Pleurx Abdominal Drain & Biliary Drain Surgery

At 3:00 PM, I checked into the CTCA hospital for surgery to install a pleurx abdominal drain & separate biliary drain. I decided to have both done at the same time, so I could speed up the timeline until I could receive treatment & to avoid separate recovery periods.

The surgery began with the installation of the pleurx abdominal drain to deal with the recurrent ascites (excessive accumulation of abdominal fluid) that has recently developed. The drain is a soft, semi-permanent catheter which was installed by CTCA's interventional radiologist just below my bellybutton. I will be accessing this drain by myself at home every other day and will hopefully be able to minimize my discomfort as well as frequent trips to the hospital to drain the fluid by puncturing the peritoneum. The surgeon was then able to drain 3 liters of fluid with the new drain.

He then proceeded with the installation of a biliary drain which was placed at the center of my right side ribcage. The drain consists of a small flexible rubber tube catheter placed into my blocked common bile duct (the passageway for the bile to flow from the gallbladder and liver). The installation of the drain did not go smoothly and required several attempts due to my uncommon anatomy. The tube will be connected to a drainage bag for several days for monitoring and then will be removed once a stint is placed at the blockage in the bile duct (separate surgery).

Despite the difficulties installing the drain, the surgery was completed successfully in about 2 hours. I woke up from the anesthesia in horrific pain, causing my body to go into shock. I was shaking violently for over 30 minutes before they were able to gain control. Fortunately, I only remember bits & pieces of that time. I will stay in the hospital for 24 hours for monitoring & will be released on Friday.