Newbie Questions - Drains and Staples

Hi All. I am a newbie still waiting for insurance approval but am learning so much from everyone here.

I wondered if there is any rhyme or reason as to why some people get drains put in and others don't?

i also wonder what happens to the pieces of staples that fall off when a surgeon staples your stomach and intestines with the stapling device? I watched a video link from here the other day and wondered if the staple shards are harmful if not retrieved?

I thank everyone for all that they share here which helps us newbies stay calm and keep our eyes on the ultimate prize!

You will want to ask your surgeon once you see him/her.  It is up to the surgeon.  I did not have a drain, nor did I have staples.  I was glued on the outside.  Again, it's however they do their own procedure.  Jane  

The only reason I got a drain was that my surgeon also removed my gall bladder at the same time while I was on the table. My ultrasound before surgery had showed 10 gall stones so he said he would do it as it would save going back on the table again in  few weeks after my surgery. It needed to be done. It doesn't hurt when they take the drain out-it just feels weird.

 

Carol

I too didn't have a drain.  My gallbladder was removed a year prior to my RNY.  Also, I didn't have any staples, I was glued.  My surgeon said that the inside sutures would dissolve and I would heal from the inside out.  

Good luck to you!

Hi,

I had surgery 5 days ago and I have a drainage tube. The reason is to check for leaks. I empty the ball on the end 2-3 times a day and monitor what color and how much. I drink blue power aide zero and watch the drain to see if the color changes. This is a check for leaks.  I have staples on the incisions only because I am allergic to the steri strips. All will be removed tomorrow at my check up.  I am not sure about the inside stitches.

Hi, I am 10 months post op and I had a drain and it was very unexpected.  My surgeon had a hard time, because he said my small intestine was very small and the tissue was very thin and he had a hard time for the sutures/staples to hold things together. Long story short, my surgery lasted almost 6 hrs instead of the 2 that was expected. He placed a drain in to collect all the excess fluid to hopefully avoid any kind of infection. I did not get any infection and the drain was removed a week later. I was in alot of pain the first week , but when he took out the drain, it was smooth sailing from then on....  GOOD LUCK !!

I think the staples the OP is referring to are the staples that separate the stomach and the intestines. I don't know anything about pieces coming off, though.

I assume surgeons use drains when they feel they are necessary and don't use them when they think someone doesn't need them.  You would need to ask your surgeon about the reasons he would use a drain.

Pieces of staples don't fall off.  If you're talking about internal staples, they stay there.  If you're talking about staples closing the abdominal incisions, many docs don't use those, they often just use skin glue instead.  But if they use staples, those are removed.

My surgeon puts a drain in every RNY patient, just in case there's a leak. After the swallow test, and definitely before we leave the hospital, the drain is removed. It's a weird feeling, but not painful.

As for the internal staples, I've never heard of prices breaking off.