Drainage tube after lymph node removal

Hi @Syt, I had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction with a silicon implant and left hospital with 2 drains. 1st was removed within 7 days but 2nd would not reduce to surgeons specified level (20mls x 2 days consecutively) and I had that drain for 8 weeks. I was sent home from hospital at day 6 and I monitored and changed the drainage bag bag daily and had the community nurses check the drain site once a week (they either attended my home or once I was able to drive I attended the community nursing centre and collected my next supply of drainage bags). I had also had four nodes removed and found my suture line (mine was in the fold under the breast) to be very tender and sore so my breast care nurse gave me some thick dressings and I would place them between my breast and the mastectomy bra and in doing that it reduced the pressure on the wound and stopped it from being so painful. I also found that my second drain site became quite tender as the weeks wore on and found placing extra micropore tape (from chemist) to stop the drain from swinging around greatly increased my comfort level. Mine was not a standard length of time for having a drain and eventually my surgeon removed it as she was worried it was the drain itself causing the irritation and generating the excess fluid. I did not end up with a seroma and was back at work the day after the drain removal. All the best, hope you're healing well. Xx Cath