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u/slutty_muppet

▲ 3 r/TopSurgery

Drains clogging frequently?

I'm 5 days post op and still have drains in. The right one became blocked and eventually I had to go in yesterday and get it unblocked by a nurse. She also showed me how she had unblocked it by flushing the drain, and sent me home with a few 10cc saline flushes to use in case it got blocked again over the weekend. Today, the left side of my chest became itchy and achy and I suspected another blockage in the drain on the left side this time. I managed to get a pretty big clot out of it after flushing it twice with a pulsatile flush, and it started to feel a bit better after that.

My question to y'all is did you get blockages in your drains this often? Is there anything you've found that prevents them getting blocked? I'm already doing what the nurse at my surgeon's clinic told me, which is stripping the drains at least 3x daily.

I also asked her if there was anything in the way I was wrapping the compression bandage around my chest, if it was too loose or too tight, too high or too low? But she said that wouldn't affect clots getting in the drains. So she didn't really have any more tips besides the frequent drain stripping.

Does anyone have any guesses as to what's making my drains get blocked by clots so often? Any tips on how to prevent them getting blocked by clots that aren't what I've already mentioned? The fluid that's draining at this point is mostly clear, yellowish, or pinkish and not cloudy or thick at all, so not something I would expect to create a lot of clots.

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u/slutty_muppet — 5 days ago
▲ 6 r/TopSurgery

2 days post op DI/buttonhole

I had a combination of double incision and buttonhole/pedicled nipples done by Dr. Marco Ellis and his team with Northwestern University medical system in Chicago. My highest priority was keeping as much original sensation in my nipples as possible. When I took off the bandages I already had full sensation in both and hopefully it stays that way. Previous to surgery I was a 36C, and I am 40 years old, and have been on testosterone for seven years. Surgery was covered by my insurance via Illinois Medicaid. It took me a long time to find a surgeon who seemed confident and competent about maintaining full nipple sensation in someone with a chest as large as mine and who would be able to take my insurance. I'm happy to answer any questions.

I also can't say enough good things about Dr. Ellis and his team at Northwestern. They have been very easy to get ahold of and quick to respond to every communication, both before and after surgery.

u/slutty_muppet — 7 days ago
▲ 2 r/TopSurgery

Accidentally removed a steri-strip

I'm 24 hrs post surgery and followed my surgeon's instructions to remove the blue and white pads after 24 hrs. One of them seems to have torn off a steri-strip in the process. It was the one closest to my armpit. Has this happened to anyone else? Did it cause any problems?

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u/slutty_muppet — 9 days ago