Hard lump after biozorb
Comments
-
I am so glad to have found this community. I had a lumpectomy about 3 weeks ago, and my surgeon made this little infrastructure implant sound like it was nothing and would soon dissolve. For as thorough as I was with all of my research during this process, I can not believe I did not get the name of this implant and do my own research before agreeing to this.
the day of my surgery, the rep was running late and I said forget it, i don't want the implant. I wish I would've insisted.
I have to start off by saying I have very much liked my surgeon. She has always been very thorough and answers all questions until i am satisfied.
That is why I am so surprised she did not give me the full picture on this product. There was no discussion of this huge hard lump I have now, or that there could be this much sensitivity to this product. I naively thought it would be some innocuous little implant that would slowly dissolve away and that it was inserted to preserve the look and feel of my breast. My breast was already larger than the other one but after surgery it is even larger!
I sent a message late on Sunday night and by Tuesday when all i was getting was back and forth from the medical assistant, I went and sat in the waiting room insisting to see the MA to get more info, and that is when she gave me a flyer of BioZorb and I learned the name. It is possible the surgion told me in an appointment and I just didn't' hear it or remember it. I feel so disappointed in this. And since then had to follow up ad nauseum to get an appointment this Friday to see the surgeon. And this was even after i said there is redness and it feels hot. i was so shocked at the level of hardness and I am in numb in the area too. I just thought it was due to cut nerves after the surgery and that those would heal.
I feel really upset and want this removed. I have not ready any comments of individuals, besides one who have had this removed. Can you please advise if you have had this removed and if going under the second time was worth it?I don't know how i will exercise or not be in perpetual fear of bumping into something or someone and it hurting so much. I feel really duped.
And I had a very important international trip I needed to take that is about 6 weeks away. I don't know how or if I will be able to make that now.
0 -
dkb19, we are really sorry for all you are going through and hope that you can get some real help from your surgeon this week Please keep us posted. We're all here for you.
0 -
Thank you so much.
0 -
I've learned a lot in the 2 years since posting this. First, I think there is now a difference in opinion in how long it actually takes for the implant to dissolve. I was initially told 12-18 months; now the literature says it can take 2 years or more. Next, I had a conversation with another breast surgeon for some work that I was doing. Her attitude about this product is that it is just the next generation of surgical site marking that comes with the added benefit of maintaining shape an size. I sense that this is now considered standard of care, which means that they don't necessarily view it as optional. Finally, while I don't think this is dangerous, it is not without the possibility of complications. I had three lumpectomies to get clean margins and I've learned that I was a prime candidate for poor healing. The surgeon I interviewed said she wouldn't have used it on me.
So, two years out, I have developed a recurring seroma which may or may not be related. Surgery happening soon and I will know exactly how much of the Biozorb is left. I think you should continue to have conversations with your surgeon to see how you can get some pain relief and comfort.
Good luck!
C
0 -
I had that inserted also on May 8 and it is hard and sore. I do not like it! I think it is causing adverse effects on my health. I don’t even know what it is made of. I want it out! I do react to all metals, I cannot wear anything but pure gold or silver. My immune system is hypersensitive and reacts to everything! I meet with the surgeon in two weeks but I do not think he will agree to remove it.
0 -
Hi CMck1973 and all. To answer the "what's it made of" question, it is essentially cellulose, which is why it dissolves over time. I had a pretty good experience where it was noticeable at first but had dissolved completely about 14 months in. My doctor was very candid and transparent about the Biozorb device and I had some literature to read beforehand. I'm sorry your surgeons were not as clear.
Inside the device there is some metal, very small, to mark the spot for future mammograms. This is becoming standard procedure even without the biozorb "casing" I believe, and allergies are very, very rare.
In my case it helped cosmetically quite a bit so you might give it some time before considering removal. But it's your choice of course. Hope this helps.
0 -
CMck1973 and all on this thread,
I have continued to post my own experience with Biozorb as well. Basically, like Georgia, I have had a positive experience. I’ve had the Biozorb for 15 months and in that time it has continued to shrink to what is now a very small size. I can still feel it, but it is not and has never been painful. I know it was visible on my one year mammogram, but nothing about it was visible to me. I had a long radiation program and to know that something was there to help direct the radiation was important to me.
Like Georgia, I lost a significant amount of breast tissue during my lumpectomy, more so than was anticipated. I know that my surgeon was concerned that my breast would look very deformed without the Biozorb, and I think he was right. Now my breast looks great, there is no pain, and the area of the Biozorb continues to shrink. I have confidence in my surgeon and I am veryhappy with the result. For me, it was the right decision.
Having said that, I do hope that all who are suffering get relief. And that the communication on this product improves.
Best health to all.
0 -
Well, found out today that my Biozorb has not disappeared. Today's mammogram report indicates it is visible. All previous post surgery mammograms have not reported it as being present! Will be an interesting addition to my discussion with BS about lumps and soreness in the breast. I will see her in a couple of weeks.
0 -
Hi Beaverntx and welcome. I would not be surprised at all if the lump is still palpable and there is some soreness. What helped me was lots of post-lumpectomy stretching exercises, which I've done pretty religiously since surgery - lots of things seem to set off the pec soreness, which is more from the lymph node removal than the surgery on the breast itself. (I'm 61.) Please keep us posted!
0 -
The surprise for me has been that the soreness started over a year after finishing radiation. Oh, well, at least the mammogram was Birads 2.
0 -
Saw the BS ( apt abbreviation) again two weeks ago for six month followup post mammo. Biozorb from Nov 2017 is still not resorbing. She now assures me it will resorb at “two years” ( November 2019) as assertively as she had assured me previously it would resorb at one year. So I guess it is supposed to suddenly dissolve within four more months?
I assumed when it is still there at two years she will assure me it will be gone at three years.
The pain level at the site has leveled off, stopped getting worse, so I do not want another surgery to take it out unless it gets inflamed or someone publishes that it hides tumor recurrenceon mammo.
I told her it is there, palpable as a daily reminder, and women should be informed about the potential for not resorbing and the psychological effect of that, plus that it is unknown if it hides recurrences.
It absolutely is not a required standard of care to use a Biozorb. At my mammo center, counting me, they told me it is still only a handful of women who have one in
0 -
hey cdolphin! i would like to congratulate you that you found a doctor who is so up to date with the advance researches and apparently chooses best treatment for its patients. Biozorb is a new research and it was developed to help identify the surgical area which can be useful when doctors plan radiation treatments and monitor the area of surgery over time. so the doctor has fair idea where to look for healing and abnormality if any. though it has a structured ring structure but it that is actually just to carry 6 titanium pins within it. over the period of time the structure gets absorbed in the body and just platinum markers will be left. initially there might be little pain or feeling of fullness as you experience but it gradually fades away. massage might not be a very good idea to get rid of the fullness you feel in your breast right now. though you can talk to your doctor for any anti inflammatory pain killers to get rid of the pain as of now or compression if it is suitable. please do not just follow what people might be telling you, believe your doctor. he is the right person to know about it.anything you do without proper medical supervision might land you in trouble with dislodging of the biozorb.
hope it helped. have a happy healing.
0 -
To close the circle, just met with my BS who said she believes the "new" lumps in my breast are likely seromas associated with the Biozorb beginning to break down, at 18 months after the surgery. Apparently the manufacturer's early hopes of absorption in a year have not happened and the timing for me is within current expectations. The inflammatory response a few weeks ago had my whole right upper quadrant sore, tender and aching. At least that has improved! Guess I'll be lumpy again for a while...
0 -
I am nearly three years out from having a lumpectomy and the placement of a Biozorb marker during surgery. It is smaller, but not yet gone. I can still feel it and it is hard and the area around it is tender. I had assumed the tenderness was due to radiation as well. I will contact the FDA. So appreciate the posts here. Like many, I wish I had not had it put in.
0 -
Hi Amelia: My lumpectomy surgery was July 2017 followed by 30 rounds of radiation. I was told the BioZorb would dissolve in a years time as well. I developed a seroma after radiation by the site where the BioZorb was. That was drained four times. I had second 3D Mammogram this year and all is well. Yes I too have hard lump and indentation. My BS said in another year it should dissolve. That would be three years later. I cannot get statistics on how many women have this implant and would love to have a forum where I had the surgery, but don't want to rock the boat. The technicians were not familiar with it at first. Every time I go, I bring a picture of the device. Time heals, so I will continue to be patient. The markers are visible on the Xray. You're not alone in your frustration. I would have preferred an indentation than this hard lump. I was sold on the idea it acts like scaffolding for tissue to fill out the breast where tumor is removed. Good luck!
0 -
my surgeon was really pushing for me to get the biozorb, when I asked her how long she had been using it she said 2 years. This was not enough time for me to allow her to put this foreign body into me. I have worked in radiation oncology for 20 years and I've seen way too many "exciting and great" new technologies go by the wayside after trying them out for a few years and having many problems. I'm glad that some of you are having a positive experience with it and I am curious to see where it stands in 5 years or 10.
0 -
I am having problems with pain, soreness, and muscle tightness, it has been 9 months. The biozorb is a hard sore knot. I am going to see a different surgeon to get a second opinion. I did all my research, but wasn't told about the biozorb prior to surgery and that sucks
0 -
Hi Athensga. I'm sorry your doctor didn't discuss pros and cons with you -- mine did, for which I will always be grateful. She told me to expect to be able to feel it for two years, and for me it was a little short of that. Best wishes to you and all.
0 -
I'm only 3 months out of surgery and 10 days off radiation. I was told by my radiology oncologist that I had a biozorb! My surgeon never discussed this with me at any time before surgery or at my post op exam. I very much like her and trusted her but feel that I should never have had this "surprise". Definitely takes a chunk of trust away. I do feel it once in a while and every time I do it makes me jump...surprise!!! I haven't formed an opinion yet although it may be too soon. I don't see there was a need for it as I didn't have much tissue taken out and am small breasted. Now it's just another thing for me to worry about and I am already a worrywart.
0 -
I am one year post surgery with the Biozorb placement. I, too, feel a hard, golf ball size lump in the affected breast.
After many post operative visits with the plastic surgeon, they are still not sure if it is the Biozorb device itself, or scar tissue and “fat necrosis" that developed as a result of the surgery and radiation (though, this was my second lumpectomy in one year, the first with a SAVI radiation implant, that healed with no noticeable lumps or hardness).
The plastic surgeon suggests he remove “the mass", whatever it is, with more surgery. My BS says she can “whittle it down" with biopsy. But, having had two biopsies to determine the two DCIS occurrences, I don't want to go through THAT again. And, since I was very slow in healing this time, don't want to have radical surgery again to remove it yet.
I will say that the hard lump, which is at the top of my breast near the surgical and Biozorb site, has softened a little in the past few months, and no longer hurts when I reach and stretch, as it once did.
I told the plastic surgeon I want to wait to see if it softens or absorbs. He thinks it will never “go away", but may soften.
My BS says it is up to me, but “if it really bothers me", something should be done.
I was never given a choice to have the device put in. It was mentioned to me by the Radiology Oncologist that it would be put there to aid in in radiation treatment. I was told it would be absorbed in a year and I would barely know it was there. Not true, I guess.
I am hoping that it is the Biozorb and it will dissolve. I surely don't want surgery.
0 -
Irishgirl71: Can the radiologist see an unresorbed Biozorb on your post-op mammogram?
Mine was very visible at 20 months, with no shrinkage.
But you could have both an unresorbed Biozorb and post-op tissue changes causing the symptoms, so it is unclear if removing the Biozorb would help. Nothing has been published on Biozorb removal so far as I know. My oncologist is very keen on tracking how this evolves.
0 -
My post op mammogram was done only a couple months post radiation, and my breast was still so swollen and sore that they were unable to compress as much as they wanted. Even so, they told me that they could not even see the Biozorb.
I am scheduled for another one next month, and I hope they will be able to better see what is going on.
My plastic surgeon still thinks that whatever is causing the hard lump and discomfort should come out. I am trying to just wait and see if it softens up before I do anything drastic like surgery.
0 -
Hi ther, I had the biozorb implanted 8 weeks ago after a lumpectomy for a 35mm tumor ( IDC) . I am 1 week into radiation. I had a large heomatoma after lumpectomy that put my healing behind. Now that most of the fullness and swelling has gone down I can feel a hard lump where the tumor was and I'm guessing it's scar tissue and the Biozorb. I am wondering if your lump has gotten smaller or softened?
0 -
I am in the same boat... I was not aware the biozorb was used until after surgery when I ended up have a large hematoma. I am 8 weeks post op and 1 week into radiation. My radiologist doesn't think the biozorb helps with radiation. It does seems to have helped fill in the space where the tumor was removed. Now that a lot of the swelling has gone down I can feel a hard golf ball size lump where the tumor was and I'm guessing it's scar tissue and the biozorb itself. It's a little painful but more annoying because pressing on it hurts and I can't lay on it while sleeping. It's very worrisome too because I keep thinking it's the tumor back. Has yours started to soften yet?
0 -
I'm nearly two years since surgery and still have a lump. However, it is has shrunk and is mildly tender in comparison to before. It is hard, BS says that it is probably fibrous tissue formed where the seroma was, no mention of removal. Has become much more comfortable in the last month or so. Guess the good news is that it does get better, the bad news is that it does not happen as quickly as we would like!
0 -
I still have the hard lump, but it has softened a little. I saw the radiology oncologist this past Thursday and he said it is “fat necrosis”, a hard lump of dead, calcified tissue (not to be confused with the micro calcifications that indicate cancer.). He said that it is not cancer it is an area of fat that did not get blood supply during surgery, so it turned hard. It may be where the Biozorb was, but is much larger in size.
There is still swelling. I can’t say that it is extremely painful, but my bra rubs against it and it hurts if my little dog jumps up and hits it. Otherwise, it is just an annoyance knowing it is there
I can have another surgery to remove it, which the plastic surgeon recommends, and he will take some fat tissue from my abdomen to fill in the cavity.
My breast surgeon said she can use the biopsy machine to “whittle it down”, but I shudder to think about going through that again. She also said massaging the area can soften it, but it will never go away.
Facing another surgery and all that trauma and pain is more than I can handle right now, especially since it is not cancer.
So, right now, I am going to massage and live with it. There is no hurry or pressing need to have it removed.
The mammogram I had last month was not awful. I explained to the technician about the lump and she was very kind and careful, making sure not to Compress and hold too long, and I was able to get clear views in the 3D mammo.
I hope that your lump softens up, too. Talk to your doctors about your concerns and get it on record. You need to do what is best for you. For me, at least for now, I can live with it knowing that it is not cancer, I can still have checkups and mammograms.
Cosmetically, the breast looks good and the lump is not noticeable.
Sending soft hugs your way. Let us know how you are doing.
0 -
I’m about 1 3/4 years post lumpectomy, and I can still feel my Biozorb, but it is very much smaller than it was initially. No pain, but I do feel where it is. I’ve been told that while the manufacturer initially stated it would completely dissolve in six months, two years is now more realistic. Mammograms still show it, although again significantly smaller each time. Because I had Avery large tumor, I remain thankful for the cosmetic benefit.
0 -
greetings I have an interesting story I just had a full left side mastectomy on March 31st 2020 I had a biozorb implant put in on May 25th 2018 same side my gut told me NO I did Not want a foreign object in my body but I did end up with one and like you it was trouble from the start I didn't a few weeks after my surgery I noticed a strange Hive on my chest I didn't connect it to the biozorb it would come and go right next to the area I had neoadjuvant chemo which caused me unbelievable constipation and stomach problems I had an incredible amount of pain at the site where the biozorb was and at first it didn't seem to be any smaller I had a horrible how I'd love that you could see it caused me pain from morning until night I also had a lot of shoulder pain and the whole area was painful I developed severe allergies that I never had before and very very severe ibs-c I had visited gastroenterologist and I ended up having a colonoscopy 2019 and again this year I had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy all kinds of stool sample tests in which they found a few white blood cells in one of the samples but they said it wasn't anyting much I had visited an infectious disease doctor also long story I know bear with me my hair started falling out I lost an incredible amount of weight and I was getting sicker and sicker the fatigue was getting worse and worse pain all the time I had my third mammogram sonogram this February and they found a grade 4 suspicious lump I had biopsy on February 21st 2020 on March 12th 2020 my surgeon told me I had cancer again the first cancer was at 1 the new one was at 2 and the same breast on the left side right next to the biozorb I was going to have a lumpectomy with radiation because I did not let them give me radiation the last time being that all my margins with clean and my lymph nodes thank God we clean he said I would have to have it this time I live very far away from the center and there's nowhere else to go here in Upstate New York I prayed on it and I decided to have a full mastectomy I am so glad that I did because I feel so much better now that that biozorb is gone I read the pathology report and it stated that I had foreign body giant cell reaction all my problems or most of them were caused by this biozorb I'm so glad I am free of it I want to help other women my immune system was under attack and I developed the severe ibs-c and very bad allergies that I never had before I had mucus coming out of my body my nose I would cough it up sometimes and in the toilet even my ears would be runny sometimes I am so happy praising God that I am free of that horrible biozorb I know my surgeon had my best interest at heart he was trying to give me the latest technology to help me but I do believe that the company that put out this device should have tested it more thoroughly with group studies something needs to be done because I know there must be other women out there suffering and maybe they don't realize that the problems they're having are connected to the foreign object in their chest I really hope that I can help someone I pray for all of you women on the site for healing God bless thank you
0 -
I'm sorry ladies this is my first time joining or posting anything like this I have quite a few errands there first of all I should tell you that March 1st 2018 I had neoadjuvant chemo for a invasive ductal carcinoma Sunburst shaped tumor that was almost the size of a stage 3 after three rounds of the first chemo and a whole lot of prayer they noticed it was getting smaller I beg my oncologist for a scan he finally conceded they allowed me to have my surgery on May 25th 2018 and a biozorb was put in I didn't want it right from the start but I trusted my surgeon and decided to let him do it I had nothing but problems and all of the issues I listed in my first post here above well they found a suspicious grade for lump as I said on February 21st 2020 I had biopsy done and on March 12th 2020 my surgeon told me I had stage 1 same cancer same breast my first cancer was at one on the left breast this new cancer same kind is that two same left breast just so happens that is also right next to the biozorb my surgeon told me I could have another lumpectomy but this time I had to have it radiation I should tell you that I did not allow them to give me radiation after my first cancer because everything was clean and I had had enough well I went home and thought about it and ended up deciding to get a mastectomy and I'm so glad I did because he never would have been able to get all of that biozorb out of me with the lumpectomy and now that I had the mastectomy it's all gone and I am so glad I feel so much better and so much different even though of course I'm in a lot of pain I just had the mastectomy on March 31st 2020 I'm adding all of this because I know I have a lot of mistakes in my first post I thank you all for reading this and I pray for healing for all of the ladies on the site here God bless I hope this helps someone
0 -
me again SORRY I was trying to say my 1st cancer was at 1 o clock left breast and now almost 2 years later the New cancer was at 2' o clock same breast this is what I get for talk texting but I AM in ALOT of pain and I AM left handed and had a Mastectomy on the left side on March 31st 2020 so I used talk text that's why I have so many mistakes forgive me next time I will use regular texting as I am doing now I Hope my posts make sense and I hope I can help someone by sharing my story 😊
0
