1 month out - feels like day 5 again...

barefootinablacksea · October 22, 2009

For the past couple of days my whole stomach area has been sore again - especially when I take a big breath intake like a yawn. Plus it hurts to hiccup/burp in my oesophagus even though I'm still taking my Pariet. Is it possible that I've slept wrong and damaged the incision points?

Before this I hadn't had any pain since the first week and a half. I've also been really lethargic, weak feeling and less hungry. Need help...

What does it feel like to have a leak? What should I look out for?

Tiffykins · October 22, 2009

Are you febrile? Any vomiting?

barefootinablacksea · October 22, 2009

Are you febrile? Any vomiting?

What's febrile? No vomitting but yesterday was particularly bad, felt like I might, plus I had a fever and my body was aching but I took some paracetamol and that went away - returned to normal temp. Now it's just back to this soreness in my stomach cavity.

Tiffykins · October 22, 2009

Febrile = just means fever.

I'm extremely cautious when it comes to pain, and would contact my surgeon.

Edited October 22, 2009 by Tiffykins

barefootinablacksea · October 22, 2009

Well it's 4:35am here and I managed to get a few hours sleep before I woke up at 2am dry heaving - luckily I got my partner to get me a bucket earlier on in the night for me. Nothing came up except spit. I talked to my doctor over the phone yesterday afternoon and he told me to go back on to liquids for the meantime and I'll see him today. I just want to go back to feeling normal again. He told me it's unlikely that I've developed a leak this far out from surgery. I wonder if it's just an infection of some sort.

Is it possible I could have a flu and that's causing inflammation?

thinoneday · October 22, 2009

you may want to go and check for a stricture problem. . i don't think it would be leak this far along. . . or you may just have the flu or something since it's that season. Good luck and keep us posted. . .

barefootinablacksea · October 26, 2009

So I'm in hospital again. Went to the dr and he sent me for a ct scan just to make sure there's no leak which there wasn't. He did however find a hematoma that was 5cm in diameter. The hematoma had gas bubbles in it which is the sign of infection so I have been on antibiotics all weekend. I just had another ct scan but this time I was standing up and i had to drink the contrast as they took a motion picture of it going down. Just waiting for results now. The doctor still thought there must have been some pin hole leak that caused the infection even though I passed 2 ct scans. I may have to have the hematoma drained but we don't know if we can do that yet.

Tiffykins · October 26, 2009

Oh I am so sorry to hear you are hospitalized. I had a similar hospitalization with the abscesses in my abdomen, and one in my pelvic cavity 6 weeks after my leak repair.

I had drains placed. The antibiotics made me very nauseated, and they gave me phenegran, and zofran for the nausea. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and keep us posted on your recovery.

xbander · October 26, 2009

Oh my goodness!!!

I really hope that you feel better soon.

Good on you for being in touch with your body.

I think that if there is any concern with anything - always go to the Dr.

I am a bit worried - my Dr has not asked me to do an ultra sound at all.

Should I request one? I had my op 6 days ago.

Malaika · October 26, 2009

Barefoot - I am SO sorry to hear that you are in the hospital; however, if there is an infection, then you are in the right place and I am sure the antibiotics will take care of the infection and hopefully you won't require more surgery. Please keep us posted.

Xbander - did your surgeon do any type of leak test following your surgery? I had 3 - one in the OR, one the next day and another the following day.

xbander · October 27, 2009

They did a leak test in the OR. I woke up with all blue on my tongue and my DR said that was because of the leak test.

But nothing since.

Should I ask for one?

I think I feel fine.

But just incase.....

Also, the scales are already not budging. I have lost almost 4kg, but nothing in the last 2 days.

Bornagainbabe · October 27, 2009

Sorry to hear you're back in hospital Barefoot. I had a suspected hematoma at about two weeks post-op and was treated successfully with antibiotics. Hope you're fully recovered soon xxx

Xbander - I had no leak tests at all! My surgeon doesn't consider it a necessity (more likely to be a NHS money-saving exercise IMO), but he was very relaxed and when I questioned him on it assured me that I would certainly know if I did have a leak and be feeling very ill. Obviously I would have appreciated having a leak test as I think that is what we all worry most about and I did consider going to a private hospital for one but I didn't and I am over 3 months out and fine.

Ky.hen · October 27, 2009

Barefoot, I'm so sorry about your set back. I hope that you feel better soon and make a quick recovery.

barefootinablacksea · November 4, 2009

Well hello again! Thanks for all your support. I've only just arrived home from the hospital yesterday. When I last updated I was awaiting the results of a bariam swallow (Ct done standing while swallowing the undiluted contrast *yuck*). This time they were actually able to see a very small leak. So the hematoma turned out to be just a collection of everything I've been eating over the past month. So small that it didn't even make me sick until the collection started to get sizable.

Safe to say I'm very sick of hospitals now . I had that bariam swallow on the monday, on the tuesday I had the very uncomfortable experience of having a drain put in under local anaesthetic and then straight into surgery again under sedation.

The doctor actually did an endoscopy and placed 12cm stent with a plastic overlay down my throat in my stomach to protect the leak until it heals naturally. It covers up to the bottom part of my oesophagus which means that my stomach can't close off properly at the top. So that means for the next 1-2 months while I have the stent in I have to put up with unbearable nausea. I'm constantly feeling on the verge of throwing up and I have to be very careful of how I sleep.

I have to see the doctor again in 2 weeks and I'm fairly certain I will have to get him to check me back into hospital as soon as possible to have the stent taken out. It's been in for a week already and the nausea is not settling down. He said to me on the last day I was in hospital that it might already be healed because it is such a small leak but the longer we leave the stent in the better the chance it has to heal.

There was a big part of me that wanted to get out of the hospital and get home to my partner as soon as possible but part of me also wishes I had just been put on nil by mouth and stayed in hospital in relative comfort without the stent in for the duration. Not to mention summer has really hit here and it's so hot and uncomfortable.

Well that's it for now - I'll let you know how I go when I go back to hospital.

Chancie · November 4, 2009

WOW- you've been thru alot, but at least now you know whats going on and you're on your way to health.

And it was caught early, so thank goodness you are safe and in good hands. Think of the hospital as helping not hindering... INO it's difficult, no one wants to be hospitalized....

Keep us posted, and hope things continue to get better....

Thinking of you!!!