Diagnosis and management of postoperative complications of breast cancer

  1.Post-operative subcutaneous fluid: Because of the large trauma of breast surgery, there are often tiny lymphatic vessels leaking after axillary lymph node dissection, so there is a possibility of subcutaneous fluid accumulation in the axillary out or surgical incision area even after the drainage tube is removed. Generally, a 20ml syringe can be used to aspirate the fluid, and then the axillary area can be pressure bandaged, so that the fluid will disappear after repeated treatment several times. As the pressure bandage affects the patient’s breathing, the patient will feel breathless, at this time, a negative pressure drainage tube can be placed under the skin.  2, post-operative subcutaneous bleeding: due to the large trauma of breast surgery, some patients will appear subcutaneous bleeding, bleeding less can be pressure bandaging, most of them can be good. In a few days, the skin will appear dark red to greenish purple bruise spot, but can be gradually absorbed, do not worry. If there is a lot of bleeding, the incision will need to be opened to remove the blood.  3, post-operative numbness of the incision: Since a large piece of skin is cut off during breast surgery, all the dermal nerves are cut off, so the skin at the incision is insensitive after surgery. It takes about six months to recover gradually.  4. Post-operative scar formation and itchy skin: Most of them are caused by large skin tension at the incision. Scar removal creams can be applied early after surgery to prevent scar formation as much as possible. In severe cases, hormonal creams can be used appropriately. If necessary, the scar can be removed and re-sutured, and then postoperative isotope irradiation can be made.  5. Postoperative upper limb edema: Since the surgery removed the axillary lymph nodes and cut off most of the lymphatic vessels, the lymphatic fluid of the upper limb could not return to the axilla after surgery, forcing the lymphatic fluid to return through the traffic branch between the veins and lymphatic vessels of the upper limb, and some patients were born with poorly established traffic branch, thus leading to impaired lymphatic return and resulting in arm swelling. At this time, you should hold as little weight as possible on the upper limb, elevate the upper limb when there is nothing to do, do hot compresses on the upper limb and armpit, and you can keep squeezing the affected upper limb with the healthy side hand to drive the lymphatic fluid back. At the same time, you can take oral medication such as Mizarin or Veritin to relieve lymphatic reflux obstruction.  6.Impossible to elevate the upper limb after surgery : Because there is no effective functional exercise after surgery. Therefore, after 7 days after surgery, proper functional exercise should be carried out, i.e. upper limb elevation, practicing combing action, gradually lifting up every day, just like leg pressing, and it will be completely normal in 1-2 weeks.  7, no strength in the arms after surgery: some patients can not carry heavy things in the arms after surgery, probably due to the injury to the pectoral nerve during surgery, thus causing atrophy of the pectoralis major muscle, so the upper limb strength becomes weak, which needs to be resolved by gradual adaptive exercise.  8. Small hard pockets appear again near the incision after surgery: In most cases, it is tumor recurrence, and in a few cases, it is foreign body granuloma formed by the stimulation of subcutaneous nerve nodes, or subcutaneous fluid accumulation. This needs to be dealt with by a doctor in time.