drains question and adhesive question

[anibioman]

My drains aren't really pulling any fluid. I have emptied my drains only a few times 3 times max every time under 25ml. I'm supposed to start recording the output today but from last night to 1pm today I had only 10 ml in each bulb. My drain sites also kinda hurt the right especially. Could it be kinked or something or am I just not producing a lot of fluid naturally?

I also found out I have a "sensitivity" to adhesive. Especially when the woman changing my dressing peeled the padding off. So I was wondering can I use silicone strips for scar reduction as it does adhere to the skin? Also I thought I would tape my scars to prevent streaching, is there any tape that won't irritate my skin so much?

[Alexthecat]

I barely had any fluid output and I had them in for 7 days. My drain holes hurt too. Mine were pink and inflamed from cleaning myself with baby wipes. It helped me when I would push the drain back inside my body a bit. It couldn't go far since it was stitched in but it helped a little. I used bacitracin ointment around the holes to keep them clean.

[Kreuzfidel]

You're probably just not producing that much fluid.  I didn't. I had my drains in for only 3 days and they removed them because I producing nothing at the middle of day 3.  The pain is pretty normal - the right drain hole was excruciating for me - I don't really know why other than it is pretty much an open wound.

As for the silicone strips, I don't know.  What about just plain old micropore tape? 

[aleon515]

I had maybe 15 ml the first day, 10 ml the second, and then it got hard to measure. No problem with this at all, as long as you squeeze the bulbs before you put the tops back on. Squeezing them sets up suction so that the various fluids have a chance to leave your body, but if you have done that, you aren't producing much. A good thing.
They hurt me, though I wouldn't describe the pain as "excruciating" (for me, I mean). I think the right drain bothered me more than anything early on.

I don't think you can use silicone. If you look on the packaging it says "not sterile".

--Jay

[anibioman]

I don't think you can use silicone. If you look on the packaging it says "not sterile".

--Jay

I would use them after when my chest was healed to the point where I had fresh scars not open wounds. so sterility wouldn't be an issue at that point.

[Bimmer Guy]

I would use them after when my chest was healed to the point where I had fresh scars not open wounds. so sterility wouldn't be an issue at that point.

You can start using scar treatment after the incision is completely healed.  This is typically 3 weeks after, sometimes 2 weeks.

I wouldn't assume that if you are allergic to adhesive than you will be to the strips.

[Elijah3291]

I don't remember the fluid measurements when I had my drains in, but I had them in for 7 days and there were many days near the end when there was hardly any fluid, just make sure you are giving the bulb a good squeeze when you change them.

I used silicone strips for about a month maybe, I regret it because I did an experiment.. I only used 4 strips on my chest, so maybe an inch and a half on the sides of the scars under my armpits were not covered by silicone strips, i stopped using the strips when I noticed that the scars that had NOT been covered by the strips were thinner then the scar area that HAD been covered with silicone, now don't base your decision purely on me, it could have been other factors, but yeah i stopped using them when I noticed that fact.  As far as your skin not reacting well to the tapes, well all I can say is that the silicone strips stickiness was very different to the stickiness of tapes or bandaids, they seemed less harsh, as if they were sticking on their own, rather then some sort of adhesive, its hard to explain, buy some silicone strips and stick them on some skin and you can see what I mean about their "type" of stickiness.

[aleon515]

It sounded like someone suggested using it on raw stitches or skin. You can't do that. If you skin is essentially healed and it is just a scar, you can use it.

--Jay