Note: I didn’t take a lot of pictures during this time period, but I do have a few that I’m going to include. They show the drains — and what comes out of the drains lol so if you’re not into that, maybe skip this post 😉
Drains were one of the main things I was worried about prior to my Prophylactic Bilateral Mastectomy in November! Before the surgery, I did a ton of research on them and tried to figure out everything from how they would feel, to how long they would be in, to how the stripping and draining process would be.
I will say that all of research I did may have hurt more than it helped! It honestly scared me more than it gave me comfort…but then again, I think a lot of deep dives into the dark web will have that effect (looking at you WebMD). Now that I’ve been through it, I have to say that they weren’t nearly as bad as I expected. Were they inconvenient? Sure. Were they gross. Yess. But were they the worst part of post-op? I didn’t think so 🙂
I think it’s really important to remember that everyone’s experience is going to be different. Everything from your body, to why you’re getting surgery, to your doctors, to your home support, to your mindset is going to differ then the person next to you getting the seemingly same procedure! So with that being said, I wanted to share my experience with drains below, but please remember that our experiences may be different. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments or shoot me at DM here!
The Drains
When I woke up from surgery on November 18th, I looked down at my sides with squinted eyes and saw them…the dreaded drains that everyone talked about. I starred them down for a second, unsure if I could win this battle of drain vs. patient. I followed the little tubs coming down from my sides to a drain belt that held all four neatly against my stomach. I quickly realized that I couldn’t feel them at all, but I could probably thank the pain meds for that. 🙂
Fast forward to a few days later when I was back home and fully immersed in drain life. While the drain sites felt a bit tight (partially do the crazy tape they use to keep them dry) and a little itchy, they weren’t bad from a pain standpoint. I was also super lucky to have Ben at home who quickly took on the title of “nurse” and really took lead and managed them for me.
What Are Drains/What Do I Do With Them?
After a double mastectomy, most people have four drains – two on each side – to help drain excess fluid from the chest. If you’re lucky, you may only have one on each side! I think it depends on the type of surgery you have and your doctors preference.You’ll be responsible for stripping them (meaning you pull any fluid caught up in the tube portion into the bulb) and then emptying the drains and recording the output every 8 hours. It sounds way worse then it is – the whole process only takes about 5 minutes with four drains.
The goal of recording the output every 8 hours is so that your doctors can easily track how much fluid your body is producing! If the production starts to slow down, they may be able to remove 1-2 drains as soon as the first week.
Most drains are in for at least 2 weeks. I had my first two out exactly one week post op and the other two out two weeks post op!
Drain Care
- You’ll need the following to care for your drains: Plastic measuring cups, antibacterial wipes, gloves and a drain log. Your hospital/doctors office will most likely supply you with these items!
- Have someone help you strip and empty your drains if you can – it’ll just take a load off your mind. Ben did mine for me and it made all the difference. He would set his alarm every 8 hours and he handled the stripping, emptying and recording. He was seriously a saint 🙁
- Emptying them every 8 hours typically means you’ll have to wake up at night to do them. Make sure you set an alarm and have everything you need organized and close by. There’s nothing worse then fumbling around at 2am trying to find your measuring cups!
- Get a drain belt – I can’t stress this enough! My drains never got tangled or caught on anything and they were pretty easy to manage. I would get two that are either waterproof or can go in the dryer – that way you can wear them in the shower and you only have to worry about changing it out once a day. I used the ones they gave me in the hospital the whole time – they don’t sell them, but this one is similar! Love the separate velcro tabs for each drain.
The Drain Removal Process
When I went into the doctors office for my one week post op visit, they took a look at my drain log, confirmed the output was low enough for drain removal and told me to sit back because the first two were coming out (one from each side). YAY!
They first removed the tape on each side, then snipped the small stich to release the drain (felt that for a second), told me breath-in and then they pulled on the exhale – the whole thing only took a few seconds. Here’s my experience with each drain:
Week 1 Post Op Drain Removal:
Drain 1: Didn’t feel this one at all!
Drain 2: This one pulled on my expander a bit, so I felt a quick tug as it came out.
Week 2 Post Op Drain Removal:
Drain 3: This one felt a bit squirmy for some reason lol but it didn’t hurt.
Drain 4: Didn’t feel this one at all!
Once the drains came out, I felt instantly better. After the final 2 came out, I actually spiked my drain belt in the garbage can lol I just felt so much lighter and like I was finally at the top of the hill and I could start walking back down.
And that’s it! I hope that was helpful if you’re about to go through your mastectomy. For those who have already been through it – did you have a similar experience with your drains? Let me know below!
