As part of your surgery we have removed your lymph nodes which is a natural drainage system as part of your body’s defence against infection.
As we have disrupted this we would expect the lymph fluid to continue to be produced for a little while. Which will collect in the area of surgery.
It is important that the drain remains in place until your body has adapted, otherwise this could lead to a number of complications, such as a break down of wounds, collection of a lymphocele, which is a collection of lymph fluid and would require regular drainage.
In order to remove your drains we like the volume to be 50mls or less in 24 hours OR if the drain has been in place for 28 days.
Your drain will only be removed at these key points.
We need you to keep a record of each time you empty your drain, along with a total for a 24 hour period.
Your CNS will either bring you to clinic or offer a telephone consultation to monitor your progress.
How to empty the drain (step by step guide)
Do not let go at this point!
This will make sure the suction is in place to allow the lymph fluid to drain from your body.
Illustrative guide on how to empty the drain (step by step guide).
Please be aware, you may need to empty your drain on more than one occasion throughout the day, this may be several.
We ask you to keep a record of the output over a 24 hour period and will be in contact with you periodically to assess when this can be removed.
CNS contact details
Please contact your CNS if you have any queries or concerns.
You may be required to leave a message for the CNS team to return your call, we will try and make sure this is the same day, but this cannot be guaranteed.
Balance chart
The balance chart is available in the paper version of this leaflet (Please ask clinical staff for a copy) or it can be downloaded and printed from the PDF available at the top of this page.