Hi Everyone-

I just went to my 2 week follow up appointment after work today. I have been having some bleeding from my port site yesterday and today so I pulled up my shirt and the Dr said, "Wow, you've got a pretty big hematoma, don't you!"

I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do with this information. :biggrin: It's not infected so no antibiotics. He just told me to "keep it covered" and put a bandaid over it.

It sort of feels like I have a grapefruit sitting underneath my port incision and the blood that has come out of it is not fresh and red, it's old and brown and gooey.

Does anyone else have anything like this? Does anyone know what I can do to make it resolve in a faster manner than the two weeks the Dr. said it would resolve in?

Many thanks!!!

OMG! Same thing happened to me! I left the hospital with the "grapefruit" for a port and it finally seemed to get better until yesterday. Last night I woke up in a pool of blood so I went to see my surgeon. He said the same thing... "big hematoma." My blood has a light funky lil smell to it but the surgeon said it wasnt infected...I didnt ask him to smell it tho...I was/am in a good bit of pain. I hope some others with similar experiences chime in because Im just as worried. :biggrin:

Wow, thanks so much for your response...

I have had a very difficult recovery and am still having pain and taking some pain meds.

I didn't wake up in a pool of blood but have bled through a couple of shirts and last night used about 1/2 a roll of paper towels because it kept streaming out.

Please let me know how it turns out for you! Looks like we were banded only a couple of days apart.

I had one as well. It was created, though, during my first fill. My idiot Surgeon didn't seem to know quite what he was doing, so he gave me a Hematoma as an added bonus to what was later discovered to be a botched surgery.

When I had TREMENDOUS pain from it the next day, he wouldn't even see me. I eventually got into see another Dr (an older gentleman they kept around to run interference when they had a problem) and he determined it was hematoma caused by the fill the previous day.

It was really, really painful. I feel for you. Some are not all that bad, but they CAN be awful.

HH:cursing:

How long did it take to go away and what helped with the discomfort. I feel extremely bloated and a little weak.

For me, only time made it feel better. It was a couple of days. And they would not prescribe anyhting for the pain. THAT pissed me off.

Now, it sounds like our symptoms were somewhat different. Mine was a very severe pain down in the port area. There was no bloating.

But it did get better in a couple of days. I had to be off of work for those days, though....it was that bad.

HH

Copied from internet... thought it might shed some light on this topic for you folks.Best of luck to you.

Definition of Hematoma

Hematoma is a localized collection of blood, usually clotted, in a tissue or organ.

Description of Hematoma

Hematomas can occur almost anywhere on the body. In minor injuries, the blood is absorbed unless infection develops. Contusions (bruises) and black eyes are familiar forms of hematoma.

Less serious types include subungual hematoma (under a fingernail or toenail); hematoma auris (in the tissues of the outer ear, better known as cauliflower ear); and perianal hematoma (under the skin around the anus).

Hematomas are almost always present with a fracture. They are especially serious when they occur inside the skull, where they may place local pressure on the brain, notably epidural and subdural hematomas.

For contusions (bruises), treatment consists of initially applying ice or cold packs a few times a day, to produce vasoconstriction (a reduction in arterial blood flow) which helps to decrease hemorrhage (bleeding) and edema (swelling).

In general, the quicker you apply ice after the injury, the less bleeding will result.

If possible, elevate the bruised limb. Blood will leave the area of the wound and there may be less swelling. Resting the limb will also help to prevent further injury.

If the area is still painful after about 48 hours, apply gentle heat with warm towels, a hot Water bottle, or a heating pad. The heat is applied for 20 minutes at a time to promote absorption and repair. Since heat causes swelling and increases tissue Fluid, which may impair function, hot compresses may be followed by cold applications to minimize the secondary effects of heat.

Pressure in the form of an elastic adhesive bandage may be helpful to reduce hemorrhage and swelling. If infection should develop in the wound, the signs and symptoms might be increasingly severe pain, a fever of 101 degrees or more, swelling with surrounding redness, and pus. If any of these signs appear, your physician should be notified to make sure there are no additional problems.

I had my surgery on April 11, 2011. On April 21, 2011 I went to the ER. All of a sudden I was growing a softball in my abdomen, right where the Dr put my port. Well The ER thought that I had a hernia and tried to "push" my intestines back into place, needless to say that didnt work. After a CAT scan they realized that it was a hematoma. It is now May 4, 2011 and I STILL have this ginormous softball size CLOT. The Dr says that he can not do anything about it and that it should go away on its own.....very frustrating. This thing is painful and uncomfortable, and to top it off I can not even get a fill until it is gone!! Mine does not bleed, but I wonder if that is from my incision already being completely healed when this happened. Also I have now noticed that I am getting little red spots on my legs....