Plugged drains?

[Mr_Nip]

Surgery was yesterday Sept. 6th.  I was having to empty the drains every few hours by bedtime but it was beginning to slow down a lot.  This morning there is only a small amount of fluid in the bulbs after sleeping all night.  I believe the drains are clogged.  I'll call my PS later this morning, but have any of you had a similar situation and if so, what happened?

[tnel00son]

everyone is sayin how they had to drain themselves... im confused.. i never even saw mine, the doctor said it was in and there was an extra bandage in there for it to drain into, then 2 days later i went in and he took it out in 1 second i didnt even feel it.

[Mr_Nip]

everyone is sayin how they had to drain themselves... im confused.. i never even saw mine, the doctor said it was in and there was an extra bandage in there for it to drain into, then 2 days later i went in and he took it out in 1 second i didnt even feel it.

The way I understand it, there are two kinds of drains the surgeon can choose from:  The kind I have that drains into bulbs; and the kind you mentioned that drain into bandages.  I guess it depends on the surgeon's preference and the amount of fluid expected to be draining based on the individual.

[Mr_Nip]

OK, here's an update on my drains.  I called the P.S. office and was told to grab the tubes from the chest end and run my fingers slowly down the tube while squeezing toward the bulbs.  They call it "stripping" the tubes.  The effect of it is to pump liquid through the tube and start the flow again.  I found limited success by doing that.  They said that my drainage may not be enough at this point to have anything much to come out.  I have a follow up appointment tomorrow for a bandage change and they'll look at it then.  I'll keep y'all posted.

[Yo]

Since you have a follow up tomorrow I wouldn't worry about it. Just squeeze the tubes to keep them from clogging.

For what its worth, my first day I filled up the bulbs with blood. My second day I filled them up about half way with yellowish/orange fluid. After that I didn't drain anything anymore.

[Mr_Nip]

My P.S. called me this evening to see how I'm doing and we discussed the drains.  He said not to worry that the chances were good that the fluids have just run out already.  He asked me to come in a couple of hours before my scheduled appointment tomorrow so he can look at it sooner to be sure.  I'm very impressed with this surgeon.  I think I'll post something about that in the Gynecomastia Talk board.

[DrBermant]

Surgery was yesterday Sept. 6th.  I was having to empty the drains every few hours by bedtime but it was beginning to slow down a lot.  This morning there is only a small amount of fluid in the bulbs after sleeping all night.  I believe the drains are clogged.  I'll call my PS later this morning, but have any of you had a similar situation and if so, what happened?

For most surgery, the fluid from the drains slows over time.  A plugged drain can result in fluid collection such as a hematoma or collection of blood, swelling, and discomfort.

Drains can be an important tool for surgery.  However, I prefer techniquies that maximize comfort and minimize the need for drains.  Drains suck extra fluid from the surgical site.  Here is a picture of a drain and the drain bulb used for a Tumescent Tummy Tuck.  

Drains can mean more discomfort, a separate scar, and can be a source of infection.  It is very uncommon for my male chest sculpture patients to need a drain.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Sculpture

[Mr_Nip]

Thanks for that info, Dr. Bermant.  As it turns out, I don't believe my drains are clogged after all because I have just noticed a small trickle moving into the bulbs.  It was just kind of scary that there was so much fluid yesterday and so little today.  I mean there was no additional fluid from early am until a couple of hours ago.  I had assumed the flow would decrease slowly over a few days.  My P.S. told me that many of his gynecomastia cases don't use drains, but due to the large area of lipo with me he thought it would be a good idea.   There is fortunately no discomfort from them in my case.  I'm frankly amazed at how little discomfort I have in general, considering what's been done to me.  

[nomoregyno]

thats what i was worried about too.  Therefore since day 1, I always run my fingers through the lines especially in the dark red areas.  My drainage has slowly decreased and havent seen or felt a hematoma.  Good luck my friend!  

[Mr_Nip]

Thanks, nomoregyno.  It actually turned out that they were not plugged, but the fluid had just slowed down to practically nothing literally over night.  He pulled the drains out 3 days earlier than planned because of it, which was a nice surprise.  Keep us posted on how you're doing.