› Forums › General Melanoma Community › surgery problems-need advice
- This topic has 9 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 6 months ago by
Najade.
- Post
-
- June 23, 2011 at 12:18 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. 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
- Replies
-
-
- June 23, 2011 at 12:48 am
Although I am not a doctor, including my wife, I do have three RN's in the family, so I will do the best I am able to assist you. Hopefully others will chime in soon as well.
A hematoma is the accumulated blood is visible under the skin surface, largely due to the accumulation taking place outside the blood vessels, so the doctor is correct in that aspect of relating it to surgery. I believe both hematomas and seromas are formed due to a rupture in the blood vessels, perhaps in your case due to surgery. Hematomas may migrate in the connective tissue, so it is not uncommon to see the whole limb or area sometimes looking blue and displaying reduced mobility.
Ice packs are effective to reduce hemorrhage and swelling. It also helps to elevate the limb. As the blood flows away from the area, there is considerable reduction in the swelling as well. It is very important to rest the limb and prevent any further injury. Depending on the cause for the condition, warm towels or heating pads are also used. This quickens repair. The hot and cold applications follow one another, necessarily in that order, to take care of the resultant swelling and increased tissue fluid. At times, a pressure-bandage is used. While first aid of this sort may work most of the time, the development of infection, severe pain, fever and pus should be addressed by a physician.
In relation to your sermoa, this is caused by a collection of lymph fluid forming after surgery. Do you have a surgical drainage site? As the treatment of a seroma is usually done with draining the swollen area. A physician punctures the region with a surgical needle to draw out the liquid. This is done to avoid the development of any infection in later stages. In some post operative seroma cases, drainage has to be carried out for multiple times to empty the seroma. If that does not treat the condition, a patient may need another surgery for complete treatment for Seroma.
Doctors carry out tests to check if the swollen area contains blood, pus or any other fluid other than serous liquid. The presence of such elements can be a cause for concern and the area may need to be treated differently.
As your doctor suggested, if the swelling is not too large or possess no abnormalities, doctors may recommend leaving it as it is to heal naturally. Complete healing of seromas without treatments varies from person to person. It may go away in a month or even take an entire year to heal completely.
Again, hopefully others will chime in with advice as well.
Michael
-
- June 23, 2011 at 12:48 am
Although I am not a doctor, including my wife, I do have three RN's in the family, so I will do the best I am able to assist you. Hopefully others will chime in soon as well.
A hematoma is the accumulated blood is visible under the skin surface, largely due to the accumulation taking place outside the blood vessels, so the doctor is correct in that aspect of relating it to surgery. I believe both hematomas and seromas are formed due to a rupture in the blood vessels, perhaps in your case due to surgery. Hematomas may migrate in the connective tissue, so it is not uncommon to see the whole limb or area sometimes looking blue and displaying reduced mobility.
Ice packs are effective to reduce hemorrhage and swelling. It also helps to elevate the limb. As the blood flows away from the area, there is considerable reduction in the swelling as well. It is very important to rest the limb and prevent any further injury. Depending on the cause for the condition, warm towels or heating pads are also used. This quickens repair. The hot and cold applications follow one another, necessarily in that order, to take care of the resultant swelling and increased tissue fluid. At times, a pressure-bandage is used. While first aid of this sort may work most of the time, the development of infection, severe pain, fever and pus should be addressed by a physician.
In relation to your sermoa, this is caused by a collection of lymph fluid forming after surgery. Do you have a surgical drainage site? As the treatment of a seroma is usually done with draining the swollen area. A physician punctures the region with a surgical needle to draw out the liquid. This is done to avoid the development of any infection in later stages. In some post operative seroma cases, drainage has to be carried out for multiple times to empty the seroma. If that does not treat the condition, a patient may need another surgery for complete treatment for Seroma.
Doctors carry out tests to check if the swollen area contains blood, pus or any other fluid other than serous liquid. The presence of such elements can be a cause for concern and the area may need to be treated differently.
As your doctor suggested, if the swelling is not too large or possess no abnormalities, doctors may recommend leaving it as it is to heal naturally. Complete healing of seromas without treatments varies from person to person. It may go away in a month or even take an entire year to heal completely.
Again, hopefully others will chime in with advice as well.
Michael
-
- June 23, 2011 at 4:21 pm
I had surgery on May 28 to remove superficial nodes from my lt leg/groin. A muscle was moved to protect the vascular structures and a nerve had to be cut to accommodate the moving of the muscle. My thigh was very numb at first and felt very weird, needless to say I was concerned. The feeling of shorts rubbing on my numb thigh was almost uncomfortable but is no longer an issue and today I do not even notice the numbness. I had 2 surgical drains in place for 3 weeks. Once the drains were removed I was told to call with any issues and f/u in a few weeks.
In week 2 my upper thigh became swollen and tight. It was a simple fix as my drains were somewhat clogged and easily resolved by "milking" the draining lines aggressively. I got immediate relief after doing this.
DRAINS and SEROMA
I had my drains removed 3 weeks post op while still producing about 50cc of fluid daily. I was worried about a seroma and sure enough 3 days after removing the drains I developed a small seroma near my groin. It was not painful but it was noticeable to me when I walked and had a mild impact on my gait. I did contact my Surg. Onc and he drained 30-40cc from the seroma. The leg felt much better after removing the fluid. He did not seen too concerned about draining the fluid since we both felt it was needed to relieve pressure and assist me with a normal gait. I have had no issues since then but he did tell me that it may fill again and that he did not want to use a needle to drain it multiple times as the risk of infection would increase. I was also informed that the sermoa could be and most likely be reabsorbed over time. This appears to be happening.
I did not have a hematoma.
I did have a noticeable limp for about 3 weeks or so after surgery, my inner thigh and hamstring area just felt tight and did not want to fully extend to allow ne to have a normal stride. I am happy to say my gait is back to normal.
I am also a very active person and was somewhat down about my decreased mobility the first few weeks after surgery. I am somewhat impatient when it comes to being slowed down. I am very happy with the progress that I have noticed over the last 2 weeks and seem to be making improvements almost daily. I just needed slow down and give myself time to heal (hard for me to do).
I wish you well in your recovery.
Allen
Stage III
-
- June 23, 2011 at 5:26 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
-
- November 4, 2011 at 6:14 am
Hi Suzy,
I sympathize with you. I had an intramuscular Myxoma removed from my thigh 12 weeks ago. I have a seroma the size of a sweet melon. I don't have medical insurance so have had to go to a government hospital. They surgeon keeps telling me that the swelling is normal and it is up to me to decide whether to drain or not. I was only in hospital for 24 hours so the drain was in for a short period of time. I am soooooooooooo frustrated at the moment. Still have exteme tightness, pins and needles and hypersensitive skin. Let me know how things are going, I also need as much advise as I can get. Just wish I knew what to do.
Take care and heal fast.
Regards
Najade
-
- November 4, 2011 at 6:14 am
Hi Suzy,
I sympathize with you. I had an intramuscular Myxoma removed from my thigh 12 weeks ago. I have a seroma the size of a sweet melon. I don't have medical insurance so have had to go to a government hospital. They surgeon keeps telling me that the swelling is normal and it is up to me to decide whether to drain or not. I was only in hospital for 24 hours so the drain was in for a short period of time. I am soooooooooooo frustrated at the moment. Still have exteme tightness, pins and needles and hypersensitive skin. Let me know how things are going, I also need as much advise as I can get. Just wish I knew what to do.
Take care and heal fast.
Regards
Najade
-
- November 4, 2011 at 6:14 am
Hi Suzy,
I sympathize with you. I had an intramuscular Myxoma removed from my thigh 12 weeks ago. I have a seroma the size of a sweet melon. I don't have medical insurance so have had to go to a government hospital. They surgeon keeps telling me that the swelling is normal and it is up to me to decide whether to drain or not. I was only in hospital for 24 hours so the drain was in for a short period of time. I am soooooooooooo frustrated at the moment. Still have exteme tightness, pins and needles and hypersensitive skin. Let me know how things are going, I also need as much advise as I can get. Just wish I knew what to do.
Take care and heal fast.
Regards
Najade
-
- June 23, 2011 at 5:26 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
-
- June 23, 2011 at 4:21 pm
I had surgery on May 28 to remove superficial nodes from my lt leg/groin. A muscle was moved to protect the vascular structures and a nerve had to be cut to accommodate the moving of the muscle. My thigh was very numb at first and felt very weird, needless to say I was concerned. The feeling of shorts rubbing on my numb thigh was almost uncomfortable but is no longer an issue and today I do not even notice the numbness. I had 2 surgical drains in place for 3 weeks. Once the drains were removed I was told to call with any issues and f/u in a few weeks.
In week 2 my upper thigh became swollen and tight. It was a simple fix as my drains were somewhat clogged and easily resolved by "milking" the draining lines aggressively. I got immediate relief after doing this.
DRAINS and SEROMA
I had my drains removed 3 weeks post op while still producing about 50cc of fluid daily. I was worried about a seroma and sure enough 3 days after removing the drains I developed a small seroma near my groin. It was not painful but it was noticeable to me when I walked and had a mild impact on my gait. I did contact my Surg. Onc and he drained 30-40cc from the seroma. The leg felt much better after removing the fluid. He did not seen too concerned about draining the fluid since we both felt it was needed to relieve pressure and assist me with a normal gait. I have had no issues since then but he did tell me that it may fill again and that he did not want to use a needle to drain it multiple times as the risk of infection would increase. I was also informed that the sermoa could be and most likely be reabsorbed over time. This appears to be happening.
I did not have a hematoma.
I did have a noticeable limp for about 3 weeks or so after surgery, my inner thigh and hamstring area just felt tight and did not want to fully extend to allow ne to have a normal stride. I am happy to say my gait is back to normal.
I am also a very active person and was somewhat down about my decreased mobility the first few weeks after surgery. I am somewhat impatient when it comes to being slowed down. I am very happy with the progress that I have noticed over the last 2 weeks and seem to be making improvements almost daily. I just needed slow down and give myself time to heal (hard for me to do).
I wish you well in your recovery.
Allen
Stage III
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.