Do people always have drains after mastectomy? If so, for how long?

Hi @staceycholmes9. I had a bilateral mastectomy in October and came home with 2 drains on each side. My husband is a physician so he cleaned my drains regularly and kept the drain log we were given. The drains were uncomfortable. I did buy on Amazon a variety of drain holder garments that helped a lot. They were bulky under over sized shirts.

I had them for 3 weeks and was over-the-moon when they came out.

Let me know if you have other specific questions.

Hi @staceycholmes99 - I had a unilateral mastectomy last May. I only had one drain - pretty easy to deal with. (@susan7656 - I can imagine 2 on each side was really no fun!!) I healed quickly and they were able to take the drain out after only one week, which I understand is pretty fast.

What I found fortunate about having a unilateral mastectomy (vs. bilateral) was that I had full use of my other arm/hand at all times. The healing process was pretty chill. My big advice is to not over do it. At one point a couple of weeks in, I was putting a lid on a tupperware container and managed to somehow strain my mastectomy side. So dumb!

Just follow doctor's orders and you'll be fine. The drains are kind of weird and a little gross (I mean, who wants tubes hanging out of your body?) but they aren't painful. I used a mastectomy drain holder belt thing from Amazon as well and just wore a very soft, oversized button up flannel shirt with nothing else on top for a couple of weeks. The flannel was cozy and soft on my skin and wearing a button-up with easy access was helpful. With my dominant hand on my non-mastectomy side, I was able to empty the drain myself.

Something else - be prepared to have various skin sensations over time as you heal. I never had any actual pain, but because they end up damaging the nerves during surgery, I've had numbness (still do, after all these months), skin that is super sensitive to different fabrics, and at one point a spot on my side felt like sandpaper on a sunburn - that was probably the worst (but it only lasted less than a couple of weeks and then went away).

Be brave - you've got this! Give yourself time to heal. It'll be over with soon.

Cheers,
Mary

@staceycholmes99, I expanded the title of your discussion to reflect your question. In addition to the helpful posts from @maryk206 and @susan7656, you might find these related discussions helpful:

- How Long Did You Have Your Drains in After Mastectomy https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-long-did-you-have-your-drains-in-after-mastectomy/
- Had my JP drains removed today, and was pleasantly surprised https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/had-my-jp-drains-removed-today-and-was-pleasantly-surprised/

Stacey, the drain(s) help prevent fluid from collecting in the surgical area. Your surgical team should give you information about caring for and emptying the drains at home. Did you get some of this information already?

I was told that my drains remained in until the amount hit a certain reduction in fluid. I wish I could tell you how many cc's of fluid each day, but I don't remember (around 2weeks I think). I had a tab on the drain that I could pin to the seamof my t shirt or put the drain in my pocket. I wish you a good surgery and speedy recovery.

I had DMX w/AFC and bilateral sentinel node removal. I had 2 drains per side. Removed at Day 6 and Day 8.

Thank you! I just did my preop and they explained the drains. I'm struggling with whether to have a bilateral mastectomy or a unilateral one. I have stage 3 ILC cancer in my left breast, and am very pron to cysts. should I post this in a different chat?

@meeshodge I wanted to thank you for bringing up AFC, aesthetic flat closure. You had mentioned it in an earlier post, too. I didn’t know what it was so I guess there are others that haven’t explored that option either. When going flat an AFC seems to be a really good option, and having a plastic surgeon do the closure might reduce scarring.
Thanks!

staceycholmes99- You will find discussions on whether to do one or both!!! I want to add something about drains. My first surgery, the removal of a breast with an expander I had two drains. My sister came to my home for 9 days to help me. I had another surgery to remove my ovaries and fallopian tubes. That was painful in my stomach for 4 days. I could not reach my drain. Less movement caused less fluid to be produced.
One side effect i had for my 2nd surgery was i had a hematoma develop on the one side. With that I ended up having the implant removed and a new drain replaced. This was one week from my other surgery. The tube used this time was a bit bigger and seemingly stronger. With drains you often have to apply a dressing, that can be tricky to place. With this 2nd drain there was a cover over the exit of the drain from my body. I did not need removed!!! This drain was easy for me to take care of.
One last thing. Next, I began to swell on one side. Fluid buildup. Not good. I had 2 aspirations and for that 2nd one the PA said if it still happens, you will need a drain. This fluid can cause an infection. I bought 2 sports bras and stuffed them. the pads they used for cushion after surgery. I padded so well; no more liquid could accumulate.

I had my surgery at JAX Mayo. My surgeon was Emmanuel Gabriel and is trained in "oncoplastic reconstruction", but not a plastic surgeon. I shared my concerns with him and wanted to avoid being mutilated and wanted a nice, clean closure with no "dog ears" or bad scarring. He did not disappoint. I am very pleased with the results.

I had 2 on each side as well. They were removed when the fluid got to a certain level. Definitely get the shirts w the drain holders... big help!