Or some boxing wraps
sounds fine by me.
I would rather wait 2 weeks, but I am aware that is slightly overzealous of me.
I am not a big fan of the wrapping thing.
I tend to fight swelling/edema with:
- do not poke.
- halt all unnecessary movement.
- keep it high (above heart and elbow).
- wash it always in really cold water, always hitting your skin above the edema and letting it ārun overā it (i.e. avoid letting water fall directly on top of it).
- do not poke!
Too much compression might disrupt your healing, displace the implant, etcā¦
me sitting here considering draining my hand
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Ouch, please donāt. Got any pics for your magic flex thread?
Donāt! Lancing the edema will likely introduce germs into the pocket.
The proper way to deal with an edema is either:
- Compression bandage
- Finding the NASA astronaut training center closest to you and centrifuging yourself unconscious
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Alternatively
Yeah but notice how this guy already wears the compression bandage.
I think that guy may be Amals brother Juanā¦
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Multi-talented family.
Iām giggling just thinking about that joke. The missus is wondering what the fuck Iām laughing at.
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Yeah, it was a clever joke, well done @Locutus
which reminds meā¦
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whatās the difference between a seroma and an edema? as i see a lot of articles saying draining a seroma is fine.
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right now its bandaged to the max, as after getting the stitches removed the wound reopened after i accidentally hit my hand on a door frame and the pressure of the liquid underneath burst the still very fragile close.
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Take care, I hope it heals well and calms down soon!
Getting something drained by a doc or a professional of some sort might be okay, but doing it yourself almost never is - youāre really just introducing ugly stuff into the pocket. The body can usually handle normal fluid buildup well, it just takes some time.
That said - how does the buildup feel? Is it soft and āwobblyā or hard and warm? As long as it is soft and not warm, there is usually no need to worry.
Compression might help a bit, but what worked even better for me was keeping my hand above heart / elbow level most of the time and stop moving it 
How long were the stitches in? I had mine (from the flexy install, so 4 cm incision) removed after 16 days (tried to remove them myself after 14 days and stopped after 4 stitchesā¦ was too early), and the wound was still opening a bit. Best idea ever - wore butterfly plasters for another full week.
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I had a similar thing with my MT, a pocket of fluid right above the implant I bandaged it and made an appointment for draining and the night before the appointment something happened and it all drained itself. I woke up without any edema. Maybe you can wait it out a bit and itāll go away.
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Not going against your reasoning or anything, but I was planning on doing proper needle and syringe drainage, I would never just stab myself with a non medically sealed kit. the buildup is fine, not hot or hard. the only reason I wanted to drain is because of the fragile nature of my wound and it already popping open once due to the pressure put on from the extra liquid.
i had the stitches removed 11 days in, as my incision looked healed and applying light pressure did not cause any leaks. but alas it was apparently too early, even though my body started to fight the stitches.
That is the āTrickyā period. Itās when it starts to look solid enough to be removed, but itās only so because the stitches are still there.
My mind automaticaly goes toward some of those āreabsorbableā proteic threads so I can just leave them be.
Alsoā¦
Besides what folks already mentioned against drainageā¦
I would never, EVER, stick a needle onto a pocked with a flex implant in. The odds of nicking the polymer and causing an internal leakage are far too big for my liking.
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Just picking the brain of someone smarter here, more how things work, that if you should
But ignoring the risk of hitting the implant, is trying to drain with a sterile needle and all prep still bad juju?
Seems like if a body mod, or self install can break skin the first time without infection, why couldnāt you do it again, with an even smaller and quicker healing hole?
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agreed, but the stitches were really wanting out, or my body was pushing them outā¦ one of the two. either way, the incision became a lot healthier (besides reopening) after the stitches were removed.
I had that problem with both of my suturesā¦
The one from the silicone implant was about 1,5 cm long, and I took the stitches out myself after 14 days - on that day, the suture was already red and itchy, so the body was definitely wanting the threads out. Worked fine, but it still reopened a tiny bit in the middle. Nothing serious, just leading to a slightly more visible scar (that will totally fade anywaysā¦).
With the flexy suture (4 cm long), trying to take out the suture after 14 days was too early, so I got it done after 16 days, and it still reopened enough to make me throw several butterfly thingies on itā¦ Keeping it in for longer would have lead to problems due to my body fighting it, taking it out has lead to problems because the wound was not fully closed yet.
My body hates sutures 
Currenty have one of those inside of me, from my removal surgery - is just great. The suture is much less swollen (Iād say not at all), not a bit red or itchy, and itās in for 11 days now 
I might be overly careful here, but I always think that a swelling of some sort shows the body is fighting something, and by poking it, it might lead to bigger problems than piercing a āhealthy partā of myself.
And Iām always a bit paranoid about introducing germs into a pocket, since they can hardly get out again
But from a logical point of view - using a sterile needle + syringe, desinfecting the skin before and working carefully might be no problem.