Bulge Make it's Ugly Appearance

[BionicHip]

Everything was going real well until a little after 6 weeks.  The incision looked great and everything felt good.  A few days after 6 weeks sometime during the night a bulge appeared at the bottom of my incision that was about as large as a third of a tennis ball.  Other than the bulge the hip still felt good.  The week before I was doing body exercises with lite weights and lots of speed walking and even taking 2 steps at time going up stairs.  After the bulge appeared I stopped doing 2 steps at a time because I could feel the tension on my stretched skin.  Wondering if my exercising caused the bulge I cut back a little bit with my exercises.

I have never had major surgery so this bulge really concerned me and it took me a while to get some reassurance from a Doctor that this was not a serious problem [I hope].

[about 6.5 weeks after Hip Resurfacing]
- I think the bulge appeared Sunday March 7th sometime during the night ... stopped sleeping on that side; uncomfortable
- the bulge did not hurt and it seemed soft to the touch
- contacted Nurse Elly [Belgium] on March 9th and sent her a photo of the bulge
- Nurse Elly said to monitor it and if it does not subside see my Doctor [cannot expect her to do much from Belgium]
- by Friday it was not improving so I set up and appointment with my Doctor for Tuesday March 16th

[about 8 weeks after Hip Resurfacing]
- probably because of covid it is difficult to have a Doctor see you so the March 16th appointment was just contact by phone
- March 16th my Doctor recommended that I get x-rays and blood test to check for infection
* also, little bit worried about the number of x-rays ... must have had 15 to 20 in the past 3 years
- really wish my Doctor would actually see me and have a look at the bulge; very disappointing
- went for x-rays and blood test before the weekend
- Saturday March 20th I had a good look at the incision and it looked worse; it seemed wider and there were some bumps along the incision
- the bulge at the end of the incision still seemed the same but generally the incision looked worse than at the 6 week mark
- took a photo and sent first photo of bulge and the new photo for comparison to my Doctor's Office
- Doctor [that was on call] contacted me and said that it did not seem urgent but if I got high fever I should go to Hospital ER
- he made and appointment for me to contact my Doctor on Tuesday March 23rd
- he mentioned that it could be a seroma and that it may be good to wear compression shorts to assist in healing
- purchased compression shorts and started wearing them on Sunday
- Saturday and Sunday it felt like I was a little under the weather but much improved by Monday

[Tuesday March 23rd phone call with my Doctor]
- Doctor informed me that x-rays looked good but blood test indicated some inflammation
- I asked if she could have a look at the bulge and incision because it looked worse than at 6 week mark
- she said that the bulge may have to be drained but she would consult with surgeon and call me back
- she called me back later and informed that if I want a quicker response I should go to Hospital ER
- she emailed me results of my x-rays and blood work to take to the Hospital ER
* wish I would have done this sooner [stressed].  I am probably over reacting but the bulge was concerning

[Wednesday March 24th - 9 weeks after Hip Resurfacing]
- it took about 3 to 4 hours but finally a Doctor was able to have a look at my bulge
- the Doctor said it was most likely a seroma but he does not recommend draining it
- he said it was not that large and that draining it could cause slight chance of infection [why take the risk]
- he recommends wearing compression shorts and said it will most likely be absorbed in time
- also, just to be safe, he made an appointment for me to see a Hip Surgeon just to confirm everything is in order
* really appreciate this Doctors diagnosis and it made me feel much less stressed

Other than this bulge [seroma], I would say my hip feels great.  It's nice NOT to be limping and to be pain free.  In another month I will try doing some slow [soft] running and see how it goes.  Unfortunately, during covid our gym is closed so I cannot use a bike or the elliptical to get a good cardio workout.  What I really miss, is working up a good sweat from a cardio workout.

I have not heard many people mention seroma's as a problem after Hip Resurfacing but it may be worth asking your Hip Resurfacing Surgeon if wearing compression shorts may prevent them from developing.

Stay Healthy and be "Limp Free"

[LDub]

Hey BionicHip

Great to hear from you. Sorry to hear about your issue but thanks for sharing. I had no idea seromas were even a thing. Based on the way the doctors and nurses are reacting to your condition they must think it is fairly benign side effect of the surgery. Let's hope so.

Did anyone ever suggest wearing compression shorts immediately after your surgery? Did you wear compression socks immediately after surgery?

Take care and keep us updated.

Cheer.

[Pat Walter]

Bionichip  Interesting. I don't remember anyone talking about that before. People have sore scars, etc, but this is new to me. As long as it is not a serious problem, that is good. Glad everything else is improving for you.  I had a real tearing feel under my scar after walking and then trying to sit down. Thought my scar would tear apart, but it finally went away. We don't realize how much healing is going on in our bodies after major surgery. I wish you the best.  Pat

[imgetinold]

Hey BionicHip,


This also is a first for me to hear about.  I hope it really is nothing and goes away.

On the Facebook group page, there are some folks who really - in MY opinon (which is informed by Dr. Gross) - really push the boundary in terms of high activity too soon.  I didn't see anything in your posts to indicate this, but that is why I'm always advising people to take it slow.  We exercisers ALWAYS want to get back at it as quickly as possible, but sometimes there are consequences.  I hope this is not one of those times.


Please keep us updated.  Good luck.

[blinky]

I know someone who had a seroma. She had a THR, but same issue, a swollen bump. Hers was bad enough it  caused her pain and interfered with movement. She did have it drained.

I hope yours resolves on its own.

[Saddlepal3]

I had a seroma after my THR. Surgeon drained it. No infection.

[BionicHip]

I bought some compression shorts and will see if they help.  From researching seromas on google it seems that they occur frequently for people who have had plastic surgery.  Many of them wear compression garments to aid the healing process. 

It was good to know that some people had their seromas drained.  Will mention this to the Doctor at my next appointment.

Thanks for the comments and will keep you posted.

[BionicHip]

Update on my Bulge [Probably Seroma]

Wearing the compression shorts really seemed to help my body dissolve the bulge.  I bought a couple compression shorts and started wearing them all day and night.  By the time I saw the Hip Surgeon on April 1st the bulge was almost completely gone.  For the first few days the inside of my shorts would be a little [very little] stained with whatever was discharged along the incision. I was a little worried but after about 3 or 4 days this stopped.  Possibly the bulge would have disappeared on it's own but I think the compression shorts really helped.


[April 1st - Hip Surgeon checked my incision]
- the bulge was almost completely gone but the incision still looked a little rough with indentations and a few longer pimple like bumps
- the incision looked much better than when bulge was there
- had the Hip Surgeon look at the incision and he said that it was healing; he suggested I put polysporin on it to help it heal
- he had some knowledge of Hip Resurfacing because he asked if it was the Birmingham ... I told him it was the Adept
- he said it should continue to heal but if I had any problems I can contact him [very reassuring]
- did some running with poles; 1 minute on 1 minute off and was able to run a little over an 8 minute kilometre
* could probably run a 6 minute km no problem but do not want to over do it [generally run 5 or 6km max 2 or 3 times a week with poles]


[April 7th - 11 weeks since Hip Resurfacing]
- the incision still looks a little rough but much better than last week ... must be healing
- sleeping on the incision side since last week ... almost imperceptible
- just today I rode my bike for 35km and the hip felt great [first real cardio work out since Hip Resurfacing]


Also did some research on problems with sutures; this is what I found:
- sometimes sutures can be expelled by the body several weeks to several months after surgery; they call this a "Spitting Suture"
- sometimes you may see small thread protruding and other times, it looks like a pimple or red bump near the incision
* sounds like this is what may have happened to my incision?

I am very satisfied with my Hip Resurfacing. It is unbelievable how good my hip feels ... it just feels so normal.

[LDub]

Hey BionicHip

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear things are going well. You're making nice progress  . Keep us posted.

Cheers.

[imgetinold]

That interesting.  I had a "spitting suture" for a clavicle resection, but I didn't know it was called that.  The incision just wouldn't heal, and kept "leaking" clear fluid.  I was actually travelling abroad, and I took off my bandage and saw something weird.  I squeezed what looked like some pus forming around the incision, and out popped a suture.  I put a band-aid back on it and it was completely closed up the next day.