Newly Banded Incision Issues...

shellyj · October 28, 2003

i copied this from the obesity help lapband forum....

To all of the squimish, this may be somewhat grahic. Read at your own risk :cool: I am 10 days post-op. Today, I noticed a large lump under my largest incision. The one in the middle of my stomach where the band was placed. It is the size of a large chicken egg. I called my doctor's assistant. She told me it is a Seroma, which is an accumulation of Fluid. She explained that I need to break it up by making a fist, placing it on the lump, and and bending over into it. Also, I am supposed to massage it several times a day. This is supposed to essentially bust open the Fluid filled sack, which in turn, will be reabsorbed into the body. She said not to worry if some of the fluid actually leaks out of the incision site. In fact, she said this would actually make it drain quicker. She explained that the liquid will be a brownish, 'tea-like' fluid. I forgot to mention that I took my stitches out today. Well, there I was massaging the lump this evening and the whole incision (about 2") opened up. EEEWW! There was no brownish liquid oozing out, just a little bright red blood. I poured quite a bit of hydrogen peroxide in the open wound, put on 2 butterfly band-aids and placed a larger band-aid over the whole thing in hopes that it will drain into that and not my clothes! Barbara told me that it should drain in about 3-7 days. I am just hoping that I am not going to get a bigger scar since it has reopened. Oh well, my bikini-wearing days are over anyway. I just thought I'd make my fellow Bandsters aware of this. Has anyone else experienced this or heard of it?

i copied this from the obesity help lapband forum....

i hope this doesnt happen to many people BUT if it happens and you have read this at least you wont freak!!!! i know i would have! YUCK!!!:sick

Ginger2120 · October 28, 2003

I didn't have this problem with my band, but I did have it with another surgery I had. The incision was rubbing against my bra strap and created a liquid filled bubble. I went back to my surgeon and he essentially popped the bubble and covered it with a bandage and it healed itself. Unfortunatley it did create a bigger scar because it was re-opened and it was opened a bit wider than the rest. I suppose my bikini wearing days were gone anyway, but having all these scars doesn't improve my chances any!

leo · October 28, 2003

My port incision was hurting alot also, and there was a littile lump also.. one day when I was cleaning it, it started leaking this thick red bllod. It continued leaking slowly for about a day and after it closed up the pain and the lump where gone.