Question about chest tubes

[Nan]

Hi Adrienne, well, I vote with everyone who thinks that perhaps it was the pacer wires that they cut and left in. I really think you would know it if they left a piece of tubing in, mine was fairly large. Although the location sure sounds like where the tubes (mine at least) were located. Mine came out the second or third day, and with the "slurp" that others have mentioned.

Have you had an x ray since your surgery? It would be interesting to ask the radiologist if anything shows up!

Take care,

 

[lynn]

Adrienne, I also have the *two bullet holes* (I love that, sounds like we've really been through something!) and another couple of small spots where the pacer wires were. One came out like spaghetti snaking through...that was the weirdest thing ever, the other was stuck and he pulled it tight and just snipped it. I can't feel anything there but there but I can see where it was. I would think you would feel a piece of chest tube for sure!

 

[Adrienne]

Nan, if I ever have to have an x-ray again, I will certainly ask what they see in there!

I suppose I should have actually looked at what the nurses were doing in detail. All I can say is that the only real "holes" I have or had are the two "bullet holes" (Lynn, we did really go through something!!) and the marks from the catheters that went into the neck. To the left of the bullet holes, there has been a sort of "blotchyness" as if the skin had been irritated, but that's all.

I suppose I could ask my cardio when I see him in the fall, but it depends on if I have a lot of really important questions. I suppose I could also write to the Archives Dept., but I don't even know what report I would ask for, and I don't know if it's worth it (I have obtained echo and holter reports from Archives, but that was more important).

Anyhow, I sure am curious!

 

[PegB]

I must be the strange one here.....I had my tube (only one, center upper abdominal area) pulled while still in ICU about 20 hours p.o. It was only uncomfortable, felt very long while he was pulling, and made that yucky sound coming out. My wires were pulled on day on day 4, and I went home the next morning. I guess each case must be individual, or maybe it's just different facilities?

 

[Adrienne]

PegB, where were the pacer wires placed? How big is the hole? Is it just one hole?

Since you had only one chest tube, could it be that my right bullet hole is from the chest tube and the left bullet hole is from the pacer wires? The two holes look alike and both have a stitch that can be seen.

 

[Lynlw]

PegB, where were the pacer wires placed? How big is the hole? Is it just one hole?

Since you had only one chest tube, could it be that my right bullet hole is from the chest tube and the left bullet hole is from the pacer wires? The two holes look alike and both have a stitch that can be seen.

Justin's pacer wires always just stuck out his incision, so doesn't have a seperate scare, they are very thin.

 

[weekycat]

I have 3 "bullet holes"

I have 3 "bullet holes"

I believe they took my chest tubes out on about day 2 and I was pretty out of it yet. I don't really remember seeing the things at all, so I don't know for sure if there were 3 tube or if one of the tubes was from the pacer wires. My daughter, who was five at the time, called the three holes Mommy's "smiley face".

I remember being in pain before they took the tubes out, and they said I'd feel better once they were out.
They did the 1,2,3 thing, but I think they pulled them out on 2!
I don't really remember it hurting as bad as they said it would, I was just relieved to get them out of me, and remember feeling much better once they were gone. The pacer wires stayed in me for a few days, because they had me hooked up to an external pacemaker for the first two days or so...and left them in until they knew I wasn't going to need it anymore.

 

[WayneGM]

My two drain tubes were through one hole. My drain tube scar and pacer wire scars look very similar, the drain one perhaps just very slightly larger.

 

[Adrienne]

Maybe it's the same with me then!! I don't know if I'll ever know for sure.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I don't remember where my pacer wire was, but it was so small there isn't a scar. The four scars I have are all from tubes - I think that two were called mediastinal tubes and the others were called chest tubes. The two larger ones are about midway between my navel and my breasts, end to end in the middle of my abdomen and the two smaller ones are directly beneath my breast - which leads to the reason that I refer to them as "doggy nipples". The larger ones are horizontal with a lighter vertical stitch mark and the small ones are just dots, a little smaller around than a pencil eraser. The tubing was of the type you use for an aquarium pump, only with a larger circumference.