Drains...

So I’m basically writing this for all my breast cancer peeps out there, if you’re not one of them and you still want to read this…totally fine! Just warning you that there might be TMI. :)

After coming out of surgery and having these tubes coming out of your boobs was one of the weirdest things. I was so numb that I couldn’t feel ANYTHING! Imagine the novocaine that you get at the dentists office when you’re getting a filling - but imagine it ALL over your breasts and it NEVER going away. Super weird!

Sorry, back to the tubes. These tubes coming out at little suction type things on the ends - imagine the little suction things that you use on babies to get their boogers out. You know what I’m talking about? Well, these suction things are at the bottom of the tubes basically sucking out the extra fluids - not actively sucking, but draining. Thus the word “drains”. ha ha ha

They weren’t that bad. As someone who has a pretty light stomach for pretty much anything medical, I could empty my own drains. Granted I needed to be sitting down on the toilet seat when doing it, but I could do it. I emptied them about 2-3x a day for the first few days and then it was only 1 or maybe 2x a day. I was able to get my drains removed about a week after surgery.

NOW THIS IS THE PART THAT I NEARLY LOST MY FREAKING MIND!!!!!

I was in the waiting room of the plastic surgeon’s office because the plastic surgeon is the one that does most of the “after care” post surgery. I hadn’t been in too many “Breast Cancer” groups on Facebook because I almost found them to be a negative or forgive me for lack of a better term “bitch fest” platform. When I was going through chemo and prepping for surgery, I connected with a few other breast cancer women on Instagram and Facebook that I found super helpful and really became my tribe. BUT I thought instead, how can I HELP or what can I do to SERVE these other women in these Facebook groups. So I joined! Best decision ever! :)

I digress… So I joined this group literally while I was in the waiting room. And the first post that I saw was “I’m getting my drains out today. What should I expect?” - I only read a few comments, but the first one said “Oooo…just take BIG DEEP breaths!” Eeeeek! What was I walking into?!?!

I went into the room and my Plastic Surgeon came in with one of his wonderful nurses. He asked how much fluid I was draining everyday and he said that he’d be okay taking the drains out. He said “You might feel a little tugging, but it’s quick”. Paul could see my legs just going crazy, shaking like a leaf. He was walking around the room nervously looking for something for me to throw up in. The Doctor cut a few stitches holding the tubes in place and then YANKED!! I MEAN, LORD HELP ME, I’ve never experienced that much pain! (Mind you, I’ve had 3 children). The tube itself had about 6-7 inches inside my breast that was just pulled with incredible force out of my body. And good gracious, THEY HAD TO DO THE OTHER SIDE NEXT!!! Are you kidding me?!?! I couldn’t tell if I was going to puke, pass out or PUNCH my plastic surgeon in the face!! The other side was just as bad! Again, their voices began to sound like the Charlie Brown teachers “waaaaa waaaaa waaaa”. I had no idea what they were saying or even talking about for a good 2 minutes. Once, my face got color again, the noises in the room became voices and I stopped sweating from every pore in my body - I asked them politely to start over. :)