Stripping drain, excruciating pain in right abdomen. What happened? Did I damage something?

Question

So I have been up for the morning was doing great, 5th day post op, made my breakfast did the dishes & decided to strip my drain & empty the bulb. About halfway up the tube I got an intense pain in my right abdomen. I finished stripping it, emptied the bulb & took a Vicodin (last one I took was at 2am)...sitting here now trying to get the pain under control...what happened?!? Did I damage something??

Richard Zienowicz, MD · Answer

You likely have a drain which is sucking on a nerve it is lying over. Stripping the drain increased the vacuum effect of the drainage catheter and this inadvertently caused greater suction on the nerve causing a sharp pain. The best thing to do in that situation is to release the cap on the suction bulb to stop the suction which will then release the nerve. Leave the bulb in the un squeezed position ( cap open to allow air in bulb) for 10 minutes the try resqueezing (priming) it and see if then pain returns. If it does call your doctor and ask for further instructions.

Kaveh Alizadeh, MD, MSc, FACS · Answer

The pain you’re experiencing may be attributed to you possiblyover-doing it in terms of physical activity earlier that morning and/or fromthe drain putting pressure on a nerve while you were stripping it and/or from a muscle spasm in the abdomen. It is not unusual to get abdominal muscle spasm as you now have new tension on your abdominal muscles that are tightly sewn together. None of which should damage your overall end result, but regardless it’s best to follow-up with your surgeon to let him or her know about the pain you’re experiencing.

Robert M. Freund, MD · Answer

Pain can be the result of;tugging on the drain.trying to do too much housework, 5 days after surgery.muscle spasm.Remember to strip the drains away from the body. Also, if the pain persists, call your physician immediately.

Stripping drain, excruciating pain in right abdomen. What happened? Did I damage something?

Answers (3)

More Tummy Tuck Questions

How long do I need to wait to go swimming in the ocean after a tummy tuck?

When does the bandage come off after a full TT?

What is the difference between a binder garment and a compression garment?

Help!! I'm bleeding from my belly button after a Tummy Tuck. What could this be? (photo)

Will a rib cage tattoo affect the appearance of a tummy tuck?

What are the most legit scar care options for a tummy tuck scar?

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS