Drains & Lanyards

Hate sound like a lunkhead but I've been reading several posts to get an idea on how to deal with my upcoming draining tubes - surgery scheduled for 2/8 (hysterectomy with panniculectomy).  I'm trying to get a visual on how a lanyard will help me manage the draining tubes that will likely be in my hip area and am having a hard time getting a mental picture.

I have a very large pannus that was there before I lost 145lbs so to help me heal from my hysterectomy, insurance approved the panniculectomy.  Additionally I know I'm going to have to wear a binder immediately after surgery - how is that going to work with the drainage tubes?   I have my preop appts on Friday but I'd like to hear from someone who's been there rather than someone who can only guess about how it's going to feel :)

Thanks for any/all advice!

TJ

The binder won't interfer with the drains because it will end above the incision.  I personally detest the binders because I find them difficult to close tight enough by myself.  I used Spanx and the like for phase II compression and was much happier.

While you have the drains, count on wearing sweatpants or yoga pants or pajamas so avoid crimping them.

What the heck do you do with a lanyard?

Best wish with all.

Lisa

TJ...

congrats on your upcoming surgery!!  i know you are very excited and things will go great.

as for the drainage tubes, also known as JP drains, or Jackson Pratt drains.  Most likely they will exit around the area of your mons, below your verticle incision.  Most likely your binder will not be covering the site where the drainage tubes exit.  This will be a very long tube with a bulb on the end. They will teach you how to empty and reapply the suction on the bulb.   Most of the time, you will have it safety pinned to your binder which is a good location.  When you shower and take your binder off, you will safety pin them to the lanyard that is around your neck...they will hang off the lanyard.  Once you have had your shower and replace the binder, you can repin them to the binder.

Hope this visually helps!! please feel free to email me any other questions you might have.

kim

See the post about 3 or 4 threads down from your named BEFORE AND AFTER.  Look at the profile. Really good pics of how a lanyard works!

Brooke K

Look at the Day 3 and Day 7 pics on my profile to see lanyard usage.  It's most useful in the shower but other uses include:

- keep drains out of the way while putting on fresh gauze
- having them all together lets you put them all out of the way when sleeping
- easier to drain without having to repin multiple drains mulitple times
- keeping them in front of you so you don't worry about sitting or lying on them

A lanyard is easily in my top 5 needed equipment for PS
Mark

you will do great I had a hysterectomy and a full TT at the same time and had no problems at ll. the drains are just annoying I kept them pinned to the binder and when I showered ihad a lanyard  around my neck to hold the drains up.
good luck to you

I didn't have a lanyard but the nurses in the hospital told me to take a pair of old underwear and cut the waistband off and have that around my neck and pin the drains to it while in the shower. Worked well and I didn't have to go out and buy something I'd never use again. Other than that  I pinned the drains to my shirt. Usually around the house on the outside of my shirt but when going out I'd pin them on the inside so they weren't visable.

Sonya

I just used yarn as the "lanyard".  Good luck!

April

Thanks to everyone for all of your replies!  The pics helped also!  I'll be on the lookout this week for something ready made but if not, I've got plenty of yarn in my crochet bag!

Thanks again!

TJ

I loved my lanyards and  used them all day long with my drains clipped to them.  My drains had clips so it made it easy to use the lanyards.  I had purchased 2 lanyards from Walgreens and they only cost 99cents.  I had others from work and school.  But I loved the Walgreens ones because they were thin and they dried fast after my showers.