Hematoma after LSH

Just wondering if anyone has had a hematoma after their LSH????
I had my surgery on May 9th, and within a few days had a serious bruise, swelling and a hard lump at one of the incision sites.
A wonderful 'sister' on the board suggested that I might have a hematoma.
It has been causing quite a bit of discomfort, and has been hindering my recovery.
Went to the Dr. on Tuesday and he drained it - instant relief from the pressure it was causing, but not a particularly pleasant experience having it done. He left the drain in...and I returned today for another look see. Once again, he drained and repacked it. Will leave the drain in until Monday when I will return once again.
I can't seem to get a straight answer from the dr. as to why this happened, or how long I can expect it to be a problem. Just wondering if anyone else has had experience with this???
My son is graduating on Sunday, my daughter on Tuesday, and I just want to feel good already!!!!

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.

There is a great post about hematomas and seromas by bright eyes posted yesterday. You can also do a search on hematomas (upper right) and find lots of past threads about them. I had one. Actually I think it's still there. Hope yours drains quickly and heals up soon.

Val,
Sorry you're not getting better faster. A hematoma is similar to a large bruise. It's a collection of blood that hardens or clots forming the knot that you felt. It probably came from a small blood vessel near your incision that didn't clot good or a suture or staple may have gone through. After the hematoma forms, your body releases all kinds of things into it as if it were an infection or something. Thus, the continued fluid build up and need to be drained. It'll take your body a few weeks to recover completely. It's actually very common with all surgeries. Hopefully, when you go back Monday, the doc will be able to take the drain out and you'll heal pretty quickly.
Rachel

Thanks - it didn't occur to me to use the search function - DUH!!! After reading some of the threads, I realize that it could be much worse. I'm glad that mine is under the skin where it can be drained and watched.

Rachel, once again, you are a wealth of information. You're an asset to this board not only with your medical knowledge, but your compassion as well. I wish my Dr. had your bedside manner! He tends to be very sarcastic...almost borderline obnoxious. Definately one of those people that you love or hate - no in between.
I happen to like him cuz I can dish it out as well as he can, so I can hold my own. However, it is hard to get a straight answer out of him. He downplays everything. He told me that this hematoma is as much a nuisance to him as it is to me, and that he's going to add a surcharge for all the grief I'm causing him!!! So arrogant....but I happen to like him in spite of it.

So I'm wondering....does it help if I continue to apply pressure and massage the area???

After the doctor tortures me with the pinching, poking and prodding, it actually feels better because the collection of blood is released. However, after several hours, it seems to stop draining, and the lump reappears and is painful. I am not going to see him until Monday, so I was wondering if there's anyway I can keep the blood flowing over the next few days???

I'm impatient....I didn't 'schedule' this into my recovery time!!! My son is graduating from high school on Sunday, and my daughter from 8th grade on Tuesday. I have ALOT to do, and wasn't expecting to be down this long. I guess I'm just looking for ways to speed up my recovery so I can enjoy these milestones in my kids lives. I don't want to be sitting there thinking "I can't wait to get out of here."

Sorry if I sound like I'm whining....it's out of character for me - but today I'm 10 days post-op and frustrated with my slow recovery.

Thanks in advance.

Believe me, I do understand the frustration. It took about a month for my incision to stop draining and start to heal, and even now it is not all the way healed. Some have had their incisions draining for months.

Everytime I would go to the doctor she would press on the area and poke at it with a long qtip and lots of brown, yucky stuff would come out each week.
It just never got better, but at least it didn't get infected. My gyn finally asked a colleague what to do because she was so frustrated with it.

He said stop trying to pack it and leave it alone, no poking, pressing, messing with it. He suggested putting a tegaderm bandage (clear bandage suitable for surgical incisions) and this seemed to work as the draining stopped and the incision started to close up. Every doctor has their own preferences as to how to treat these things. Some pack, some don't. Some put hydrogen peroxide over it, others don't. Ask your doctor what he wants you to do and not to do. Just be careful of infection.
One day it will all be better!! Good luck.

Thanks Guitar,

It certainly helps to hear from other people who have had experience with these things. I was surprised at how common they are - never thought it would happen to me though!

It's definately draining pretty steadily. I have been massaging the surrounding area - and for now it appears to be shrinking - albeit very slowly.

The first time I went in and he drained it - my dh was with me, and I thought he was going to faint when he saw the amount of bright red, then dark red blood that came out. It was quite a mess. It wasn't nearly as bad the second time.

I did ask him about an antibiotic yesterday - but he said it's not infected, and he worries about becoming resistant if you take them when they're not needed. Makes sense...but it still worries me having this oozing, open wound.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when I see him on Monday, things will be better.

Thanks for your response - I appreciate it.

Valerie,
I would be hesitant to manipulate or massage the area too much without checking with your Dr. first. It might increase the inflammatory response and increase the fluid build up. What kind of drain do you have? If it's a bulb drain with a tube, you can gently run your fingers down the tube toward the bulb while anchoring the tube near your belly with your other hand. This will encourage any clots through so the drain with keep draining. Ice might help also with the pain and swelling. Hope this helps and you're able to enjoy your kids' big events. Don't push yourself too hard though--you'll pay for it with an even longer recovery.
Rachel

Thanks Rachel - I think the drain that I have is called a wick. It resembles a shoestring - hangs out of the incision about 1/2". I've changed the gauze pad several times today, so it definately seems to still be draining. The bruising isn't as bad either...hopefully that's a good sign. I had some minor bruising on my back, and the doctor said that was from the hematoma....the bruising is gone, but my back still aches.
I'm going to try the ice....the area around the hematoma seems to burn a little bit, I think the ice would help. He also gave me the ok to take Advil - I'm going to do that as well since I'm staying away from the pain pills after my horrible bout of constipation!!!!

Thanks again for your input. Take care.

well i have a hematoma on my back, from lying on the table too long. it is by far the worst pain of the recovery. shoulder blade, numb 4 x 6 patch. can't sit upright for long. i know this is different area, but gald to get empathy.