seroma

HI. I HAVE JUST HADD MY SECOUND BOUT WITH BREAST CA. AND HAD A BILATERAL MASECTOMY IN JUNE,2003.  I AM STILL HAVING VERY BOTHERSOME  PROBLEMS WITH THE FLUID ON RIGHT SIDE. CANCER WAS IN LEFT BREAST. THERE WERE NO LYMPH NODES REMOVED ON RIGHT SIDE. I WAS GETTING BOTHSIDES DRAINED  AND THE LAST TIME WAS IN NOV. , BUT WENT BACK 2 WEEKS AGO [JAN] . THE LEFT SIDE IS NOT BUILDING UP, BUT MY RIGHT SIDE HAD 60 CC'S. TWICE AS MUCH AS  2 MOS. AGO. AND NOW IS ALREADY BUILDING UP AGAIN. COULD THERE BE SOME KIND OF INTERNAL CAUSE AGGRAVATING THIS?  AND WILL THIS EVER SUBSSIDE. I AM IN PAIN ON THE TIME , BUT WHEN FLUID IS  DRAINED I FEEL MUCH BETTER. THE FLUID STARTS BUILDING UP IN 3 TO 4 DAYS... THANK YOU,MARTHA

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear marfy:  A seroma is a benign, yet irritating problem.  These will eventually resolve.  In the meantime, the fluid build up can be painful.  Essentially, you have two choices:  continue with draining the fluid with a needle or have a drain reinserted.  Both procedures have their pro's and con's.  A needle requires less dressing but may include more discomfort as the fluid builds and involves going back and forth to the doctors office.  A drain involves more in the way of dressing changes but allows for constant drainage avoiding the pressure of fluid build up.  It boils down to a personal decision.

[surgeon]

why some people have extra problems with seroma is mysterious: there's not usually any specific or treatable or dangerous cause. Sooner or later, it stops. It's a choice between treatments: either one puts up with aspirations for as long as it takes, or at some point some sort of drain needs to be reinserted. In my experience, the best type of drain is the old-fashion "penrose drain," which is a ribbon-like length of rubber. It can be put in under local anesthesia in the office; there's annoying drainage into the bandages for a period of time (anywhere from one or two to several days) but usually it dries up pretty fast. There are also "closed" drains, like the ones you probably had initially, that can be inserted. Having used both approaches, I'd go with the penrose. The good news is that, annoying as it is, it's not a sign of something serious.