surgical drain fell out

snolan · 02-04-2012, 04:08 PM

My drain fell out on Thrusday. Dr. wants to try a few days without it to see how my skin reacts, since it tends to turn red when I accumulate fluid. It's been 3 days, very tight from fluid, skin is shinny a little pink not red. Dr suggesting pushing up surgery to have expander taken out and silicon put in on Wed. Stressing me out, if I wait and see how skin reacts to fluid accumulation it may get infected and I go out of town next weekend could risk it happening then. If I have it taken out on Wed would miss only that day of work and try to go back the next day. Then would have other side done over spring break as origonially planned. Nothing seems to go by the book for me causing a lot of stress as I try not to have these issues interfer with work.

Ellie F · 02-05-2012, 04:48 AM

Hi
Not had expanders but had a BIG seroma post mastectomy. This was drained quite a few times but kept coming back red and angry and painful. The best advice I was eventually given was by a very experienced surgical nurse who told mew to spend 48 hours putting very cool packs on the area. It constricts the vessels, reduces inflammation and apparently lets the body adjust. It certainly worked and even if it doesn't it is harmless!
Ellie

chekmark · 02-05-2012, 01:42 PM

My skin was very tight, red and very warm to touch. (drains were out). I was told to keep moisturizing it and it really helped. I wasn't doing that in the beginning cuz I just did not like touching it. (gross its so hard) but it really helped. I would try to keep my arm elevated at night for drainage and move my fingers around and never had any problems. Just a few suggestions. Hope it helps. Man girl you have had such a hard time with this reconstruction. I read an article on Suzanne Somers over the weekend and she did stem cell reconstruction. It looked amazing. They liposuctioned fat from her stomach and injected into her breast and made a new one. She did not have a mastectomy but she said that she lost 70% of her breast from the lumpectomy. It is still in the trial phase but it sounds great to me and alot less painful. I think the concerns are cancer cells in your own stem cell. Keep us posted. I am still getting the fills and cannot wait for the exchange. I looks like about 2 more months for me. Will be praying for you. Good luck. Darlene

CoolBreeze · 02-05-2012, 02:39 PM

It's funny when you said nothing seems to go right for you, because my doctor said the same about me. He called me, "Hard Luck Hannah." And, I hadn't thought of myself that way. I did get mets five months after herceptin ended, but I felt lucky because we had caught it early and I was able to have liver resection surgery. I did get a horrible c-diff infection which put me in ICU and made me critically ill for several weeks, but I felt lucky because I didn't lose my colon and I survived.

Until he said that, I hadn't realized I was a hard luck Hannah! LOL.

Here's hoping your surgery goes well and you get a nice result.

I hear you on the work thing though - I was very unhappy that I was not able to go back to work after my liver surgery on the timeline I had set. I am going to try to go back half-time this month if HR will let me. I am not able to function in the morning for about 2 hours but then it might be nice to think about something besides myself.

Good luck!

snolan · 02-07-2012, 08:09 AM

Thanks for the support, it's been one week since the drain fell out, still swollen but hasn't turned red or warm. I have been icing it when I get a chance. The Dr. wanted to take it out tomorrow but since it is not turning red I think I will wait to see if it can heal on its own. If it turns red then we can take it out when it does. But hopeful it heals on its own. This is the longest I have gone with fluid and it not turning red and hot.