96 Hours Post Op, slow steady drain.

This is a post I made from another thread from about 2:00PM:

BELLY JUST POPPED LIKE A FULL TICK.

I don't like to sit back or recline in any chair anytime because of my neck back injuries. So I sit up straight on the couch and have three pillows behind me just to relieve the strain of sitting straight up. wife had to step out to run some errands so I was sitting here playing on the computer when I thought I had to have, as close to a bowel movement as I've had in the last 5 days, I wouldn't really classify it as a bowel movement... I went in the bathroom and grabbed my shirt and I was shocked. my stomach was literally draining all over the floor. my shirt was soaked. it took me about an hour to get myself cleaned up and bandaged and then clean up the floors. I'm almost glad my wife wasn't here for that.

the liquid was a mostly clear lightly red tinted fluid, so I don't think there's any sign of infection. it is the naval incision so its the deepest. none of the other incisions are painful or open.

I do have one question, my stomach, intestines most likely, are gurgling and bubbling, almost like broccoli is being processed and the gurgling cooresponds to an associated spike in the pain in addition to the usual, ever present gas pains. Any ideas on what's causing-how do I get the gurgling to just lighten up a bit?

**********

Well now its 6:00PM ish and the leaking hasn't stopped. I've changed several more bandages out and it's still flowing. This thing won't stop flowing. My stomach pain has seriously diminished though and all of the gurglings have stopped too. I'm monitoring for belly pain, redness, and elevated temperature. I'm not really overly concerned about this. My wife called the doctors office and I have an appt at 10:15 tomorrow, they aren't overly concerned since that isn't their first appt. time of the day. I'd be worried if the leaking fluid was cloudy, had an odor or I was experiencing more pain overall then I have been historically up to this point.

1) anything I should be concerned about? fluid intake Vs. loss, sleeping 6-8 hours with a leaker?

2) anything I should be doing other then watching my DVR, waiting for my next pain med dosage? maybe stop posting on OH for awhile? HA!

I am more surprised that at this point right now, this minute, I'm probably in LESS pain then any time since the nurse stuck me with an IV prior to surgery. (is leaking a result from pressure in gut cavity, and now relieving pressure=relieving pain because of leakage at the incision site?)

I don't know what to say about this except that I had no leaking like this.  I hope you are feeling better soon.

Do you have a drain in?  It sounds like the color is good (bright red and "blood" looking would be a bad sign). I am glad to hear you called doc and are going in. As far as sleep goes, you may have to drape a towel or something. 

***This web site has some serious functionality issues.***

I do not have a drain. Doc said its nice when it works well but it causes more complications then it solves.

,

The drainage color does not concern me.

I did not leak like that so I am not sure why.  I also had drains in place.  Perhaps if the JP drain opened I had a mess but other wise no.  Best advise I can give you set your alarm at night and take your pain meds around the clock to avoid more complications.

Donna

Seriously....really....you have an open incision that is draining enough to wet the floor and it is not stopping and you are asking if there is anything to be concerned about? 

CALL YOUR SURGEON!

Google seroma and serous fluid.

Sounds like there was a whole lot of serous fluid sitting either inside your abdomen or between the abdominal cavity and the outside world, causing pain and just waiting for the opportunity to drain, and it found it's way to the outside world. While this is not a bad thing in and of itself (better out than in!), it could be a sign of a wound dehiscence, meaning that the fascia, the strong layer of connective tissue that holds everything in, has a hole in it. Sometimes this needs to be fixed, sometimes it seals temporarily but you end up with a hernia down the line.

    Definitely good that you will see the surgeon tomorrow, and go straight to the ER tonight if you have any increasing pain, nausea, vomiting. And you might find sanitary napkins work better than anything else for wound coverage while it's draining so much. I know, I know, you're a guy, but they are soft and clean and absorbent, far cheaper than anything labeled as medical supplies, and work well for this sort of problem.

Larra

Larra, as always good perspective based on knowledge.

 I think I had a minor navel hernia prior to surgery, I wonder if that could have been a contributing factor and I wonder what the doc would have could have done about it. I'll find out tomorrow.

A guy using sanitary napkins what are you crazy?

 No seriously I've had to use them before from past surgeries draining. as a matter of fact I have a bug out bag in my truck, my wife has one her truck and my daughter has one in her dorm. Anyone of us can grab that and go and have enough supplies to live about 30 days, ( days food, unlimited water with a source) really I can give you a full inventory and send photos! besides a serious first aid section, yes you guessed it, each of us carry about 10 sanitary napkins that have been vacuum sealed to save space and protect from the elements.  Two things I always keep in my truck, toilet paper and sanitary napkins, when you need them, not much else will easily replace them. I don't think I've gone off the edge like people on that NatGeo Preppers show but probably not far from it, though I have a different philosophy about what to be/can be prepared for.

Good advise, thanks!

12/4/12 11:30 AM Just got back from the doctors office, heres what I now understand:

Samora nailed it with the fluid types. evidently the layers of the cavity wall at my navel are (my words here, not my docs)delaminating. The doctor isn't worried about the drainage but he's worried that infection may set in. he'll give it until Thursday morning to stop but if its still open at that point he'll go back to repair the skin layers and repair the original incision with an open procedure. Total opening will be less that an inch, but as I understand it, each layer of the cavity wall has to be reattached, then the fluids from that layer drained, the next layer repaired drained and then the next layer et****il the layers are all repaired and then the initial incision can be repaired.