Living with a Painful Seroma After Breast Cancer Treatment

It sounds like you are doing all of the right things! I haven’t dealt with a series myself but a friend of mine did a couple of months after surgery and it ended up getting infected. I’m sure you already know to look out for it but felt I should mention her experience. Best of luck with the physical therapist! I’ve had lots of tightness and pain after radiation myself but can’t find one that specializes in breast cancer survivors. ❤️

Thanks for your reply. My surgeon’s PA referred me to a PT practice that has three therapists who are trained in the lymphatic drainage massage & offers a specialized program called ReVital—strengthening after breast cancer. I started the strengthening part today. My surgeon & medical oncologist kept telling me to give the seroma time to be absorbed & I had to keep bugging them for more help!

My seroma was the size of an egg but is about the size of a grape now. My lumpectomy and re-excision surgeries were 2 yrs ago so in my experience it takes time. I find manual lymphatic drainage and range of motion exercises help a little but for me, I honestly think it's just time. I hope you find what works for you and experience relief soon.

That is encouraging! My seroma is now golf ball size so I’m improving.

This sounds like a challenging recovery experience, and it's encouraging to hear that the manual lymphatic drainage therapy is showing improvement. Post-surgical seromas with scar tissue can vary significantly between patients, which may explain why information feels limited. The physical therapy approach you're pursuing is often recommended for lymphatic issues after breast cancer treatment. Many community members have shared similar experiences with delayed healing complications, so you're definitely not alone in navigating this type of recovery challenge.