I'm a Collector
So, I've been measuring my seroma each morning to see if it's been growing. This morning, it had increased another .5 inches in depth, up .5 inches from the previous day. It was time to call Dr. McManus, my surgeon.
The scheduler squeezed me in at 1. The doc took one look and prepared to aspirate. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect painwise. But she explained what was to happen, and told me to put my hand behind my head and take some deep breaths. It was a small pinch and then a slightly smaller pinch as she used a large syringe to extract the fluid (she showed it to me afterward, amber and clear -- exactly what you'd expect from normal serum). She emptied the syringe twice.
Dr. McManus said that people with seromas behave one of two ways: absorbers and collectors. We both laughed as she called me a collector because she knows I'm an archivist. Unfortunately, with collectors, we will need to aspirate the seroma up to 4 times (hopefully not more). Consequently, I have an appointment next Tuesday, but if I need to return this week, they'll fit me in on Friday. The doc gave me a hug, and I was on my way.
On the drive home, I said to Patty Scott, "Remember how during the biopsy (nearly 2 months ago now) I said that this was just the first of what would be many, many procedures?" I feel like I'm going to surpass what I'd imagined fairly quickly.
Now I'm a little sore and much less seroma-y (swollen below the crease of my left armpit and above the incision), and there's some bandaging and tape that's going to suck coming off tomorrow morning. But, I'm relieved that it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, and it only took 10 minutes. It just stinks that I'm going to have to experience it a handful of more times before we're through.
Also, the post-surgery swelling has decreased to the point where I'm now back in my regular bras and out of the sports bras. I will take all the little victories!
Next up... the medical oncologist in a few hours.
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