[fizzol12]

Im 6 months post op. I had a first rib resection the transaxillary approach. About 2 weeks after the op i started to get a pain that felt like a build up of pressure in the whole of my arm. Went to see the surgeon and he referd me to have an ultra sound. By the time that came through it was 11 weeks post op. The person who gave me the ultra sound said i had a hematoma and showed it to me, its in my arm pit, in the soft tissue. The reslut went to my surgeon and i had a letter to say all was normal! I saw him today as i cant take any more! on Morphine patches for pain and even that isnt enough( He said in one breath it would not cause a problem then 5 minutes later that it could be compressing things. Now has any one else had the same? Have been doing some reasearch and its says they should be dealt with, surgely or with tablets. Please help. Am in the process of trying to see another doctor, but hard to find people who even know about TOS! Many thanks

[Jomar]

Have you done a web search about hematoma?
If you see another dr for the hematoma, especially if it doesn't start to fade away in time, he wouldn't necessarily need to know about TOS, as long as nothing he tries would aggravate TOS.

Here's some info below-

[In most cases the sac of blood or hematoma eventually dissolves; however, in some cases they may continue to grow or show no change. If the sac of blood does not disappear, then it may need to be surgically removed. Hematomas can occur when heparin is given via an intramuscular route; to avoid this, heparin must be given intravenously or subcutaneously.

The slow process of reabsorption of hematomas can allow the broken down blood cells and hemoglobin pigment to move in the connective tissue. For example, a patient who injures the base of his thumb might cause a hematoma, which will slowly move all through the finger within a week. Gravity is the main determinant of this process.

Hematomas on articulations can reduce mobility of a member and present roughly the same symptoms as a fracture.

In most cases, movement and exercise of the affected muscle is the best way to introduce the collection back into the blood stream.]
the full article-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematoma