drain output suddenly increased with some very mild pain

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navy1305
navy1305 Member Posts: 34
edited January 2017 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

I had a R mastectomy on 12/13/2016 with one drain. Yesterday, the output was 30 mL for the whole day; the day before was also 30 mL; and the day before that was 35 mL. But this morning when I woke up, the output for just overnight was 41 mL. I also noticed some very mild pain. Has anyone else had a sudden increase in drain output after a steady decline? I did not do anything out of the ordinary yesterday that I could figure out would cause the output to increase so dramatically.

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited January 2017

    Is there any change in the color or consistancy of the fluid? Even if there isn't these changes, it would probably be a good idea to put a call into your Dr regarding the increased output.

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  • mustlovepoodles
    mustlovepoodles Member Posts: 2,825
    edited January 2017

    I agree with Kicks. You've had that drain in an awful long time. The longer it stays in, the more likely it is to get infected. Start taking your temp a couple times a day, just to keep an eye on things. If your temp tops 100.4 or the drain output changes from that orangey-clear to cloudy-thick, call your BS

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited January 2017

    Some do have drains in for less time but not all by any means. In my case, one drain was removed at 2 weeks post op with no issues at all. The other drain was removed at 4 weeks post op. It was still draining more than ideal for removal but he thought that perhaps the drain itself was causing this by 'irritating' the area. So it was removed and a somewhat large seroma formed. 10 weeks later the seroma was still sbowing on MRI at 6+cm. There was never any infection involved.

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  • OrcaPorkka
    OrcaPorkka Member Posts: 61
    edited January 2017

    My drain output was regularly up and down with no infection. It seemed to be somewhat related to overdoing it, but sometimes it was up with no explanation.

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  • navy1305
    navy1305 Member Posts: 34
    edited January 2017

    Thanks, everyone! I saw my surgeon today and we decided to leave the drain in until at least next Monday to see if it acts up again. The fluid didn't change color or consistency, and it doesn't seem to be infected. I already have an appointment for Monday afternoon to check it again.

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