GB questions

[ForgivenAndBeloved93 0]

Hi Y'all! My name is Mariah. I am attending a bariatric seminar this coming saturday but I have pretty much made up my mind to have the surgery especially since it is covered by my insurance. My main question is this: does it hurt when they pull the drain out? can you describe what it feels like? also, how long before I can go back to work? What will be my total recovery time? since i'm young does that affect the loose skin I will have? thanks

[Pinkgirl1234 761]

I had RNY...no drain at all.

[NovaL 41]

I had no drain either. Loose skin is definitely affected by many things including age but everyone is different. Take Week 1 to rest and walk and see how you feel week 2.

[jj7481 363]

I also had RNY and had no drain. Going back to work and recovery time are different for everyone and, typically, younger patients recover faster. I was back to work 2 1/2 wks after my surgery and have felt great since.

As far as loose skin there are several factors. Being younger is definitely an advantage as you have more elasticity to your skin at younger ages. However, it depends on how much skin, how fast you lose the weight, etcs.

[James Marusek 5,244]

Having a drain installed after RNY gastric bypass surgery is probably the exception to the rule. I did not have a drain installed. It may depend on the surgeon or because of problems uncovered during surgery. Those that do have a drain installed, generally have the drain removed a week after surgery and experience a minor discomfort.

[Djmohr 6,965]

I had RNY and did have a drain installed. It was removed before I left the hospital. It was the first time I had a train and I was very frightened.

Seriously it does not hurt at all! It just feels weird when they pull it out. I also had one recently for a cervical spine fusion surgery and again, no pain when they removed it. It just sort of tickled when they pulled it out.

Loose skin all depends on how much weight you have to loose. For you, because you are younger yours will bounce back better than someone like me who is 52 and lost and gained hundreds of pounds over my lifetime.

It also depends on how many times you have lost and gained. Everytime we do that, we damage our skin.

Recovery for me was not bad at all. I came home after 2 cnights in the hospital. I stopped taking pain medication the day after I came home. I felt weak for the first week only having been on Clear liquids. I began to feel much better week 2, by week 4 I felt pretty normal.

I will say that first night in the hospital was rough and I did not sleep one wink. This was because of the gas they put in your tummy. It makes you uncomfortable and it is hard to get rid of. Walking, hot packs or hot pads and when your bowels start back up gas x.

You have to keep in mind I may not be the best judge of this having had many spinal surgeries. Those recoveries take months and years and wear you down. My tolerance for pain is extremely high.

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

The drain does not hurt upon removal and no you will not have it in for a week, normally a day or two.

[Cervidae 2,389]

I had the RNY and I had a drain as well. Mine stayed in for a week after surgery. Mine did hurt coming out, but only at the wound opening and only while he actually pulled it out. I'm apparently allergic to the tape they used to cover the wound, so my skin was red, raised, and stung like hell. But if I hadn't had an allergic reaction, I'm almost positive it wouldn't have hurt at all. outside the sting, it felt like a giant piece of spaghetti being pulled out of me. A strange feeling, definitely, but nothing hurt inside.

[axlr8n 161]

I had mine for a week after RNY too. No pain when they took it out, in fact the exact opposite. I feel like I was very protective when it was in which made my muscles hurt and hard to sleep. I felt a ton better immediately after it came out.

[WannabeH 114]

I had a drain which was pulled out after the day of the op.

The nurse said "this won't hurt a bit".

I didn't hurt, but the drain was long then she expected. It was definitely a weird sensation, it feel like my intestine was being pulled out, but with no pain. There was also no discomfort for me once it was pulled out.

[MsB7 64]

My sister had a drain after RNY and she said it didn't hurt when they took it. She does have lose skin but it's not really bad.

Edited January 30, 2016 by MsB7

[jantra12 28]

@@Pinkgirl1234 what is RNY? Is it the same as a bypass?

[CancelMyAccount1 13]

Yes, a RNY is short for Rou-en-Y gastric bypass (same as bypass).

[Pinkgirl1234 761]

If you are looking for a pain free existence after surgery then WLS is not for you.

[Katrinakit 139]

I am a nurse and have pulled many jp drains. I have never heard anyone say it hurt but sometimes people say it "feels weird"

I would not worry about that.