dealing with drains

glennie19

Hi, guys,

A male friend of mine is having surgery on Friday and his wife is really worried about the drains. I'm going to help them out with the stripping and that, but I was wondering how you guys dealt with them.  When I had my MX, I got a cute little camisole from TLC that had drain pockets for holding the drains. It closed down the front with velcro and was very easy to put on and was a great drain holder.  However, it is very GIRLY looking and I can't suggest he use it! 

I was thinking,,, a fishing vest???  So I thought I'd ask how you guys held up your drains !!

 

thanks !! 

glennie

 

dltnhm

G - 

I'm not a guy but I didn't want a special camisole or belt. My abdominal drains sat fine in my underwear. I either pinned those other lovely clear grenades to a lanyard or to my top. I only had a left mx - so can't speak to both sides. 

sarahjane7374

I'm not a guy either,, but both times I had drains what worked best for me was big safety pins. I either pinned them right to my shirt or looped them through a running belt (spibelt).

profbee

Yeah, not a man, but I'd say a loose fitting shirt...perhaps a button down to help get on and off easily...you can just pin the bulbs inside.  So, something thick enough to not be able to see through, dark enough that if the drain leaks a bit no big, and soft enough that you can fall asleep in it.  I also found that a sweatshirt often has a pocket inside where the pocket is sewn in...it creates a sort of inside pocket, and I stuck my drain bulbs in there.  And it was nice to zip on and off.  It seems to me that a fishing vest would be too bulky and uncomfortable.  Best of luck to your pal.

glennie19

Thanks for the suggestions! 

BayouBabe

I have heard someone say that they bought one of the cheap tool aprons from a home improvement store and used that.  The half aprons, that tie around the waist for nails and such.  

oddducklady

When my husband had his mx in February the hospital he was at had drain holders that someone had made. They were just small square pouches that had a thin ribbon attached to hang around the neck. He picked up one that had a pattern that wasn't 'girly'. At the time we weren't sure he's ever use it. Plan was to keep it pinned to shirt. However it came in perfectly when he took a shower so that the drain wasn't just hanging. He would hang it up and it dried quickly. Looks like about a 9" long by 5" wide piece of material that was folded in half and the ribbon was stitched up with each side. Good luck to your friend.

glennie19

Oh, the tool apron is a great idea!  I'll hit Home Depot tomorrow for one of those!  Thanks so much!

Moonflwr912

At first I used a big wide ace wrap around my belly and tucked them in there. It kept them from sticking out too much. 

You may know this already but if not try this!  strip the tubing using an alcohol pad. If you've never done it that way you will be amazed how easy it is! Just hold on to the drain at the skin and put the little pad around the tube and press it as you strip them. 

eric95us

For when my wife showered, I got a very long shoelace--72inches long--tied it in a large loop and put it around her neck.  We hung the drains on the shoelace.  

I do remember the alcohol wipes making it much easier to strip the drains.

glennie19

I got the tool apron at Home Depor. 77 cents!  Can't beat that.  And I got long shoelaces and alcohol wipes.  I'm putting together a care package.  Thanks for all the helpful hints!  

Nola70115

FWIW, I wore my husband's cotton gym shorts and kept the drains in the pockets.  I guess it depends on how long your tubing is, but I had lots of room to work with.

glennie19

My friend had double MX on Friday. I went over on Saturday to help his wife out with the first dressing change.  It went well. And the nail apron that I got from Home Depot worked great with the drains. It has 3 pockets and he has 3 drains.  His surgeon said she'd never seen anything like it, but it was a great idea for the drains.

Thank you BayouBabe for the suggestion!  It is working well for him. And he can put a button down shirt over it and it is not visible!