drain after mastectomy

[Sonia C]

Thank you Moijan,
I am not taking anything right now but will be on Tamoxifin after (if any) treatment.
Since having the drains removed I have felt much better & have made,a concerted effort to be as normal as possible. A friend came round on Friday evening however & was so patronising like I was about 90 years old (when I feel absolutely fine!!). She then told me that I should prepare myself for the worst (regarding chemo!). Talk about dragging someone down. I told her that i felt she was being really patronising & that why should i get myself into a complete state (mentally preparing myself!) when i should be focusing on trying to be kind to my mind & body ect ect! I am supposed to be going to the cinema with her tonight, just waiting to be asked: Are you okay lovey, are you sure you are not overdoing it ect ect!!! She means well & ironically is the only person i know that has dealt with friends who have had cancer. If you feel & want to be normal why do people feel the need to bring things up & make you focus on the negatives! As another friend says: Be positive, if one window closes, open another one, if that closes kick the door down. S x

[Moijan]

Yes, how awful, but I suppose the siruation hasnt changed( that doesnt help I know) and once he hears then treatment can be sorted...are you on anyhing just now? Your body has a little tme to recover in case of chemo being needed.

do let me know and try not to worry too much meanwhile. Someone said the other day that even tho she was told she doesnt need chemo...shes now worried in case she should have. Had it!

love ans hugs,

Moijanxx💚💚💚

[Sonia C]

Hi Moijan,
Thanks for your message. I am now finally free of my drains which is a huge relief. Unfortunately I still don't have any results which is hugely frustrating as i am in no mans land not knowing what to expect regarding treatment! As you know I am waiting for my oncotype results which I should have received weeks ago. When I went to see the oncologist on Monday he told me he didn't have my results & that he would have to send another sample for testing! I was advised this would take another 10 days or so!! So I will either hear just before Christmas or after & will be waiting in anticipation for that phone call which Is just awful when you should be thinking about Christmas ect. I just hope & pray that the results are good! I do hope you are okay? S x

[Moijan]

Hi Sonia and Sue,

how are you both? Sorry for butting in.

Sue, like you, Im also lucky enough tobe on filgrastim...I think thats the main reason the chemo hasnt brought me to my knees with sore mouth or other infections...I used to be on the ther end of needles when I worked and ive always been a wimp about needles! However, I got a dvt from the chemo, wasnt active enough at the time, now have to inject myself with anticoagulants every day and I too dont know how I do it! I always thought id never be able to.

anyway, well done Sue, its rather daunting, but at least we have control over the needle! Some nurses have been known to just jam the fluid in, wheras I take my time!

Sonia, I do hope you are rid of the drain? And now have some good results?

Moijanxxx 💚💚💚

[Sonia C]

You are are brave lady Sue. Must get out of bed, being far too lazy, spend far too many hours at night watching films on Amazon prime & wonder why I am so tired in the morning! Should really get up & go for a nice walk minus my drain, what freedom!!! Have a great day Sue. S xx

[Truey]

And the injections are "per" cycle not "pre" - I blame predictive text!

[Sonia C]

You are very brave Sue. I think if it came to it I would have to go to my local GP practice & get them to do it for me!! I remember seeing Victoria Derbyshire giving herself this injection
I guess diabetics have to do it all the time.

S xx

[Truey]

Where I am we get the Filgrastim to boost white blood cell production - but only for the T cycles (I know some people get it on FEC as well).  I have 5 injections pre cycle starting on Day 2. 

How do I do it? No idea really, I take a deep breath tell myself it has to be done and go for it......... Most of my SEs seem to come from that rather than the T itself, so that is off putting too.

I just keep remembering something I once read - courage is not being fearless; courage is being afraid but facing the fear and doing it anyway.

Wishing you and all the lovely ladies here all the courage you need.

Sue xx

[Sonia C]

Thanks Sue,
How on earth can you self inject? I really don't think I could do it! How often do you have to do it? Is that the white blood cell booster?
S x

[Truey]

Well done Sonia - isn't it nice to be free!

Don't be embarrassed about felling wimpy. We all have things that freak us out on this journey.....I guess we will all emerge a bit stronger. For my part, my previous fear of blood tests is definitely being put in context by cannulations, chemotherapy, self- injections etc. I hate those self injections....

Stay strong! 

Sue 💕

[Sonia C]

Hi Sue,
Just to let you know I had my drain removed today. It was starting to get really painful where it was digging into my side & I accidently kept pulling it!! I was so nervous about getting it removed, I took codeine, paracetomol & ibuprofen prior to my appointment & even had to get the surgeon to hold my hand whilst the nurse removed it! What a complete wimp. Embarrassingly it was absolutely fine & barely hurt at all! S xxx

[Sonia C]

Thank you for sharing your story with me Sue. I am pleased to hear your experience of chemotherapy has not been as bad as you expected. That interesting to hear that you did not have a picc line. I don't like the idea of a picc line or port so if have to have chemo would rather not have either of these things inserted into me! Really appreciate you sharing your experience with me as I am quite scared of the whole thing! S xx

[Truey]

Hi Sonia,

My diagnosis was DCIS, plus a smaller associated invasive tumour. The invasive bit was 9mm in size and already in the local lymph nodes. It was ER+ and Her -ve. Of the 15 lymph nodes removed at surgery, 3 were affected. No secondaries so the aim is to throw everything at it to aim for a cure. 

I was dreading chemo and it hasn't been a walk in the park but it has been far less awful than I feared. I've done 4 of 6 sessions and even survived so far without a PICC line.

Will have 4 weeks of radiotherapy once chemo ends in January.

Here's to a better 2017 for all of us 🎉

Sue

[Sonia C]

Thanks Sue,
How are you doing on the chemo? What was your diagnosis?
I will find out if I need chemo on Monday. I had the DX oncotype test done & will find out the results next week. I feel quite scared about having chemo. Best of luck wit your treatment. S x

[Truey]

Hi Sonia,

I had surgery first - mastectomy and ANR - and then chemo, FEC x3 and T x3. I'm currently in the middle of my first T cycle.

Sue

[Sonia C]

Bless you, thank you Sue.
Can I ask, did you have chemo?
S x

[Truey]

Hi Sonia,

Like you, I was terrified of drain removal because I'm a wimp and there are some off putting stories on the web. As it turned out in reality it was nothing.......

First, the nurse cut the little stitch holding it in, then she said we would count to 3 and on three, I would take the deepest breathe ever and she would pull. I took the breath and it felt like I had pulled my stitches slightly. I said to the nurse that I had felt that and she said no ........it's fine.......it was just me and held up the drain in her hand. Honestly, it was fine and such a relief to be separated from my constant and sloshy companion!!

Best of luck!

Sue O

[Sonia C]

Hi Jennyr,
Thanks for your msg. They were going to remove the drain on Wednesday (9 days post surgery) but it was still draining a bit & was quite pink in colour so I am supposed to go back tomorrow to to reassess. To be honest nothing has really changed so I may see if it would be better to leave it in over the weekend. Did it hurt when the removed your drains. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to things like that!! S x

[jennyr]

I had a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery with silicone implants on the 8th November and came out the next day with 4 drains. Got them removed along  with the dressings 10 days later. 

[Sonia C]

Thank you 1860sgirl,
My sister went out get me a great shoulder bag on Saturday so I feel much more confident about being able to get out and about. I have an appointment on Wednesday so am really hoping the drain can be removed then although in the past 24 hours a lot more fluid seems to have drained so I might be stuck with it for a bit longer. S x

[1960sgirl]

Had single mx in July with immediate recon (LD flap). 4 drains. Came home with 2. Put them in a shoulder bag and carried on with pretty much everything as normal - walking, shopping, Costa. Was tricky to hide the tubes as it was summer and everyone in t-shirts. But tucked the tubes under the belt of my jeans and kept them between my body and the bag, so very discreet. Mine drained most before leaving hospital. Really slowed down once I was at home. Good to keep them in whilst so much is draining as helps avoid seroma and haematoma. Bit grim seeing them draining - from time to time they'd splutter a bit. But got used to it. Worst bit was the day after they'd come out. I was in agony from having sat and slept so lopsidedly for 2 weeks - my body took several days to readjust. Good luck with everything. 

[Sonia C]

Hi Sue,
Thanks for you msg.
I will try your idea of the shoulder bag today as I could really do with a bit of fresh air. I am starting to feel a bit like a caged animal confined to the house!
I need to get over my squimishness over the whole thing!
Sonia xx

[Truey]

Hi There,

I had a drain after mastectomy and node removal in August (no reconstruction). My drain was in for 10 days and yes it was a bit freaky at first. If you are concerned call your breast care nurse but from the feedback I had 100 ml at the start is not a lot. Mine drained off 700   ml over the whole time. It is good for it to drain as it helps avoid seroma etc.

You can have a new bottle put on so it is less yucky and also lighter - mine got to feel like carrying around a can of coke. Either the nurses can change it or they can talk you through doing it yourself (I was sent home with a spare bottle).

For going out put the bottle in a shoulder bag and hang across body. It is possible but just a bit logistically tricky..... I went shopping like that.....

The main thing is to ask the nurses whenever you are worried - they were very supportive even when I was probably being a bit paranoid! This is new to us all, so take any support you can get.

Hugs ❤️

Sue O

[Sonia C]

Thank you jillybee

[jillybee]

Probably just a week.....it will pass.....x

[Sonia C]

Hi, has anyone come him with a drain after a mastectomy with immediate implant? I had my op on Monday & had 2 drains. I came out of hospital yesterday & they removed 1 drain as it had stopped collecting anything. The other 1 is totally freaking me out & in the first 24 hours I recorded 100ml of loss (dark red). I am expecting a similar loss for the next 24 hours. Does this seem a lot? I am quite Squamish & find the whole thing really freaky! It is impossible to go outside the house as I cannot hide the drain tubes, they are so long & inflexible! I know it is a necessary evil but I wonder for how much longer I will need it. Thanks guys. S xx