Surgical recovery is often made up of several different steps. You may need to rest and take medication as prescribed by your physician. If you have a drain installed you will also need to practice surgical drain care. Unless you have a specially trained helper coming in to assist you, it is important for you to know how to perform this properly. Here is what you need to know.
It may surprise you at first when you find a drain in your incision. Your doctor may not have known that your incision would need one until he completed your surgery. You may also have more than one drain installed if your incision is quite large or deep. The purpose of these devices is to allow blood and other liquids to travel out of your body instead of staying in the wound.
Infection can be a serious problem especially when a surgical wound becomes infected. Some individuals have even died as a result of bacterial infections in their surgical wounds. You want to make sure you are going to heal as quickly as possible and it will be easier to do so if you maintain your drain properly and practice good wound care.
Often, a doctor will give you written instructions that describe how to look after yourself while recovering. You do want to make sure you do not do anything like swim while you have a drain installed as this can introduce non-sterile liquid into your wound. You also want to make sure that you have the device pinned to your clothing in such a way that it cannot be pulled or tugged. This can be painful and may end up causing the device to become dislodged.
You will see that your incision will have a tube sticking out of it. This leads to a bulb where fluid collects. This does two things. It helps keep the discharge from getting all over your clothing and bedding. It also helps keep bacteria out of the wound because it is a closed system. You do have to worry about closing up the bulb properly and making sure it is not kinked or bent.
Before you do anything, you want to make sure that your hands are clean. This will keep you from accidentally introducing bacteria into your drain or your incision. Also, if there are any tools that you have been given they should also be cleaned thoroughly. You may get a cup to measure your discharge and again, this needs to be washed properly.
It can be surprising how quickly liquid can build up in the bulb. This is why checking every six hours is a good schedule to work around when performing your care regimen. If there is only a little bit of fluid you may not need to empty it but when it gets about half to three quarters full you need to get rid of the liquid. Clean your hands and equipment, drain the fluid and measure the amount you have collected.
You need to be aware of signs of infection and know how to tell when you need to seek medical attention. If you suddenly see a lot of fluid coming out, if the liquid gets very thick or smells foul, or the liquid starts coming out of the incision as well you will need to at least contact your physician.
It may surprise you at first when you find a drain in your incision. Your doctor may not have known that your incision would need one until he completed your surgery. You may also have more than one drain installed if your incision is quite large or deep. The purpose of these devices is to allow blood and other liquids to travel out of your body instead of staying in the wound.
Infection can be a serious problem especially when a surgical wound becomes infected. Some individuals have even died as a result of bacterial infections in their surgical wounds. You want to make sure you are going to heal as quickly as possible and it will be easier to do so if you maintain your drain properly and practice good wound care.
Often, a doctor will give you written instructions that describe how to look after yourself while recovering. You do want to make sure you do not do anything like swim while you have a drain installed as this can introduce non-sterile liquid into your wound. You also want to make sure that you have the device pinned to your clothing in such a way that it cannot be pulled or tugged. This can be painful and may end up causing the device to become dislodged.
You will see that your incision will have a tube sticking out of it. This leads to a bulb where fluid collects. This does two things. It helps keep the discharge from getting all over your clothing and bedding. It also helps keep bacteria out of the wound because it is a closed system. You do have to worry about closing up the bulb properly and making sure it is not kinked or bent.
Before you do anything, you want to make sure that your hands are clean. This will keep you from accidentally introducing bacteria into your drain or your incision. Also, if there are any tools that you have been given they should also be cleaned thoroughly. You may get a cup to measure your discharge and again, this needs to be washed properly.
It can be surprising how quickly liquid can build up in the bulb. This is why checking every six hours is a good schedule to work around when performing your care regimen. If there is only a little bit of fluid you may not need to empty it but when it gets about half to three quarters full you need to get rid of the liquid. Clean your hands and equipment, drain the fluid and measure the amount you have collected.
You need to be aware of signs of infection and know how to tell when you need to seek medical attention. If you suddenly see a lot of fluid coming out, if the liquid gets very thick or smells foul, or the liquid starts coming out of the incision as well you will need to at least contact your physician.
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