Tummy Tuck Drains Taken Out Too Soon

I had my right JP drainage tube taken out on Monday June 7, 2010 and my doctor was very upset with me because he thinks it was too soon to have it taken out (the medical assistant took it out that day and he wasn't in the office) he is afraid as well as I am that the fluid will build up and I will have to get needles stuck in me to get the remaining fluid drained. Is there any way I can just drink a ton of water every day and keep up with exercise and have the remaining fluid flush itself out without having any problems with the fluid building up inside me? I had the drainage tube on the right side in me for two days short of 4 weeks so the medical assistant thinks it was ok for it to be removed but I am still scared to death that it was too soon to be taken out. I had a tummy tuck. Cindy

Cindy,
The doctor shouldn't be upset with you, if anyone, he should be upset with the medical assistant who took it out. I don't know, but I would doubt that drinking lots of water and exercising would do what you want in a timely manner or your doctor would have instructed you so.

It sounds like you don't relish the idea getting stuck with needles to remove the remaining fluid from your body. I had it done and it is not as bad as it sounds. I documented my experience with the needle on this page http://www.tummytuckformen.com/tummy-tuck-abdominoplasty-after-surgery-recovery.html (ref date 12/19/07). The good thing about this is that the area where he will probably stick the needle is still very numb. When he did it to me I did not feel anything. No pain at all. If you have a fear of needles, I would suggest when you go to your appointment tell the doctor that you don't want to see the needle and be sure to turn your head away when he brings it out. Most likely the fear of the needle (the worrying) is going to cause you more pain than the needle itself. I would try to schedule your next appointment as soon as possible just to get it over with. The less you think about it the better. Good luck. Best regards,
Tanner

FOLLOW-UP
Hi, thanks so much for responding back to me, because I've been on a few different sites and have e-mailed questions and gotten no response. So, I was told by my surgeon that if my stomach appears distended and sticking out gradually over time, not overnight then that is how I would know if my stomach/abdominal area is still carrying fluid and it's building up. So far the stomach area looks to be normal, however, embarrassing as it is to say, it looks as if my pubic area is possibly distended because when I look in the mirror at my side profile it seems to be noticeably sticking out more than it should, my sister though says it is probably just still swollen and it should be fine, but I am not sure, so anyway just wondering if you have heard of anyone getting their pubic area drained after this surgery?? Also, in regards to your comment on the needles being stuck in me to drain the excess fluid if necessary, well yes I would definitely look the other way, but unfortunately my numbness is wearing off slowly but surely so I am thinking by the time I go in for any draining it will be hurting, so I guess I will just take a pain pill before hand just in case and have someone drive me to the appointment. I must say you are very lucky and blessed to have had such a great recovery and especially a pain free recovery, because I can honestly say this is the most pain I have endured in my entire life and it is the worst decision I have made in my entire life as of right now. This has been a horrendous and horrible experience for me personally so I am just praying every day that after a month now of recovery that I will soon be feeling normal again. I have the unfortunate experience of dealing with my incision opening up last week on June 7, 2010 which was over 3 weeks after my surgery, it opened up not too much a few inches or so right where my belly button is at, so I have to get it packed with gauze dipped in peroxide twice a day, my sister bless her heart has been doing that for me, so this has been a horrible experience for me, so I am glad you had a great experience with this surgery because I sure didn't.

Cindy,

I would vote with you sister on "still swollen and should be fine". I have not heard of anyone getting their pubic area drained after this type of surgery. You could probably compare it to a guy's perspective from reading what I went through "down there". I copied it from my page http://www.tummytuckformen.com/tummy-tuck-abdominoplasty-pain-swelling-scars.html as follows.

SWELLING IN THE GROIN AREA.
At one of my pre Tummy Tuck meetings, the nurse make a brief comment that there may be some swelling in the lower areas (I forget how she actually put it) but I gave it no thought. I didn't know how "low" she meant. Now I do. Apparently the body fluids that were not drained off by the surgical drains made their way "downhill" towards the groin area causing noticeable swelling down there. An amusing thought came to me - "I paid $11,000 for a Tummy Tuck and got a "male enhancement" thrown in for free. Unfortunately it only lasted a month, then the swelling went down and everything was "back to normal".

Comparing you experience with mine, I guess I was pretty lucky with my entire tummy tuck and recovery. Good luck.
Tanner


FOLLOW-UP
Ok, what a relief that is to hear!! Thanks again so much Tanner for responding back to me. Have a great day and enjoy the rest of the Summer!!