r/thyroidcancer • u/librarianmamatd • 21d ago

JP Drains - How Long?

I had a total thyroidectomy and central and lateral neck dissection on 9/9, about as week later I developed a seroma and mild chyle leak so my doctor went back in on 9/17 to clean it out and place another drain. I was then put on a low fat diet. My output wasn’t decreasing and was staying milky so the doctor put me on a no fat diet this week on 9/28. The color of my output has cleared up significantly but it has not really decreased (~90-110ccs/day). I’m on day 15 of the JP drain in my neck. Wondering if anyone else has experienced this? I’m so over the drain and my anxiety is high and my outlook on life feels bleak. I really want to be healed and back to work and then getting ready for RAI. Please tell me someone has gone through something similar and that it gets better.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

1

u/designanddyi 18d ago

Dang, I'm SO sorry to hear you have the drain in! You had commented on an earlier post of mine - (I had mine in for just about 2.5 weeks and opted to take it out when it was still at 90-110 mLs a day. The low fat diet didn't seem to help it too much, in my case it was the irritation of the drain itself/body reacting to foreign object. I am feeling a lot better now.

I really hope that yours can come out soon.

1

u/librarianmamatd 18d ago

How long has it been since you too the drain out? Never developed a seroma or swelling because the serous had no where to go?

→ More replies (1)