Excuse me. Um... drain?

I didn't have a drain.  It's just something to ask your surgeron about.

I didn't have a drain either.  I did go home with a pain pump that I had to remove myself.  The tubes are tiny and I had to pull them out...no pain but it felt really, really strange.  Like pulling a hair our of your skin (that is the best way for me to describe what it might feel like) lol

My surgeon does not use drains. I asked him why and he said drains are mainly there in case there was a leak and since he had not had any leaks in years, he stopped using them.

I had no drains with RNY surgery.  I had 3 with my plastic surgery.  They were not too painful, and removal was strange, but no pain.  Emptying them and recording the amount of liquid collected was not that big of a deal for me or my family.

 

When I woke up from surgery, I did not have any drains or catheter for that matter.  I also see everyone talking about them but it didn't happen to me.  They put the catheter in after I was put to sleep and took it out before I woke up.  When I was getting discharged they told me to keep an eye out for any leaking and to call them if there was.  Good luck! Hopefully you don't have to deal with any of that!

No drain here  I did have one after my Panniculectomy (extra belly skin removal) and I can tell you that it sounds worse than it is.

Hearing about a drain here freaked me out...however, when I experienced it myself, it was no big thing! It didn't hurt while in, it also didn't hurt when it came out. I had the drain in 5 days.

Like Kim S., I did not have one for my RNY (which was open), but had them for 2 of my plastic surgeries (but not with the arms).  It really is not that big of a deal.  Not all surgeons use one, and the ones who do generally use them all the time, so a quick call to your surgeon's office should answer the question of whether or not you need one.  If you do have to have one, just keep the area around it clean and dry and empty it when it gets full (you just open the flap on the bulb and empty it into the toilet).  The only issue I had was figuring out what to do with it when I showered.  (I ended up putting it underneath one of my now very long boobs, LOL!)  They did not hurt when they came out... just a slight, quick discomfort.  Mostly it just felt very weird.

It will, however, likely leave you with a round scar from the hole.

Lora

I had a drain in for a week..just had it removed on tuesday. I was exteremly freaked out with the whole idea of it and honestly it wasnt as bad....I was taught how to drain it and measure it...and when it was removed it was an awkard feeling but not painful at all...dont worry, relax, u will do great! !

I had laparoscopic GB on 12/12/12 I came home form the hospital with a JP drain.  My husband emptied and measured  and put the new bandages on it for me twice daily.  The worst part for me was the tape from the bandage, left me itchy and raw.  The drain itself has a loop on it for a safety pin and pinned it to the inside of my shirt, no one even new it was there.  My drain was removed on my 1 week post op appt it was a weird feeling during removal nothing horrible.  Hubby says after it was removed I was moving a lot faster, I will say I felt much better the next day after it was out.  Everyday is getting better and better.  If your surgeon does use them, just know it is for your safety and there for a purpose, if you made this life changing decision you can handle the minimal inconvenience of the drain.  Best of luck!