Forum Discussion
Drain, Drain, go away . . .
I'm only just starting my trip down BC Lane, and find I have a lot of questions. This network has been a great way to talk to other women going through the same issues, and a point of contact I just couldnt get any other way.
I only had my first chemo six days ago (AC) and so far I have been lucky to only experience slight nausea. Fatigue & bad headaches, and a general feeling a bit like having a bad flu have been the worst of it, along with hot and cold flushes. So if this is as bad as it gets I will consider myself lucky. I notice some of you comment that the AC treatments get a bit harder as they go on? Does everyone find this? Maybe it is a bit early for me to know how it will effect me just yet.
One thing really bugging me is my post surgery drain, which I still have after 5 1/2 weeks. It doesnt look like going anytime soon. I have to wait till it drops below 40mm in 24 hours, well I've been over 100mm the whole time, and since the chemo started I'm back up to around 140mm per day. I hoped the chemo would dry it up! Has anyone else found this? It is a minor thing in the grand scheme, but drives me a bit crazy, makes sleeping and getting comfortable hard, is very painful at times, makes getting a bra on a bit of a challenge!
Do you all wear the post surgery bra? I find I can tollerate a few hours a day if I have to, but after that it is too painful on the drain, and sometimes i get blood in it still. Have any of you found a way around this? I've tried snipping bits out of one of those AH Bras, to make it fit comfortably, but by the time you snip the annoying bits off there's not much left.
Looking forward to the day I can bring the drain home, start a little bonfire & have a ceremonial burning!
37 Replies
Well it's funny that you say that, cos I was sitting at home after having surgery for a broken arm, two weeks after having had surgery to have my dead ovaries removed, with a boob like a bowling ball & feeling menopausal and a bit sorry for myself when I penned a little ditty to the tune of Katy Perry's "Your'e hot then you're cold". The first line was "I'm hot then I'm cold" (which I was), however the rest of it is not fit for public airing. Sufficient to say it DID cheer me up and cause much amusement amongst the family.
The moral of this story is that if you dont laugh you cry, and I have a bad habit of poking fun at politically incorrect stuff but it does keep me smiling. If I could only keep my lyrics out of the gutter I'm sure I WOULD be famous :)
OH, Monkeygirl! A record... lol... you are SO my era and.. hey... If I can come up with the words, can you come up with the tune and we can start on our first song?!?!? What do you think??? We COULD become rich and famous... or infamous!! lol...
Yay so happy to hear you are drain free (" DonnRee, Unplugged", sounds like a record:) i was wondering how you were getting on so thanks for posting an update. Hope your chemo starts soon so it can END soon, geez it sucks having to go back for a second lot, I dread the thought of having to do it all again, but it's funny isnt it how you just plough your way through whatever get's thrown at you. Maybe being a seasoned veteran the second lot will be easier? Don't know, but fingers crossed for you.
Oh, and as for staying sane after eight weeks of drain strain, according to my husband and kids, my sanity has been in doubt for a long time before I ever had that drain!
Thanks TonyaM. You may have read the post above, so I won't repeat myself, but just wanted to thank you for taking the time to respond. I really do appreciate it. I agree about the syringing. It wasn't painful and I can put up with my chest swelling. In fact, after surgery (and when i was draining well) I had something of a 'hollow' in my chest and found it hard to wear a bra, as it kept slipping up into the cavity where my breast used ot be and then everyting looked weird (one pertend-breast roaming about where it shouldn't be!). So, the swelling has filled the cavity and left a raised area, which is making bra wearing much nicer! So, there are always advantages to situations we may not think we like!!
Funny thing with the fluid loss, it was always a bit bloody, but then got an infection and started on antibiotics abuot 10 days after the op. Then it gradually went pale and clear, but as soon as they changed to the other bag, it went all smokey again. I asked if that was normal and was told it was. But it seemed strange to me. But that slowly became clear, too. It took a couple of weeks. I have been on antibiotics for about 6 weeks non-stop, and I can't remember the last time ( a decade or more) I had antibiotics, as I prefer to heal naturally, but this time I needed them and they helped. But maybe the infection (or infectionS) have delayed the healing and made me drain more. Either way. I not have NO DRAIN PAIN and my SYRINGE don't make me CRINGE! :-)
I hope all is well for you! Take care. :-)
