Hi all:

I just join today. My surgery date is 12/2.... just 3 days away. I am reading the posts and notice that they put on drains after the surgery. Tomorrow I will meeting with my doctor and will ask him about that. OMG I didn't know that I had to walk around with a drain! can the community share their experience with me as far as the drain is concerned?

Thank you

Not every surgeon uses a drain. Mine doesn't unless there are complications. I've had 4 different drains placed, and honestly they are painless. Cumbersome, yes, but painless. I taped mine to my belly with paper tape, and tucked them in my super loose panties so they weren't "hanging" off of me.

the drain is there as a safety precaution to ensure there is no internal bleeding in your stomach cavity... Normally after the doctor does ur leak test it is taken out ... Some people are not bothered by it being there.. But it was sort of uncomfortable for me.. I hated carting it around and for me it was the worst part of my experience when they took it out... But alot of people don't even notice it being taken out.. So it just depends hope this helps!!

I didn't have one in. Pre-op they said he puts drains in, but my surgery went so well he decided I didn't need one. He said there was very little bleeding and thats why I didn't need one. That was the thing I worried most before surgery, LOL. I was so excited when I didn't have one. People kept checking my incisions and I was like "do I have a drain", and they said no. I was too out of it to check, and too afraid to check, lol. I was so happy. I have heard its kind of uncomfy getting it out, but I think it depends on your pain tolerance, and also how long it is in. The longer it is in, I think the skin around it can start healing. I wouldn't worry too much about it because I don't think you will remember it in the long run. The surgery was painful for me, but I barely remember how bad it was. Good luck with surgery!

I had a drain and most of the time I forgot about it. It did not hurt when it was taken out; just felt kind of funny and it only took about two seconds for the surgeon to remove it. I wouldn't worry about it at all.

I am so worried about a drain too. I see my doctor again Friday and that is a top question on the list!

Hi, I went home with one drain and got it removed on day nine. It had to be emptied once a day. I was still able to take a shower everyday. It was totally painless a little annoying and I was always worried about it getting pulled.

Nancy

I wasn't expecting a drain, but I woke up with one and I get it taken out tomorrow. It's pretty weird having a tube protruding from your body. The worst part is emptying it and changing the bandages as I get pretty squimish. Blech. Also, I was told not to shower with it, so that's been no fun. I have to wait 2 days AFTER it's taken out before I can shower. I love my showers, so the countdown is on!

the drain is there as a safety precaution to ensure there is no internal bleeding in your stomach cavity... Normally after the doctor does ur leak test it is taken out ... Some people are not bothered by it being there.. But it was sort of uncomfortable for me.. I hated carting it around and for me it was the worst part of my experience when they took it out... But alot of people don't even notice it being taken out.. So it just depends hope this helps!!

This was also my experience. It was the worst part of surgery IMO (not the pain, which for me wasn't bad at all, or the stitches, which were glued shut) but the drain. I had it for 6 days and thought I would be SO happy to have it removed, when in reality, I felt worse after it was gone, spiked a fever and ended up taking 2 pain pills later that night (which I had been off of since day 3.) So yeah it was the worst part for me.

Ask your surgeon, not everyone uses them and some take them out before you leave the hospital. The only thing that I liked about the drain was knowing that I didn't have internal bleeding and that it was getting some extra "gunk" out of my insides post-sugery.

I had no idea that I was going to have a drain and was even more surprised when they said I would be going home with it. It was not horrible though. I emptied it a few times a day and kept track of how much I emptied. There was a safety pin on a tab on the top so I pinned it to the inside of my pants. I was able to take a shower, I wrapped my midsection in saran wrap. 5 days after I was discharged the drain was removed in the doctors office. Now everyones pain thresh hold is different. I thought the removal hurt, just for a second or two. It was more of a weird feeling, having this tubing pulled from my stomach. My only advice is to take a deep breath before it is removed. On the plus side, once the drain was out any discomfort I had was gone. I wasn't in pain while it was in, just discomfort.

Here is what I found when searching drains:

A surgical drain is a tube used to remove pus, blood or other fluids from a wound. Drains inserted after surgery do not result in faster wound healing or prevent infection but are sometimes necessary to drain body Fluid which may accumulate and in itself become a focus of infection. The routine use of drains for surgical procedures is diminishing as better radiological investigation and confidence in surgical technique have reduced their necessity. It is felt now that drains may hinder recovery by acting as an 'anchor' limiting mobility post surgery and the drain itself may allow infection into the wound. In certain situations their use is unavoidable. Drains have a tendency to become occluded or clogged, resulting in retained fluid that can contribute to infection or other complications. Thus efforts must be made to maintain and assess potency when they are in use. Once a drain becomes clogged or occluded, it is usually removed as it is no longer providing any benefit.

Drains may be hooked to wall suction, a portable suction device, or they may be left to drain naturally. Accurate recording of the volume of drainage as well as the contents is vital to ensure proper healing and monitor for excessive bleeding. Depending on the amount of drainage, a patient may have the drain in place one day to weeks. Signs of new infection or copious amounts of drainage should be reported to the health care provider immediately. Drains will have protective dressings that will need to be changed daily/as needed.

I was confused by it as my daughter had RNY and come home with no drain. I have had two in life now, once after gallbladder and now after the sleeve. I am still toting it around here I can not concentrate on it much, it is just there. I asked the nurse why my daughter did not have one and why I did and she said the group I go to ALWAYS uses a drain. So it much be preference. The one doctor that came i asked to see it and made the comment that it was "nice healthy fluid" . I was like ok, but your definition of nice and mine are way different! I had my gallbladder out the old way and I had a HUGE drain in and it did NOT hurt removing it, left me feeling a little light headed but no pain.

I had a drain. Wasnt fun, but wasnt too bad, i had drips and ecg leads and everything attached to me too. I had it for 2 days, it was annoying but didnt hurt too much unless i rolled over in bed and pulled on it, even then it wasnt sore, just.. weeird...

I pinned it to my trousers so i could walk around, and just held the bag between my teeth in the shower!

I was worried about getting it removed but that didnt hurt either, again, just felt, weird. had to wear a dressing for 2 days but its healing fine now.

I had the drain for the 3 days in the hospital as a precautionary measure. My doctor does it with everyone. It got drained twice a day. I didn't like it at all. It made it hard to breath. Like a really bad side ach. It never really hurt (sharp pain) hurt. Just a pain in the butt.

When I had my hysterectomy, I had a drain. It didn't hurt, and it was actually "good," because it took some of the excess Fluid that would have been swelling away.

I hope to get sleeved on Thursday, and imagine that I will have a drain... but they really don't hurt at all. They are kind of icky to look at, but just think... "Out with the bad stuff, in with the good stuff..."

They're really not a big deal but I hope I don't have to have one!!! I had one before and it was a little gross having to empty it. I got over it quickly but others got pretty grossed out when they saw it. The worst part was when they pulled it out. It wasn't terrible but it did hurt a bit as it was yanked out. Once it was out the pain was pretty much gone. I was so just so damn happy to have it out I didn't care.

I am two weeks and two hours out of surgery. And honestly, until I saw your post, I forgot that I had the drain removed 8 days ago. It sucked for the 5 days that it was in. I caught it on things walking around a few time, and pulled some stitches. And I think that it amplifies the gas and abdominal discomfort that you feel after surgery. But think about it, 14 days and I feel 3 years younger, at least. And my doctor said that I was one of the biggest whiner and wimps that he's had go through the procedure!

You have to realize that you will feel so much better so soon that it's honestly a miracle. I know it won't last forever, but my ability to control my cravings and not feel hungry all the time is the best drug I can imagine. Even if the drain and the bloating and the incisions hurt more than they do, I'd still say it was totally worth it.