This probably sounds like such s silly question but what is the drain tube used for? How long do you have it? Is it painful? Is it gross? Does it get in the way of anything? I'm basically completely clueless.

Unless you've already been told you're having one, there's a good chance you won't! I didn't have one and a lot of people don't however some surgeons prefer them or if you have more bleeding than expected during surgery they may add one. Just cross your fingers that you don't have to deal with one! I was so glad my surgeon went the less tubes the better route.

The drain helps to prevent fluid from accumulating at the surgical site. The part inside your body is a flexible tube with little holes. It connects to a collection container outside your body (usually looks like a hand grenade- but some are different). I've never had one but some patients do complain that it feels sore or bothers them that they have to tote this around.

I had a drain. I never even noticed it except when I was walking around and it would hang down around my knees and when it would swing around, it kind of felt pinchy...but then someone showed me it had a clip on it so I clipped it to my johnny and was good to go! It wasn't gross, it didn't hurt. I had a two day hospital stay and it was removed just before I left the hospital (I believe some may keep it longer but mine was completely dry so not really needed) When the doctor removed it, I was told to take a deep breath and exhale.. as I was exhaling, he took out the drain.. I didn't feel a thing. He put a bandaid over the incision where the drain was and that was it.

It is amazing how different all our experiences are, now for me, I had a drain tube, and had to keep it after I went home. Had it for 10 days after surgery. For what we are going to gain I guess it was tolerable...but honestly, it did get sore for me, and boy was I glad to get that baby out last week. lol.

Yes, it is a small tube, probably less than 1/4" in diameter that allows Fluid to drain from in around the surgical site. Not only does it prevent excess fluid, it also can show a leak. My doctor advised me to drink odd colored fluids (no oranges or reds) for the first several days because if there was an internal leak, it would show in the "hand grenade".

Ad for pain, I would say no, it is not painful unless it gets pulled on because, in my case, they used a single stitch in my side to attach the tube to the skin so it couldnt be pulled out. It is a little gross because you need to empty abd measure the fluid that is being drained into the pouch. It stinks a little, is a mixture of blood and clear/yellow fluid, and is just overall not pleasant to see or have hanging out of your body. Was it miserable, no, it was fine, but it is what it is.....

When it was removed (1 week post op appointment) my Nurse Practitioner just told me to take a quick deep breath in on the count of three and when I did that, she yanked the tube out. Was it painful, not really, was it the weirdest sensation I have ever felt, no doubt! It is a very flexible tube coming out of your body the way you would suck in a wet noodle so try to think how that would feel...very strange.

I didn't like it but I am glad I had it for the peace of mind that I could see if I had internal bleeding (more than I should) or a leak. And, to some extent I would think it helped relieve some pressure as well which may or may not have helped with my comfort.

I had mine in for 48 hrs. It was the strangest feeling when they pulled it out. I was thankful I only had it 2 days. It didn't really hurt, but out of the lapro. scars, the tube left the worst one.

I agree. It's a precautionary step I'm very pleased with. It's used to detect any excessive fluids, leaks or bleeding. Something I'm glad my surgeon does. I had no pain at all and as soon as the final leak test was performed it was removed without any discomfort.

I had a drain that was left in for my overnight hospital stay. (It didn't hurt, but it did make walking interesting.) Anyway as they were removing my drain and the end of the tube was "whipping around" inside my body (much like the wet noodle example above), I couldn't help but think that this was almost what it would be like if I were pregnant and the baby was moving inside my body. Having never been pregnant myself, I told my nurse friend and she thought that was a great analogy. My friend had 4 drains after plastic surgery and she said it was very painful to have them removed. Seems that the longer they stay in the body, the more tissue begins to form around them and the more painful their removal.