drain or no drain?

ive heard some people say they had drains after the sleeve and some people didnt. how do they determine who gets them and who don't? if you have themn how long do es it stay in? im confused about it!

I had a drain, and it stayed in the duration of my stay at the hospital. it didnt bother me at all until they took it out. HOLY batman shoes. when they tell you to exhale, you better just keep exhaling. That was worse than taking the catheter out of me! Good luck though, its so worth it!

I had a drain and it was by far the worst part.  Not while it was in, but when they took it out.  I had been off pain meds for about 12 hours so I felt the entire thing.  Kind of creepy feeling because you can feel it slide through you but also painful.  I would suggest some pain meds before they take it out.  If not, it's literally only took two seconds to remove lol

but did they say WHY you had a drain? cuz not everyone has to get a drain

I had one, and went home with it for a few days. No big deal. You just empty it out a couple times a day, measure the goop, and write it down. They show you how before you leave the hospital. I liked having the drain -- I could see that the fluid was what color they told me it should be and that there was no infection in there. I just pinned the thingy to the inside of my shirt, so it didn't hang, or feel weird.

They removed it in the dr. office day 4 post op. Hurt for a moment, but not that bad. Some surgeons always put in a drain, some don't.

But it isn't anything to worry about.

oh ok

On a positive note for you, I had a drain for 3 days and it was absolutely nothing.  Even when they removed it, you take a breath and exhale and I closed my eyes and there was no pain at all, just a funny feeling that last only seconds.
So if your Dr. uses a drain, do not fret, you will do fine!
Best wishes!

I had a drain and didn't think it was too big of a deal.  They removed it on day 2 post op before I left the hospital.

My doctor uses them because he has a pretty good idea by the amount, color and texture of the drainage whether or not there's a leak.  He also takes samples two times to test for saliva, which is another indication of a leak.  When he pulled mine out, he told me would count to three and then pull it.  It felt weird, but didn't hurt.

I did NOT have a drain, my doctor does not use them unless there is a confirmed leak (they can tell from the barium swallow). They put the drain in following the second surgery to make sure there are no other problems.

i think thats what my doc will do. they said the next morning after my surgery i would have a barium swallon done to test for leaks. im guessing that means i wont have a drain