Those dreaded drains

aprildawn714

How long did everyone have these drains in? I have 4. Today is the 5th day after my surgery and they are slowing up already. I was told they might be in for more than 2 weeks. Also I noticed that I have puffiness on one side of my stomach like a love handle but only on one side!

Belinda977

My surgery was 8/29 and I had 4 drains Two were removed on day 4 following surgery. I still have two but one of those is producing a very small amount. That one might be removed tomorrow.

WC3

I had mine for about a week and a half.

SimoneRC

I had 4 drains, 2 on each side, plus a wound vac. Wound vac was 5 days. Two drains came out at 2 weeks. Last two drains came out at 3 weeks. They are a pain, but have an important job!

illimae

5 1/2 weeks for me. I was told some people are just “juicy” lol. I was so desperate by the last week that I barely moved at all (I had previously been walking and doing housework). Worst weeks ever but most get them out much sooner, I was well outside the norm on most aspects of cancer treatment. Good luck!

msphil

hello I had 4 also two removed before I was discharged then nurse was sent out an later to drain for bout an before removed. msphil idc stage2 0/3 nodes 3mo chemo before and after Lmast then got married yes was making wedding plans at time diagnosis then 7wks rads and then 5 5yrs in Tamoxifen. msphil. P S Praise God Long time Survivor

Bdz

I’m on 6 weeks. It will go down to 20cc for s few days, then jump back up to bloody and 55cc. Soooooo tired of this.

Moderators

Hi there, Bdz! Welcome to our community. We sympathize so much - the drains are awful! We hope things start to turn around for you!

The Mods

HopeWins

My PS said 48 hours of <30ml ouput is what they look for and the average time to make that happen is 7-10 days. They are hateful!

I had 4 and mine were out on day 9 because that was my first post-op appt. I had 3 that had been ready for a couple days, and 1 that was borderline but they removed because it was trending at <30ml.

Wishing you no drains soon!

aprildawn714

Thank you everyone!!! I go Thursday to see my PS so fingers crossed I can get a least 2 out!

Yogatyme

I had 2 drains for about 21/2 weeks post op. My BS also indicated there had to be <30ml per drain for 48 hrs. They are a pain for sure. Be sure to follow the advice to not do much (laundry, housework, gardening, etc) as this can cause fluid to build up again & you risk either fluid withdrawal with syringe or having drains put back in. I developed a seroma on the right side almost immediately but warm moist compresses for 15 minutes several times a day helped the fluid to absorb after about 2 weeks.

AnnC2019

Hi,

I had two placed August 29th. One was removed last week and the 2nd one is still producing too much fluid. I have an apt this Friday so hoping I can have it removed. Looks like I will be going back to work with it.

aprildawn714

thank you everyone for all of the info