No drain tube after VSG?

[GENNYOSKINNY 78]

No drain here an only one night in hospital. Surgery in San Jose, Ca

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

Surgery in Florida, me and husband. No drains, 1 night following sleeving and both had the hernias. Uneventful recovery without problems! I would beware and keep talking and seeking answers from others here. Try to find FB groups in your area and ask others about different doctors in your area. Best of luck!

[Jdub 109]

No drain tube either, and I had a 4 day stay in the hospital.

[mamaplumlee 58]

I had a drain 3 days! Most terrible thing ever! LOL

[Miss Mac 6,262]

Two nights in the hospital - no drain.

[Tlambsleever 11]

If you can get it done without drain tube do it. The d r ain was the source of my pain for two nights and when they pulled it out I thought I was going to jump off the bed. Definitely the most painful part of the whole experience.

[sleevethefatbehind 95]

I was told that it is just a one night hospital stay...I was also told that if I have a hiatal hernia (which 90% of patients have) that, since I have insurance, the cost would be lower.

This strikes me as fraudulent. This line would create more of a red flag for me than the no drain tube issue. Never had one myself.

[LuminousLife 145]

No drain for me, just a leak test 24hours post op. I had a 2 night stay. My surgeon said one night would be sufficient but he preferred two to err on the side of caution and give me more time to become accustomed to my sleeve before flying solo.

Edited January 29, 2014 by LuminousLife

[mamaplumlee 58]

If you can get it done without drain tube do it. The d r ain was the source of my pain for two nights and when they pulled it out I thought I was going to jump off the bed. Definitely the most painful part of the whole experience.

I know right. It hurt so bad in and they were like it's not going to hurt when we pull it out it will just feel strange. Worst pain ever... you feel your organs move and shift as they yank that thing out your body...

[Dr-Patient 831]

My VSG was done outpatient. I had the J-P drain for one week. [J-P is for Jackson-Pratt drain.] it does not hurt when removed.

Not all doctors place it, though it does serve as a conduit for any excess intraabdominal Fluid collections that may occur post-op (for any surgical procedure, not only WLS). It helps decrease infection risk or blood collections that can get walled off inside. I was more than ready for it to come out by day 5, because after all the CO2 had dissolved, my organs were more in contact with the drain tubing inside me.

The J-P is not obligatory; just surgeon preference. It's not a deal-breaker.

[jess9395 5,450]

No drain. 1 night stay (though I could have stayed two) and I had a hiatal hernia repaired.

Re the hernia...insurance will cover hiatal hernia repair even when they won't cover wls, so a lot of the expense then can be covered by them because it is covered as hiatal hernia repair.

For me it was a moot point because my insurance paid for the wls

[Nevermind 117]

Thanks for all the information. Very helpful. I will definitely research.

I wonder, though, how many of these doctors "say" you have a hiatal hernia when you don't. I know that simply having insurance pay is incentive for doctors to get a ton more money. Hmm. I am definitely "afraid" of there being hidden costs that are billed to me after-the-fact.

[Tlambsleever 11]

My VSG was done outpatient. I had the J-P drain for one week. [J-P is for Jackson-Pratt drain.] it does not hurt when removed.

Im glad yours didnt hurt but mine cause contant discomfort and hurt like hell when removed. So please be acurate, didn't hurt you.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Tlambsleever

[fourthsisfour 14]

Hubby and I were sleeved same day in Costa Rica. No drain for either. One night stay with discharge to hotel. We both had uneventful recoveries. I believe it is up to the surgeon.

[BellaHugz 331]

I didnt have a drain. Also had the leak test done while in surgery to double check if there was any leaks Yay no leaks. I chose to stay 2 days since my surgery was 2 hrs away from my home. My recovery was easy.