Drains

Hello Everyone :)

I'll be 4 weeks post-op tomorrow from LBL with anchor, Medial Thigh Lift and Lipo. I'm healing well, just a few small spots that need to close up and of course I still have a drain in. It was steadily slowing down - was at 70 cc last week for a few days and then I started pre-PMS and the drainage started increasing. I'm full on period now and my drainage is up to 90-100 now. Ugh - at this rate this thing is never coming out. I'm *hoping* that the added drainage is just period related. Anyone else had period while drain in and noted increase in drainage?

I know I had a lot of surgery, and I definitely don't want a seroma so I'll whine and just deal with the drain.

I am curious though - how long did you have your drains in?

Anyone have any ideas on how to decrease drainage?

Are you stripping your drains? that is about the only thing u can do to help decrease and pull the fluid off you, otherwise it has to run its course unfortunately.  U do not want those out too early or you risk seromas which I am sure you already know.  Hang in there.. soon theyw ill be out, they are such a pain in the butt and u feel so much more human when they are out. SOON! :-)

Hi Melissa,
Yeah, I'm stripping the drains. I know it's good to have the drain in - I do NOT want seromas. lol It's just frustrating that it was going down so well and then all of a sudden I'm going back up. I do hope the higher drainage is just period related. /sigh

My fingers are crossed that it'll start going down soon.

/hugs
Brandi

If you had other drains that have already been removed, sometimes that last drain seems to be draining more because it is draining your other sites, too. At least that is what my PS said. Good luck, I know it is annoying, but I did have the last one in for 4 weeks, but never had the problems that I see when they're removed at a week or two. I, also, had 2 other drains that were in for 3 weeks.

Hi Brandi!
Congrats on surviving 4 weeks...You're probably not going to want to hear this, but after my circumf. LBL I had to have one drain in 8 weeks!!  Believe me...I hear your pain.  And I don't think there is anything you can do to decrease the drainage. 

Now I'm 5 weeks post BL/BA and bilat medial thighplasty...the first drain came out in less than 2 weeks, but the one in my right leg is still hanging in there...and my PS nurse said...it looks like lymphatic drainage..it will probably be in there 8 weeks too. (8 weeks is the max my PS will leave a drain in.) I guess my body likes to keep the drains in...I'm a nurse, so I can't go back to wor****il the drain is out..that's what's driving me nuts at the moment. 

I guess I'm just saying...hang in there!!!  And I keep telling myself the drain is less of a problem than a complication we may have if they came out to early. 

Hey Chica!
Yes I started my cycle a week after surgery and I did notice an increase in my drainage. When I took in my drain sheet to my post-op visit I was told that was normal.

I'm glad you said that!!! Makes me feel a thousand times better. lol

Period is just about gone and my drainage is going down too. Yaaay! I'm back down to 80cc (which is a lot, but hella better than 100cc!!). Hoping this downward movement keeps going doooown!

/hugs
Brandi