Forum Discussion

Summer_Prevails's avatar
7 years ago

It really hurts around the site of my drain tube scar?

Hi everyone, 

I have pain that seems new (? Last fortnight or so) all round the area where my drain tube would have been, internally. If that makes sense. If you visualise the line the tube would have made from the skin entry point up inside the body about 10cm and into the side of my boob - it hurts.  

It’s nearly 12 months since surgery. The drain scar tissue is lumpy but looks fine in its own special way. But if I press around the area even gently, I get quite sharp tender pain. The lumpectomy scar doesn’t even hurt this much! My beautiful breast care nurses tell me it’s normal to still have pain this long after surgery and it just takes Time (that most excellent healer). 

So does anyone else have this kind of sharp tenderness around their drain site a year later? I know pain is kind of subjective, but yknow! I’m worried there’s something wrong or maybe the pain has ramped up as a side effect of Zoladex. Just seems too weird that it’s so tender still. 

H x

 
  • @kmakm. I had excruciating pain when I had my thankfully only drain removed by one of the nurses at home after my full mastectomy. Just about broke my husbands had, screamed, swore and then thought I was going to throw up or pass out. I know have a huge phobia about it. Had another one removed in hospital with the partial mastectomy and that was just a weird sensation but not painful. @"Holly Prevails" @Sister @iserbrown @chocolate70 I have been quite lucky and am 3 months post surgery and have no issues at all with where the drain was. 
  • @iserbrown The first two were excruciating so I had preparatory painkillers for the next pair. Made it much more manageable. And yes, a very, very weird sensation. I got my daughter to film the first one thinking it wasn't going to be too bad...  :o
  • @kmakm sorry!  It's a so and so but at least you are forewarned that the discomfort will be there on and off for some time to come!  It's all about this giving part of BC that we are not aware of until we are in it.
    Drain removal, how do you describe it - weird sensation that you need an experienced nurse doing it for you - gawd it felt weird feeling that drain being pulled through under my skin - it took my breath away, not painful, just weird, but was over in an instant!
  • I have the same thing. My breast is so tight from mastectomy and I can’t lie on that side for long. 
  • I still feel discomfort from where drain was and it's coming up 3 years!
  • Ah... I asked a nurse about exactly the same thing this evening. There's a spot under my left foob which is SO sore. There's a whole bunch of suture lines under there from the reconstruction, plus the one that held the drain in place. It's round where the drain emerged that's the sorest. The young nurse I asked called a more experienced one to have a look & it's all fine. I wonder why it is that there can still be pain such a long time afterwards? Might ask my surgeon next time I see him.
  • My surgery was only in January and I still have quite sharp pain where one of the drains was - the one that went in along the rib bone.  In fact, waking in the recovery room after the op, the pain there was excruciating and I had to have pain relief for it.  I don't know how long it will last but my surgeon said it's likely to be awhile - he was not surprised at all.