Drainage & antibiotics???

I had surgery on Wed, Dec 1. I was released Sat. Have been home doing relatively well. Sore, cough alot so stapled area very sore. I was sent home with pain med (oxycodone) and a drainage tube/bulb. I have two questions: My drainage tube seems to be filling up more, rather than subsiding. Is this because I am drinking alot more? It doesn't appear to be blood (looks like koolaid). Husband says that's what it looked like in hospital, so not to worry. Second question is Was anyone sent home with antibiotic? I was on them in hospital, but was not sent home on them. Could this have been an oversight, or is this common at Madigan? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

Hi, I was not sent home with antibiotics and I was in the hospital the same amount of time as you. The only difference is my drainage tube was removed prior to being sent home. I did have quite a bit of drainage (it looked like koolaid) and my bag seemed to fill up often. I wouldn't think this is something to worry about, but you might want to call your doctor to check. Hope this helps. kristi

The drainage looks like koolaid and the nurse told me when checking it that it should look that way (clear and red). The fluid is coming from the stomach cavity. If the liquid becomes cloudy, smelly or discolored, your Dr. and/or the ER needs to know ASAP as it could indicate infection. My guess is the larger quantity of drainage must be from added fluids. I didn 't go home with antibiotics either. In fact, the nurse told me I wasn't taking them in the hospital either. I never did ask the surgeon about that to confirm, though. This all sounds normal to uneducated me, but I wouldn't hesitate calling the Doc's office if there were any concerns at all. It is better than worrying about something.