Triple negative IDC

fmdwala, to my other reply to you in the DCIS forum, you are in the right forum now.

But to Melissa's post, what might be confusing to readers is that you have identified your diagnosis as being DCIS. The fact that you will be having chemo confirms that your diagnosis is IDC, not DCIS, because chemo is never given when the diagnosis is only DCIS. When DCIS and IDC are found together, because the DCIS is the less serious condition, it's pretty much ignored and the diagnosis is considered IDC. With the IDC, the fact that you also had DCIS doesn't factor at all into your treatment plan, other than the fact that the area with DCIS did need to be surgically removed. Everything else is based on treating triple negative IDC.

Hopefully someone will come by soon to offer advice, although the site does tend to be slow around the holidays.

There is no "right" time when drainage ends. My drainage lasted 3 weeks with two tubes. It's definitely better to get all the fluid out first. But I don't think it's "lymphatic" drainage. It just all the bodily fluids from the surgical site. Below from a UC surgery site:

Your surgeon will usually remove the bulb when drainage is below 25 ml per day for two days in a row. On average, JP drains can continue to drain for 1 to 5 weeks.

fmdwala,

Yes, DCIS is "ductal carcinoma in situ" so if your report says "ductal carcinoma" then the diagnosis is IDC.

Sorry that your drains are still going strong. Have you spoken to your Plastic Surgeon? If not, I would suggest that you do. The following study suggests that the risk of infection goes up if drains stay in too long, and that it is preferable to remove drains even if the drainage is above the recommended 30mL. I don't know if chemo can start if you have the drain, but that would be another reason to remove the drain even if the drainage hasn't reduced as much as desired. At 100mL your PS might not be prepared to remove the drains yet but perhaps the drainage doesn't have to go down to 30mL for removal. I don't know, but you should talk to your PS.

Risk of infection is associated more with drain duration than daily drainage volume in prosthesis-based breast reconstruction https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5266056/#!po=45.6522

"In summary, our study revealed that drain duration, rather than the last daily drainage volume, significantly affects the infection rate in prosthesis-based breast reconstruction. We recommend that the drain is better removed no longer than 3 weeks postoperatively and can be removed as early as postoperative day 7, even when the drainage is over 30 mL in a 24-hour period."

Hi again fmdwala,

We wanted to check in on you and see how you're doing and if you're getting the answers and support you need.

Also, we did edit your subject to reflect the more accurate diagnosis of IDC -- we hope this helps you get some more responses.

We look forward to hearing more from you and supporting you throughout your treatment!

--The Mods

Late to the game but I remember being very worried about the same thing - would drainage stop enough to begin chemo. Somehow it magically just slowed, drains were removed and chemo started on time. Good luck...take it step by step and update as possible

Nervous today, Mammogram and ultrasound. hope all is negative

We can all relate to that feeling. Hoping for the best with clean scans!!

Oh Martaj that is wonderful!

Martaj, I did this in April, a few days before my surgery. Flew back from Portland, OR to Iowa wearing a mask the whole time. Better safe than sorry. I also carried sanitizing hand wipes and used a lot of them!