Drain tube talk

I know my surgeon leaves a drain tube in. What I dont know yet, is how long that usually is. So, did any of your docs leave in a drain tube? How long did they leave it in? Does it really feel like Mel Gibson at end of Braveheart when they pull it out? Troy

The drain tube is in when you wake up. It's completely pain free when it's in. It is a pain having it in though. It's uncomfortable when they take it out, but only for a couple of minutes. The nurse took mine out the day I left the hospital. I left the hospital on day 4 after surgery. I had open RNY.

Troy, I’ve had ‘em 4 times, different procedures. They tend to leave them in as long as they keep "collecting" output of Excess "juices." They are very helpful in getting rid of fluid That otherwise would build up in a "pocket" of tissue. Mine were all removed in the doc’s office, usually by a nurse. A little sting and that’s it. Surprisingly pain free. (for me) Same with my jejunal feeding tube. I thought that one was going to be a big ordeal Cause I had it in for so long. Same "non-event." Now the tape from around an IV? Pulling off a wig’s worth of arm hair? That’s the Biotche!! Shave those arms before going in…You’ll thank me! Best Wishes- Dx

I was very lucky   :    NO drain    NO foley    NO NG tube   NO bowel prep before surgery    Just came out of surgery with an abdominal binder.  I did also have a pain ball in place after surgery and a PCA for 36 hours.  I was discharged 48 hours after surgery and went home with the pain ball, which lasted for 6 days as well as I remembered.   My surgeon rocked!  Hope your surgery goes as well.   

Troy... no drian tubes for the WLS...but for the plastics....brother can we talk Russ

Hi Troy,  I had my surgery last week and they used a drain tube.  It was in until the day I was released.  While it was in there was no problem.  Except for when they needed to get around it to give me shots I would have never known it was there. Now taking it out was another story.  The P.A. took it out the day I was released.  Not to scare you but it was uncomfortable, I felt like they were pulling my intenstines out.  But it is very quick and after a few seconds its like it never was there.  So I wouldn't worry too much about it.  Unfortunatley there are things involved in the surgery that are not pleasant, but in my opinion it's worth it to became a thinner, healthier person. ....dave

No drain tube for me either. I did have the pain ball. No Foley either. The pain ball was just a little clear plastic or rubber ball with a pain killer in it, for some reason I want to say it was lidocane, and it has a very small tube running from it. By small I mean so small it was hard to tell it was hollow inside. It looks more like the size of a small wire. Didn't even feel it when they removed it in the Surgeons office. I was most worried about the Foley but woke up without one. In the end all of my worries was for nothing. I would do it again in a heartbeat.  pan head

Mine kept falling out so I just left it out. I wrapped it up in tissue paper and took it in to my doctor a week later and he just said throw it away.... Dave

I had a JP drain for a week post-op. It's kind of a pain to deal with, but it's not painful. I used a safety pin and either pinned it to the inside of my shirt or around a belt loop. When they took it out, it was a very odd feeling, but it didn't hurt. It kind of felt like someone stuck their finger in the middle of your guts and started wiggling it around. Take a deep breath when they remove it, it will help! I drained it 2-3 times a day to begin with, then once a day for the last day or two. It started out with over 100cc of fluid, but by the week mark, it was down to 20cc or so. I liked having it so I could watch the color of the fluid so I knew there was no infection. Hope that helps! Eric