Tummy tuck: My drains are not filling up, is this normal?

I encourage you to "strip" or "milk" the drains. If this wasn't explained, call your plastic surgeon and ask the nurse or staff-member to verbally walk you through it on the phone. Your drains might just need a little extra help. Best of luck.

Normally there is more drainage immediately after the procedure, and this tapers off over the first week. The first thing you need to do is ensure that the drains are working properly and that you understand proper drain management. Ensure that the JP drain bulbs are squeezed and remain compressed. You should also strip the drains if you were shown how to do that. If this was not explained to you, you should call your doctor. Assuming that the drains are working properly, different patients will often have different amounts of drainage. Sometimes as the days go by and you increase your activities, the drain output will also increase. Discuss this with your surgeon.  Best wishes.

Thank you for your questions. Although I do not know the details of your procedure, I would expect there to be some drainage on day one. You need to make sure the drain tubes are not kinked or the sutures holding the drains in place are not too tight and closing off the drain. You also need to make sure you are "charging" the drains properly to make sure they have suction on them. The best thing you can do is call your surgeon to discuss your concerns and be evaluated to find out what is going on. Hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for your question. The drains should normally have more fluid at post-op day one, especially if liposuction was performed also performed.  I recommend calling your surgeon today and discussing drain care with them.  There may be an easy fix for you.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Thank you for reaching out. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but be sure to mention it to your surgeon at your post op follows ups so they can make sure the drains are not clogged up. congrats on your procedure and best of luck! Dr. Kim

If you have drains and you are not experiencing any drainage this is not necessarily an issue. You may find that as you move that you may get some drainage. The only thing to check is that the drains are actually on / open and it might be worth running this past your PS as there are different drains that are used. 

The fact that you do not have much fluid collecting in your drains in itself is not necessarily a problem.  Although, drains are commonly used with tummy tuck procedures, not all surgeons use drains.  Some patients may drain more or less depending on the extent of the surgery and whether liposuction was performed on the hips or abdomen, which tends to increase the amount of fluid draining.  However, some troubleshooting is in order.  You need to make sure that the tubing is not kinked or has clotted blood in it preventing it from working effectively.  If there is any noticeable blood clotted in the tubing, you may try to gently "strip"  or "milk" the tubing if your surgeon is OK with you doing this.  Also, make sure that the drain container is activated, meaning it is compressed, plugged with the stopper tab and maintaining suction.  If it is not maintaining suction, make sure that the drain has not pulled out and drawing in air from the drain tube itself.  If this is the case, DO NOT push the drain back in and contact your surgeon immediately.  Also, make sure that you do not have any increased swelling on your abdomen, which may mean that fluid is accumulating under your abdominal skin flaps and not in the drain.  It is best to contact your plastic surgeon to discuss your concerns and work through this issue together.

Generally I would consider less fluid in the drain a 'good thing'!
It is quite possible for there to be very little or virtually no drainage and everything be fine. Check that the tubing is not bent excessively or kinked. There is the possibility that the drain tube is blocked and that is why it is not draining. If there is at least some blood or fluid in the drain tube then it is less likely that it is blocked although it still could be. Blood can clot in the tubing causing it to block.If you feel well and you are not dizzy when you stand up and your tummy is not swelling up then it may simply be that your drain is not going to drain very much. However, if you are concerned you should return to be seen by your plastic surgeon. IF you tummy is swelling or you are dizzy or faint when you stand up then you should be seen by a doctor preferably your plastic surgeon. Best wishes

I'm not sure what you mean by "My drains are not filling up". If it means that they are filling but not to full capacity, then that's good. This implies that the drains are most likely working but you don't have much drainage. If, however, there is no drainage at all then it suggests that the drains are not working. This could result from several factors, one of which is that when emptying the drains, the bulb cap is replaced without  compressing the bulb, thereby preventing suction. In any case, you should follow up with your PS. 

Congratulations on your tummy tuck.  So early after tummy tuck I would expect that your drains would be filling the reservoir.  Most often when drainage tubes stopped draining either the drain is clogged or the drain is partially pulled out the incision so that the drain is sucking air.  It is important to contact her plastic surgeon for examination and not allow the fluid to accumulate earlier flaps.