Still have drain in almost 3 weeks post TT

Well, drain came out yesterday.  Glad to be wearing spanx.  Still feel it in my tummy when I move around too much.  It was all worth it though!

Drains are a funny thing and I started removing all of mine at about day 5 or 7 and following closely with an ultrasound exams in my office.  I have learned a lot by doing so.

I also use PTS sutures on all patients, and on ultrasound found, contrary to popular belief, that fluid DOES still build up...it's just not visible without ultrasound. 

Small amounts absorb on their own, larger amounts do not. Worse case scenario is a growing seroma.  But absence of a seroma you can see "doth not a great result guarantee." I worry that results will not be as tight and "form-fitted" as they could be with that rim of fluid there preventing the skin from sticking to the abdominal wall and hips those first few critical days. While a nuisance, I still think drains serve a good purpose. 

So I no longer insist on a certain minimum drainage number but look at the trend. I also consider the amount of surgery, amount of liposuction, and amount of bleeding at the time of surgery.  These determine whether or not I go ":drain-free."  The PTS technique was not researched in WLS patients, who typically have more skin and more work done than an average TT. I think we have to be careful about applying it to everyone.   Well...thats my approach and I hope it helps shed some light on what goes into the decisonmaking process !