Question:
How much pain is associated with the removal of a JP drain?

I am scheduled to have my JP drain removed on day 13 post-op. The staples look huge and the skin is healing around them. Do they numb your abdomen before they remove the drain and staples? Do they staple the open hole after removing the tube? I deal better with the known than the unknown. Thanks for any help.    — aferrendelli (posted on June 26, 2003)


June 25, 2003
Don't worry, they are removed so fast, and even if it did hurt you would not have time to feel it. It is a strange feeling when they remove the drain, but do not fret. It is a cup of tea.
   — Gene F.

June 25, 2003
The removal of the JP drain was the worst part of the surgery for me. I won't lie - it hurt. But the good news is that it was quick and then the pain went away. The hole where the drain is closes pretty quickly. I just had a little gauze pad over it for a day or two. Mine was removed on day four, before I left the hospital.
   — Patty_Butler

June 25, 2003
No pain whatsovever~just feels real strange while it's being removed. LAP RNY 9/3/02 265/158/115-126 Hadiyah, a.k.a.~~~
   — yourdivaness

June 25, 2003
You will be so glad to have it gone it wouldnt be a big thing. But since your concerned take a dose of pain meds when you arrive at the office. But be sure to take someone to drive you home. The worst part of the JP drain was when my dog misstook it for a ball and tried to run oiff with it. I didnt know I could scream so loud.
   — bob-haller

June 25, 2003
i was worried about the same thing. i just hated that drain and hated the thought of having it removed even more. i was afraid that it would hurt more than having the staples removed. now that hurt! i had to have the nurse stop twice before she finished but that's just me. with that in mind since that happened first i was convinced that the drain would give me grief. i was wrong. it was just a sensation of bein removed with no pain at all. i winced anyway. the hole took quite a long time to heal completely but just needed a small bandage to cover it. actually the scar from the drain looks worse than the other scar. regardless, it is a welcomed relief to have that thing removed. my surgery was feb 20, 2003 open rny. i am down 68 pounds.
   — Priscilla A.

June 25, 2003
Mine was removed before I left the hospital on day 4. To be honest it hurt really bad but it was fast and the pain didn't last long. It burned more than anything, and I too just had a gauze pad for a day or two. You will be fine!
   — Darlene H.

June 25, 2003
I have to say that having the drain removed was by far the worst part of my lap RNY experience. I should have known what to expect when my partner, a nurse, suggested that I take a dose of my pain meds right before my appt. She wouldn't give me a straight answer about how much it would hurt...when they pulled it, it felt frankly like my intestines were being pulled out with it. Astonishing, stabbing pain that left me speechless. I gave birth without medication with less discomfort. However, the JP drain pain was transient--over in two seconds. I felt lightheaded and shocked for about an hour but the pain was very, very brief. It's worth that discomfort, by the way. (LapRNY 23-Jan-2003, down 68#- 246/178)
   — gamboge

June 26, 2003
If possible, have someone drive you to your appointment. Take your pain meds before you leave. This should help decrease your pain level during the JP removal and for your trip home.
   — adeas

June 26, 2003
Removing my drain didn't hurt at all. I did feel a pinch when they cut the suture thread which was holding it on. Then the Doc pulled and it felt funny, like a little person was running on my tummy. It lasted all of a few seconds. He covered the hole with gauze and a piece of tape, and it was healed in only 2 days.
   — M B.

June 26, 2003
i had mine removed before i left the hospital. it honestly didn't hurt - just a slight tug and it was out.
   — carolsaunders

June 26, 2003
Depends on your pain tolerance. It hurts but it is a quick pain that really doesn't linger. It also depends on how much you have healed around it. In my opinion Period Craps are worse. Take your meds an hour before your appt that should cover you. I went directly to the mall afterward so it isn't as bad as you would think.
   — Rebecca K.

June 26, 2003
Hi, well my tube did not hurt at all it felt so weird it kinda like someone is pulling you insides out, its not something I would want done again but not too bad. Now for the staples I didn't have them with my RYN but I did twice with my C-sections and there not bad at all its a little pinch and then its over. Good Luck Im sure you'll do just fine. Teena(RYN 4/8/03~down65#)
   — Teena P.

June 26, 2003
Hi, Had my drain removed about ten days post op, no pain but a weird sensation that does catch you by surprise. As for the staples no pain there either. Good luck, MaryLyn -38
   — Kriola

June 26, 2003
My doctor told me 'this is going to HURT REALLY REALLY BAD'.... I braced myself for the 'hurt' then he started to'laugh' cause the drain was already pulled out. When I had another taken out for my TT, it just felt weird; didnt hurt.
   — star .

June 26, 2003
They took my JP drain out the day I went home from the hospital (about 3 days postop) I did not have staples around mine, just a few sutures. The nurse just snipped the sutures out and then pulled the tube out. It wasnt that bad, just stung a little when she pulled the tube out. To me having IV's put in hurts more, and then that's not even real bad. They do not staple that hole shut afterwards, they just let it heal on its own. They will put a 4X4 gauze on it so no drainage gets on your clothes. Eventually that scabs over and then you will have a little tiny scar right near your belly button. Hope this helps! Good Luck!
   — Kris T.

June 26, 2003
I think it depends on the placement of the drain...I had lap rny two weeks ago,The drain was in my right side but the tubing went all the way over to my left side, all underneath my ribcage.It hurt really bad when it was removed.It felt like a stinging sensation but it was over very quickly.The staple removal did not hurt at all.
   — jennifer A.

June 26, 2003
Hi there, Allison! I have to agree, it depends on your pain tolerance. If it's not the greatest, take a dose of pain meds before getting there. The staples feel more like someone picking at your skin, lightly. The drain feels like you have butterflies, a big one, but butterflies. It feels ackward, but it really is over before you know it. Vi. open RNY 9/23/02 down 142 lbs.
   — Vi F.

June 26, 2003
Hi Allison, I do not have a very high tolerance for pain, so therefore, when I tell you I had NO pain when my surgeon took out the drain or the staples, I am being honest.
   — Ceil G.

June 27, 2003
Allison, please forgive me. I shouldn't have "assumed" you had the same WLS as myself. I happened to come back to see what the responses were today. It does make a diiference, I see, if you had/have staples. Like everyone has mentioned here, it wouldn't hurt to take a little pain meds BEFORE. As I mentioned before, I didn't have any painat all when my J-P drain was removed, it just felt weird when the surgeon began pulling the tube to the drain out.
   — yourdivaness

June 28, 2003
ok, i am pre-op, but have had panniculectomy, like a tt, and a breast reduction recently, and had jp's both times. with the tt, i was numb anyway and felt nothing, although i was told it would hurt. the drains were by far worse, not painful, but draining them and manipulating them, not to mention pulling one 5 inches or so out from getting hooked on my car door handle (don't ask how) were much worse than the removal. then came the breast reduction. i have a very high pain tolerance, and although the pain was more of a stinging sensation, it was so creepy, and the poster who said it felt like someone running on your skin was correct. they do it super quickly, but gee, my luck was to have a nurse who forgot to clip the suture first on one breast and then yanked with all her might to find out it was still stitched in! ouch! but i survived and i have to say, although it stinged pretty good, it was quick and pain left after a minute or so. i hated the tedious removal of 30 0r so staples in the tummy much worse. good luck! darci
   — darci T.

June 28, 2003
I didn't have one for my WLS, but did for my gall bladder. When they took it out, it hurt, big time, but it only last for a couple of seconds. By the time my brain registered that it hurt, it was out and the pain was gone.
   — garw

July 7, 2003
Hi, I had one for my gallbladder as well, I had pain drip so 10mins before they took it out, i gave me some medication. Then they started to pull slow, that hurt, so I told them to please just get it out. That was lots better. The faster the better and it only hurt for a short time, after min. I did not feel anything, and was doing fine. Hope this helps.
   — RAQUEL S.




Click Here to Return
×