36 days & still draining...

[Chelee]

I had my so called simple mastectomy on March 15th and I *still* have my drain in. Its will be 37 days tomorrow. I am fed up with this. It has to be 30 cc's or lower...and I am still between 54 & 60 cc's per day. I called my surgeons office yesterday & he said he wants to leave it in. (I KNEW that.) I just wanted to know how much longer this MIGHT go on! It doesn't seem normal to me after everyone I've talked to about it.

Has anyone else went *this long*? Remember...this was just a *simple* mastectomy *without* a SNB. If I had a SNB I might not question this as much...but this is getting old real fast!

Chelee

[cafe1084]

Chelee,

Yes! Those drains are a pain and one day with them is too long, much less 37!! I just wanted to share with you why you may want to let the fluid dissipate and remain as patient as possible. Mine were taken out on day 14 and it was too soon, but I had an infection and I was in agony so he pulled them. Almost immediately, I developed a hug pocket of fluid in my right breast (a seroma) that has still not dissipated after 7 months. I also had a simple mastectomy on this side without lymph node dissection. I feel if I'd been able to keep the drain longer, it wouldn't have formed. The seroma has affected me wearing a prosthetic and at times, is sore. It is unsightly and will probably take another 6 months to disappear completely.
As long as your drainage is red/pink and not yellow/green/white, I'd not rush it. If it is still dark red blood and is not becoming pinker or lighter each day, I'd be concerned about a small bleed in a vessel, seeing as how you are still having so much drainage.
Hang in there and I hope this post helps in some small way...Love and luck to you

Steph C.

[Margerie]

Chelee,

Are you being rambunctious? LOL- I got my drains pulled after MRM and node dissection and I ended up with a huge hematoma. Doc said I must not have been behaving. He was right.

Darned if you do and darned if you don't. But I would think that at 6 weeks- normal healing is just not happening! At some point, the drain itself becomes a risk for infection. They might need to go back in there and clean everything up- there maybe a clot or large vessel leaking. Boy, you seem to have quite a crackpot of docs working on you!

[Chelee]

Steph C., I definitely don't want it taken out too soon, that much I know. You mentioned having a seroma...I have one too on the opposite side. So I know what that's like and I am trying to avoid having a matched set. The seroma I have on the opposite side drives me crazy. It feels awful and there is alot of pressure built up under there as I am sure you can relate.
You mentioned the color of my drainage. It orignally started off a darker red and then turned light red. But this last week or so its a a clear yellow fluid. (Mine looks pretty normal to me.) I hope!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margerie, I had to laugh when you asked if I have been too rambunctious. lol Actually, I have been behaving myself as hard as its been. I have done very little around the house or anything. Since I had the mastectomy on March 15th, then my ooph on April 5th...I have just been trying to go easy on myself and heal. Plus its been a GOOD excuse not to do much. lol So I know its not from over doing it. :) (I have been taking it far to easy for a change.)

I still am not sure what I have on my orignal side where I had the MRM last year? My surgeon said it was a seroma...but when it was drained it was super thick gooey blood...not clear yellow seroma fluid? It looked more like fluid from a hematoma to me. It filled right back up after having it drained and he doesn't want to drain it again. So here I sit just MISRABLE as can be! Plus I was mad at him...he was SUPPOSE to put a drain BACK in the other side while I was having my recent prophylactic mastectomy. He said there would be less risk of infection and better to put a drain in while I had this mastectomy done. I wake up and look down my gown and NO DRAIN on the orignally side!! ARGH. I was ticked off. Your last comment about my doctors seem to be right on target!!! I am beyond fed up with this entire nightmare. Not one thing has went right for me since this started.

Thanks to both of you for the replies...obviously as always...this is not the norm just like I thought!

Chelee

[chrisy]

Chelee - So, are you going for the world's record or what????? It sure does seem that nothing is "simple!" And definitely not the norm. I got nowhere near your record, but did feel like it took forever. Someone told me, wisely, nobody has them in forever!

So here's hoping you "dry up" soon!

[Chelee]

Chrisy, I am starting to think its just going to be attached to me the rest of my life. I've already at 30 cc's today and it was only 11:10 am. Ugh. So now I am starting to think I should just GO with this and use it as my new fashion accessory in some way? Maybe I could dress the JP drain up some way with those little dazzlers or something flashy? LOL I can start a new trend. :)

I do think I have the offical record beat already. Maybe I should call Genis book of world records and check this out. Ha! In stead of people calling me Chelee...I am thinking of changing my name to "Juicy Lucy". lol

Chelee

[Sheila]

Chelee

It does sound like a hematoma...but I would at least request to be put on antibiotics....with the drain in that long, you run a risk of infection....once I started on antibiotics, the hematoma slowly went away and the drains FINALLY came out....hope this helps....gee and I thought I held the world record!
YOU BEAT ME!

[Chelee]

Sheila, Since my recent mastectomy my surgeon wrote me a script for keflex (antibiotic) to take until drain is remove. I take 250mg every 6 hours. I am on my 3rd bottle already. I sure wish the antibiotics or something would get rid of that seroma/hematoma on the other side. It has built up so much pressure in there. My surgeon felt in time my body would absorb the fluid..but in a years time it hasn't yet? I hope there is some way of getting it to heal up?

Chelee

[JerseyGirl]

Chelee, I had to laugh out loud when I saw your post! I had a double mast on Oct 16th and one of the drains was in for 3 weeks; I wanted to croak, but I shouldn't have talked...you're going on 37 days!?! OUCH! I just had my exchange surgery this past Monday, April 16th and I'm already whining that the 2 I have need to stay in until next week. I so feel for you! What clothes are you wearing?? I've got my husbands shirts on. I don't want to touch the tubes or have anything else touch them either! I'm such a wimp, but I know I don't want them out too soon. I think my DH gets a kick out of doing the excel spreadsheet on the drains output. He even graphs it, if you can believe it.
I can't give my 2 cents on a hematoma, just on Keflex; I'm on that too....with a wee bit of Percocet! love it. :)
Hang in there!!!
Julie