Morning ladies.........

Just had extended tummy tuck and braccioplasty 3 days ago and trying to deal with 4 drain pumps is a trip!    What do you do when the bulb  is blocked with clots.    A little gross I know but what do you do.    Plus my binder keeps ridding up.     I am tired and a little weak but doing well I think.  'considering i had same day surgery.    I live alone but have my 84 year old mom here to help.   The anesthesia has my ears a little blocked and my mom cannot hear very well so we make a great team.   neither of us can hear...lol...lol..lol..     she says I wisper and i SAY SHE WISPERS......LOL..LOL.  iTS REALLY QUITE FUNNY,,,,,LOL

You will want to strip your drains to help with the clots. They showed us in the hospital how to do this. You can either use your fingers or a pen and start as close to your body as possible and kind of pinch the tube between your fingers or against the pen and slide it down toward the bulb. This will move everything that is in the tube into the bulb and force the clots out. I even had to remove the tube from the bulb and then strip it to get one of the clots out since it didn't want to get thru the opening of the bulb.

Good luck and hope you have a quick recovery.

'tHANK YOU FOR responding so quickly,   I have been stripping but the clot still does not move.  Have doctors appointment  tomorrow,    thank goodness.     They will figure it out....lol..
The arms do not drain much but the stomach drains are very active.  and uncomfortable.     Hopefully  the arm drains will be out tomorrow.     thanks for your well wishes and wishing you the best as well.

Just keep stripping them.. I found that if I kept sqeezing, and pulling, the clot would eventually break loose... espicially when there's a fluid build up behind it, the fluid should pu**** through when you get it to break loose from the tubing...

I didn't have any drains so i can't comment.

I hope your feeling better soon.

Wendy

congratulations on surgery.  Can't help with drain problem because have not had surgery yet Oct. 5 is my day.  Excited and scared at same time. 

wishing you a speedy recovery and hope you and your mom can hear each other.  LOL

Want to see pictures when your feeling better.

Hugs

Don't have info you needed but I wanted to say CONGRATS!!! And I hope you feel better !!!

I found that if I used an alcohol swab or even wet your fingers with alcohol helped your fingers slide down the tube much easier.

Glad you're doing well.  That's funny about you and your mother! lol

I was fortunate to only have my drains a week.  I can't really help you there!
But I hope you are better soon!  I hope your hearing improves too!  LOL!
Best of luck
Kim J!

Thanks ladies for all of your kind words and support.   I went to the doctor today,  he removed the pumps from myy arms and said by next week they will remove my stomach pumps.   I saw myself and really like what I see.   I have a flat stomach  and my arms are smooth.   He reomved a lot of skin .  he showed me the pictures and will give me the weight soon.  thanks again.