – anyone found anything that helps with the pain and irritation? It's ugly, but tbh at this point I don't care – I just don't want to get zapped with pain anymore.
Anyone dealing with lymphadema? Does it get better or am I in it for the long haul?
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- December 1, 2018 at 2:04 pm
Hi. I developed a seroma after lymph node resection (pelvis) 2 years ago and it is still there, but smaller. Soon after surgery I asked surgeon about it, she said she could remove the fluid but it would come right back….she did and it did. I don’t care about the seroma at all, just happy to be alive. I have minimal lymphedema, nothing serious so can’t speak to that. Hoping you heal soon. -
- December 1, 2018 at 8:28 pm
I have had bilateral complete lymph node disections to my axillae due to a positive node. The first in 2003 and the second in 2007. Both due to melanoma. Both before we knew that it was not necessary though with no treatments in the offing then…I do not think it was a bad decision for the time. At any rate….I developed seromas bilat. The left resolved with only one aspiration of the fluid, the right took two. Scars – keloid or otherwise – shrink with time and do become less tender. I have been lucky to have no lymphedema to either arm, though I live with occasional pain and persistent neuropathy to the right. HOWEVER, I had a multiple surgeries to that area in subsequent events and a CLND. If you only had your procedure a couple of months ago, and had to deal with complications…then I would suspect that you are on a generally normal timeline of resolution. Still, if you think you really have a seroma that remains, I would have my doc check it to see if it does need to be drained. The best advice I can given you is exercise. Gentle at first to be sure. I worked carefully and consistently with exercises that are best found on breast cancer sites. There are many – but this one is pretty good:
The wall climb is difficult at first but probably one of the most beneficial. By gradually working your hand up the wall….start low and go slow…build up gradually….will help improve range of motion, decrease pain, and help you stretch out the scar instead of letting it shrink those tissues. These exercises also help lymph flow. Compression garments are also very helpful. Of course, I do not know the degree of your lymphedma. And while I think these exercises will really help…you should certainly make sure your doc is okay with your starting them.
Hope you can find something useful in this. I wish you my best. celeste
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- December 3, 2018 at 1:56 pm
Thanks for the responses.
It may very well be a normal timeline of recovery and I may be impatient given the complications post surgery. I defintiely still have a seroma under my armpit incision which is not dissipating. Being a veterinarian, I may sometimes have too much knowledge about what is happening with my own health, but am not up to speed with how it is treated in the human medicine world. My surgeon was not a huge help with any of my complications, so I do not find him a reliable source for advice sadly. I have also since moved to another country for a job, so my resources are limited. I have been using a compression sleeve on the arm for the lymphadema – self prescribed just by the fact that my arm is much happier/less painful with it on and if I have it off it swells. I take it off a couple hours a day and at bedtime. The keloid scar right now is just getting more painful – it hopefully will lessen with time, but I might go see a dermatologist here to see if they have any recommendations in the interum.
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- December 3, 2018 at 7:49 pm
I had a large seroma between my right breast and armpit after a CLND. I ended up having to have it drained a couple of time and another drain tube put in for a short period of time. It can take several months before it completely goes away, but it does go away. Mine kept showing up on CAT scans, but was smaller each time. Somewhere between 6 and 9 months, it was finally completely gone.
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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