Hematoma's

[gyneman]

Has anyone here had a hematoma?? I'm not sure if I have one. Can anyone give me a description of how it looks?? My right looks great but my left side is really swelled up good!! My whole right pec feels hard and really tender!! What should I be looking for?? I'm 4 weeks post-op and still numb and swollen, on top of that my chest tissue is hard...hmmmmmm Should I be concerned?

[gyneman]

Oh, I forget to mention that I have NO BRUISING whatsoever. I think this is a good sign of not having a hematoma. I did play pool the other night, maybe that is why it's swollen up more than ever. But I'm more concerned about it not being a hematoma. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

[headheldhigh01]

if it is one you'd have to see a doc anyway and he'd just syringe most of it out for you, so you might take it in to your ps.  but i'd think it would be softer than regular scar tissue, which is what this sounds like. 

[gyneman]

Can anyone answer this question??? 1 side of my chest is soft and squishy and the other side is quite hard 

[outertrial]

Hard is normal and good. Im not so sure about soft and squidgy, might need draining.

[Time_to_fix_it]

Has anyone here had a hematoma?? I'm not sure if I have one. Can anyone give me a description of how it looks?? My right looks great but my left side is really swelled up good!! My whole right pec feels hard and really tender!! What should I be looking for?? I'm 4 weeks post-op and still numb and swollen, on top of that my chest tissue is hard...hmmmmmm Should I be concerned?

I had a haematoma during or immediately after surgery.  There was no mistaking it for anything else.  Mine was about the size of a golf ball with red and black bruising all over it.  My girlfriend who is a nurse of 30 years experience says they can come the size of a football.

My chest was numb, hard and swollen for some weeks after surgery.  I was told that this was normal.  I’m nearly 5 months post op now and all the numbness, swelling and hardness has gone.  The haematoma did take about 4 months to disappear completely and still is a little tender.

If you have ANY concerns, go back to your surgeon and get him to look at it.

[reaper33]

time to fix it, you mean you did not do anything about the hematoma, did it dissipate by itself?

[Time_to_fix_it]

time to fix it, you mean you did not do anything about the hematoma, did it dissipate by itself?

Hi Reaper33,

Because my haematoma appeared while I was in hospital, the doctors treated it by applying more compression to that area and making sure the drains were working.  They were obviously happy enough with it the following day to allow me to leave.

As I said before it was the size and shape of a squashed golf ball protruding out from between my armpit and my left nipple.  It was dark red/black and it was pretty obvious that the blood had seeped into the surrounding soft tissues.  The bandages were on for the first week which included the extra compression to the haematoma, and slowly over the next month as I wore the compression vests, it reduced in size.  I had to be careful with the massaging in that area as it was prone to swell up.  I’m now 5 months post op and still massaging, and the only sign of the haematoma is a little hard lump about the size of an olive beneath the skin.  This is most probably scar tissue and with gentle but continued massaging I expect it to disappear completely.

So yes in answer to your question, mine did dissipate on its own but it was monitored when it first appeared.  Some people have theirs drained, and I guess that was considered by the doctors while I was in hospital but they obviously decided to let my body take care of itself.  As I said before, if you have any concerns then you should talk to your Plastic Surgeon.
TTFI