Drain pain

1. Hi JJP I also was told by one doctor twice that my mole was nothing to worry about but turns out it was melanoma stage 3C .i had wide local excision on calf and a groin dissection for the lymph nodes to be removed .which was fitted with a drain .i remember the first time it was blocked and flooded everywhere I ended up in A and E .they just changed the tube but like you said it still kept blocking .i found the best way was just squeeze with your fingers the  long tube gently up and down to try to move the worms as I called them .i was told to wear cycling shorts to stop  the swelling in my leg .which came in handy with the leaking as I used kitchen roll paper folded up and then a plastic bag on top to put on the top of the drain  and the cycling shorts held it in place .it doesn’t stop it leaking but it saves all the changing of clothes .i had my drain for 7 weeks ,only when I saw the cancer doctor he said why have u still got that it should have been taken out before 3 weeks .try to take one day at a time .i really feel for u as you have a little family aswell as all the stress .i will say I have just been on 11 months of dabrafenib and trametinib and my scans have come back clear .ive got one more month of pills to go but it’s all now been worth the ups and downs of this fight .sending u a hug 

 J.pops Thank you for your reply,  I'm so sorry that you are going through it too but I appreciate hearing your story.

My partner has cycling shorts too, the tips will be useful! I will be sure to pass them along. 

Sending all the congratulations for the clear scans and making it through the pills. How have they made you feel? 

How did your groin heal up? Did it leak once the drain was out? Have you had swelling?

All the very best, and thank you again for your reply 

Hi JJP I had the operation in March 2020 .the groin healed very quickly and when the drain was taken out ,liquid came out for about a 5 minutes but the nurse dressed it for a couple of days .so I have been left with two very faint scares on groin and leg 

Where the drain was it looks like a little dimple . So nothing to worry about there .i have got abit of lymphedema on the top of my right leg but I see the lymphedema nurse every 4 months ,to keep that under control ,   When I started taking the tablets the first month was very up and down with side affects .it seemed to be something different everyday from fatigue ,headaches ,chills ,nausea ,sweats and painful feet etc but I got nausea tablets and strong pain killers from the cancer doctor which really helped .i learnt just to listen to my body and rest when I needed to but also enjoy life when u can .u do get use to the side affects each day but remember everybody is different and hopefully your other half will sail through what ever treatment he has .please keep the humour going between u .my husband and I have laughed at things that have happened but not going to lie we have had a couple of tears too (me mostly about the leg drain leaking )on this tough journey but we have come out stronger x

Thank you so so much. Thinking of you and wishing you all the best for the future x

I am so sorry to hear about your partner's problems, it must be a very worrying time for you all. I was very fortunate with my drains and had no problems with them. I also had a very good response to immunotherapy so I hope your partner will respond well too. You asked about massage; there are videos on You Tube that might be helpful but it would be best to see a specially trained lymphedema nurse. Get yourself on the waiting list now as they are always busy! They will do the massage and prescribe compression stockings. Some people don't like wearing them but it's worth persevering as they do help. Look at this company's site: https://hadhealth.com/  They sell many products to help with the swelling that will happen when lymph nodes are removed. I have bought the pump with the garments and use it daily, it certainly helps. hadhealth.com/lymphflow But I think it would be best to wait until the drains are out and the wounds completely healed before starting any massage etc. always check with a health professional first. 

Try and keep that stoicism and sense of humour!   Best of luck.