Drainage

Did you ever have drainage from one of the incisions at home after surgery.
Doc said it was fine and I feel ok but the drainage is agrivating because I have to change the bandage all the time.   how long will it last ?

Keith

Believe it or not you want it to drain. when it doesn't it leads to a lot of pain and possible infection. I don't know if you seen my post below but my troubles started because I had a hemotomba, a build up of blood between the skin and muscle. After they drained this, additional fluid built up under the incision and caused me some great pain and a high fever and it put me back in the hospital for the night. This caused the surgeon to reopen the incision and insert a drain tube to drain this fluid and put me on a course of antibiotics for 10 days. I removed the tube because it looked like the drainage had stopped but know it is draining even more I have to change the bandage at least three times a day. I have an appointment on 9/3/08 for the surgeon to take a look at it again.  I had surgery on 8/5/08 and had very little drainage untill recently. All I can say is keep it clean and let it drain it is best in the long run.

Follow your surgeons instructions.  Know that there may be what you call drainage which may be different than seepage.  I had fluid leaking out the entire length of my open RNY incision.  I had to have a nurse come in and change dressings daily.  She taught my wife how to do it.  I think this went on for 2-3 months before it was completely healed.

Hi kieth.  I had the same thing.  If you run ho****er over it a couple times a day, it will draw the fluid to the place where it is draining more quickly, and help it drain.  My clinic said it happens in about 10 to 15% of their patients and is nothing to worry about, as long as it drains.  A couple times, it started to heal over, and the fluid built up to where I was getting some pain.  By runnung ho****er on it for a very long time, it would eventually rupture through and relieve the pain and pressure. It is called a SEROMA if you want to research it further.  Good luck.

Kevin Hodges

They put a drain in mine and it drained for 5 f'ing weeks. I had to use a cut-up kotex and surgical tape or it would leak through. Certainly complicated the process. Of course I was hella diabetic so ...that could have been the healing issue.