The surgical procedure that partially or totally removes a breast is called a mastectomy. A mastectomy commonly occurs to treat or prevent breast cancer. Four different types of breast mastectomy exist---partial, simple, modified radical and radical mastectomy. Breast reconstruction often follows a breast mastectomy to rebuild the breast tissue; reconstruction occurs at the same time as the mastectomy or as a second surgery, says MayoClinic.com. The procedure is not risk-free. However, complications are rare, according to NYU's Langone Medical Center.
Seroma
Clear fluid trapped in the wound, or seroma, occurs in between 30 percent and 92 percent of mastectomy patients, according to the National Institutes of Health. Fluid often accumulates because of wound healing associated with the inflammatory process. A seroma may require draining using a sharp needle, or syringe, by a medical professional or nurse after the mastectomy. The procedure generally isn't painful because the tissue near mastectomy and axillary incisions remains less sensitive after surgery. Once drained, the area is injected with a medication to harden the space in the wound, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Wound Infection
According to a 1993 analysis of data involving mastectomy and wound infections, wound infection was present in approximately 3.8 percent of cases. Staphylococcal organisms were commonly present with most mastectomy infections. Higher rates of breast wound sepsis occur with obesity, diabetes mellitus and old age. Oral antibiotics often treat mild infections at the incision site; intravenous therapy treats infections that are more extensive. Though rare, some infections turn into full abscesses. Symptoms of an abscess include accumulation of pus in a cavity near the incision site, pain and inflammation; visible presence of an abscess often occurs one to two weeks after a mastectomy. Some abscesses are deep inside the body and require ultrasound imaging to confirm a diagnosis.
Pain and Nerve Damage
Some mastectomy patients suffer from severe pain at the incision site, which lasts for months to years after the surgery. Symptoms of the complication, known as post breast therapy pain syndrome, include numbness and pain in the upper chest wall, axilla, arm or shoulder. Symptoms remain longer than the common three-month postoperative healing period. According to the University of Michigan Breast Care Center, burning, constricting or lancing-type are ways patients have described the pain. The university adds the pain happens more often in lumpectomy patients than mastectomy patients. Risk factors include age, tumor size, radiation therapy and depression.
