Hi Trish,
I had my first chemo a week ago, and they intend to continue drain or no drain. I came home with only panadeine forte, no talk or endone. Maybe you need the endone more cos you are only 12 days post surgery? I dont know if you can stay on endone long term. Five weeks of needles doesnt sound like much of an alternative to the drain does it? My pain levels definitely improved as time went by, I think we must have mucked the bag up somewhat changing it to cause the level of pain I have at the moment. Something is pulling/pushing against the stitch. Maybe it's stuck to the ulcerated skin. Who knows? Do you still have a high output? Lets just hope we dry up soon. It's hard not to let it get you down, especially when you dont get much sleep. I take some pain killers, try and get in a comfy position and then read a book or something to try and distract myself. When I see the Doc again Im going to ask if there is anything I can do to try and help it dry up, but Im pretty sure the answer is nothing.