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Are the drains painful?



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Surgery is one week from tomorrow! I can't get over the fear of the drain! The whole idea of it sticking out where I can see it and the thought of it being painful when in and when being pulled out scares the crap out of me! I know I stay two days in hospital and it will come out day 2.

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I had my surgery two weeks ago today. I also had a drain but had to keep it in for five days. I was terrified of it! However, I found that it was not painful at all when it was in and I didn't even feel it when they were pulling it out!

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I have had drains for surgery twice before. I didn't have any issues the first time (had two drains then), but this time around, for the sleeve, my drain seemed to be the cause of this menstrual cramp-type pain. The cramps went away as soon as the drain was removed. As for pain when they remove it, there isn't any at all. It feels a littler weird, but not painful. Also, they tape up the area where the drain comes out of your skin really well, so it's not like you have it just hanging out of you, pulling on your skin or anything.

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No pain with the drain in and just a slight uncomfortable feeling when they were removing it.

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I didn't have any drains ????

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I had one drain and while it was in I didn't feel it. I did consciously not move much while in bed because I was afraid to mess it up some how. I had my PCA pump still going when they pulled it out so I pushed my WONDERFUL pain button right before they pulled it and it didn't really hurt. I agree that it was just an uncomfortable feeling but not painful.

Oh yea, the NUT, nurses and Dr's all prepared us by reminding us to breath when they're taking it out cause holding your breath would make it more unbearable. It worked!

Good Luck!

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No drain for me.

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Not everyone gets a drain... You may be one of the lucky ones.

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I had three drains and while they were in it wasn't painful. I was just very paranoid they would get hung on something and the little bulbs on the end of them were cumbersome. When they pulled them out, 2 of them didn't hurt, the last one (was so glad it was last) hurt, but it was more of an odd feeling as I guess it was really deep. Hardly any pain after. This was the first time I had drains in any surgery.

Having a catheriter in was more bothersome. Hopefully you won't have them in long.

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For me, the drain was the worst part. But, like you, I had a real fear about it before I went in and was really hoping I wouldn't have one. I was mortified when I found I'd got one.

It didn't hurt while it was in. But taking it out was vile. I had surgery Friday pm and the drain was taken out Saturday pm, so 24 hours.

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I had a drain. I didn't feel it at all while it was in. Mine was pulled the day I was discharged from the hospital and it didn't hurt, but it was an odd feeling having it pulled. I also had one years ago when I had my hysterectomy. That one didn't hurt either and I felt nothing when it was pulled.

It's nothing to be afraid of.

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I did not have a drain for the sleeve. I had one in my knee for my ACL reconstruction. No big deal. Well taped in place and no pain when they pulled it.

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I was worried about the drains that I read about before my surgery. I asked my surgeon and he said I wouldn't be having any drains and I didn't. I also didn't have a pre-op diet. I wonder why the doctors are all SO different

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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