Ok... I have been trying to find this info.... Can someone explain all the tubes

Jody W.
on 8/5/11 2:41 pm - Windsor, CT
You leave the hospital with ... what they are for and how long do you have the in for.... By my research I have been seeing JTubes but no detailed info on them... even on DSFacts.com the were not explicate enough for me.... Can someone help me out with this one?
Thanks in advance
-Jody

Original LapBand Surgery - 07/26/06- DS Surgery - 08/16/2011
 HW/LW/SW/CW/GW
289/195/277.5/242.5/170
 

(deactivated member)
on 8/5/11 2:50 pm - Beverly, NJ
It really depends on 1. your surgeon and 2. your individual needs. My surgeon went over all of these with me before my surgery. I'm not familiar with Roslin so I don't know how his procedures are.

From what I know (and it isn't much):

You have the possibility of leaving with a drain, which essentially looks like a clear ball attached to a hose (you will have it in the hospital) that drains all the fluid build up it needs to be emptied periodically. My surgeon removed it before i went home. I know of people who went home with one though.

A j-tube is a tube that helps you get nutrients you need. I never had one but I know some people need them. I believe this is on a case to case basis and isn't too common. It's a clear tube and you use what looks like a huge syringe to push what you need into it and into your intestines (I'm sure someone who has one can better explain it)

You may have a central line for fluids. I've heard of only one or two people coming home with these. Mine was removed before i went home. In the hospital I also received my pain meds and anything else I needed through it.

My doc also had this ball that was connected to tiny tubes and placed around my incision. It delivered a numbing agent directly to my incision site. This was also removed before I came home.

Removing all of these were simple and easy and in my case not painful.

Jody W.
on 8/6/11 1:36 pm - Windsor, CT
Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out!!!
Thanks
-Jody

Original LapBand Surgery - 07/26/06- DS Surgery - 08/16/2011
 HW/LW/SW/CW/GW
289/195/277.5/242.5/170
 

beemerbeeper
on 8/5/11 2:50 pm - AL
Hi Jody,

It depends on the doctor.  Dr Smith uses a PICC line for access to a vein while you are in the hospital and you get it put in the day before your surgery.  It comes out before you go home.  That was the only tube I had.  I did not come home with any drains or tubes.

Other surgeons send folks home with drains, feeding tubes and such.  So you just have to find out what your surgeon does.

~Becky


Jody W.
on 8/6/11 1:38 pm - Windsor, CT
Thanks for the info Becky!

Original LapBand Surgery - 07/26/06- DS Surgery - 08/16/2011
 HW/LW/SW/CW/GW
289/195/277.5/242.5/170
 

Elizabeth N.
on 8/5/11 3:04 pm - Burlington County, NJ
It varies. I had no tubes when I left the hospital and lots of others don't either.

If you have a J tube, it's in your belly, goes directly into your small intestine through your abdominal wall. A J tube is insurance for getting in hydration and nutrition if you can't get enough by mouth. You put stuff in it. You'll need to flu**** with a little water daily regardless of whether or not you use it. If you have it, it generally stays in till the first postop appointment, which is generally about a week after discharge.

If you have one or more incisional drains, those are thin tubes with an egglike container at the end. Fluid collects in that space, which you squeeze out and dispose of. It's called a JP drain and is a fabulous invention. It, too, generally stays in till the first postop appointment, assuming a normal recovery.

Neither one of these tubes is difficult to use. Some people are squeamish about such things, but really, they are nothing to worry about.

Again, most people don't have any of this when they go home. It's a matter of your surgeon's preferences and how you're doing at the time. A medical need could always develop.

Jody W.
on 8/6/11 1:40 pm - Windsor, CT
Thanks Elizabeth...
It just didnt seem like anything anyone was really talking about... so I was really curious!!
Thanks Again
-Jody

Original LapBand Surgery - 07/26/06- DS Surgery - 08/16/2011
 HW/LW/SW/CW/GW
289/195/277.5/242.5/170
 

(deactivated member)
on 8/6/11 10:29 am
 No tubes or  drains for me.
Jody W.
on 8/6/11 1:41 pm - Windsor, CT
Ok!!  So I see... some do and some dont!!!
Thanks

Original LapBand Surgery - 07/26/06- DS Surgery - 08/16/2011
 HW/LW/SW/CW/GW
289/195/277.5/242.5/170
 

LizzyV
on 8/6/11 11:15 am
My IV and drain were removed right before I was discharged yesterday, but they sent me home with a subdural anesthetic line that is still in (it provides pain relief right at the incision site so you don't need as much narcotic meds). I need to remove it by tomorrow. The drugs are almost all the way gone. I hope I don't miss them too much.
Liz
Who never thought I'd look forward to being a loser!  
    
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