I am a worry wort by nature. Is there a time frame when you can lay your head on the pillow and think to yourself "I made it, I no longer have to worry about a leak"? I know I read recently of someone developing a leak 3 weeks out. Any insight or thoughts on this. Of course, it is something that I think about every day.

Thanks.

Wish I could reduce your anxiety, because I have wondered the same thing. Unfortunately, I'm aware of people that developed leaks as late as 4 & 7 months post op. I suppose it's possible that they had the leaks earlier and that they went undetected for some time.

My doctor told me you don't have to worry after 3 or 4 weeks.. The problem is, that sometimes it takes a long time for someone to notice a leak. That;s why there are stories of 4 & 7 months post op.

I thought when you had a leak the pain was so intense that there was no way not to notice?

This worries me a lot too, because I really didn't like the whole recovery portion of the surgery. The pain was horrible to me. And having a leak will mean I'd have to do it all over again. :biggrin0:

But, we have to remember there's only a %1-4 chance you'll have a leak. It's still nerve wracking because I'm just like you OP!

I have felt the same way. My surgeon did only ONE leak test while I was in hospital. A couple months later I met with him in the ER because I was having difficulty eating even 2 oz...I was not looking well and becoming dehydrated as well. He had me vitamin fortified and hydrated while there and did a second leak test. Then I read about people having leaks as far out as 7 months!! I know these are rare instances BUT I worried nonetheless. I suggest you take care not to do things that could possibly weaken your stomach muscle, like excessive weight lifting and or certain types of exercises...and be cautious of not creating too much pressure by over eating, which generally doesn't happen without having immediate negative results, like chest pain, "foaming", etc. Eventually you will not feel so vulnerable and by then your stomach muscle will have strengthened to full capacity.

The first couple of weeks is when leaks are most likely to occur. At 6-8 weeks the risk of a leak is very minimal. However, there have been cases of people having a leak diagnosed months post-op. Both of them went misdiagnosed for months. One of the cases I read about, the person was eating semi-solid foods and a few chips 2-3 days post-op and of course was puking because of it. I'm not saying it's what caused the leak because they never gave a "reason" why it happened and why it went undetected for so long. But, it made me definitely remember that the post-op diet is there for a reason, and I wasn't willing to risk it by cheating.

My surgeon told me at 10 days out, there were no leak worries.

My nutritionist has me on an intense stricked slow diet. I can't eat normal food for 3 months. I guess this is why. My understanding is that by 3 months your okay for leaks as long as you really took it easy and nothing crunchy at all for those 3 months. I have been good but not that good. I guess I should cross my fingers.