Hey everyone!

I was wondering if anyone out there who'd had a leak and therefore a collection of any size could give me some advice. Some of you may know that I had a collection about the size of a golf ball on my stomach which was drained to about half the size but because the collection is so far up it was difficult to get to and the rest has been left. My doctor tells me that my body will naturally clear the rest of it away.

So what I want to know is how long does it take for this to be removed from the system. In week 2 and 3 after my surgery, I felt phenomenal - no throwing up, no nausea, no stomach cramps or anything. Since I got sick and had a stent put in and removed and had the collection half drained it hasn't been quite the same. I'm doing a lot better than when I was sick obviously but I've been getting stomach cramps when I eat, and my bras push down exactly on the spot so I can't wear them for very long.

How long til you felt 'normal' again?

I had drains left in for 3 weeks after I had abscesses/fluid pockets found in my abdomen, and one worked it's way down close my pelvic cavity.

The one close to my pelvic cavity quit draining, and it disappeared in about 2-3 weeks after the drain was removed. I was was on heavy antibiotics, and anti-nausea meds the entire time. Zofran was the nausea drug that worked for me. I had the same issue eating when the pockets were still in my abdomen, but once they were completely gone, I had no issues with discomfort.

I'm pretty sure every patient is different when it comes to how long they hang around in there. I know the drains helped significantly.