Hi everyone. I've been a lurker for a couple of months now, learning about this procedure. You guys are tough and have been through so much, and I truly admire you.

My boyfriend (of only 2 month at the time of his surgery!) had a band to sleeve revision the 21st of June. I'm a nurse, so I was skeptical (having cared for some patients with some pretty gnarly complications) , but I read and read --and read and researched some more about the procedures and felt pretty okay with it. I was and told him I would be supportive, regardless of the outcome.

His surgeon chose to do the revision and removal all in one day. He did great for two weeks and was moving forward perfectly on his full liquid diet, just about ready to graduate to softs. Right around day 15 or 16, he began getting nauseated with some vomiting. Then fever, so I told him not to ignore it anymore. He went in. Was dehydrated. They did an upper GI series and abdominal CT. Was seen by a gastroenterologist. They sent him in for IV fluids to rehydrate him. And they also did an endoscopy. All of this within 3 days. They found nothing but did widen/ dilate his esophageal sphincter a bit due to the appearance of some narrowing.

By the end of that week, he was in the hospital. They did a CT there. Gave him IV fluids, IV antibiotics and came home 3 days later on oral antibiotics. He got through a 10 day round and started vomiting again, violently 2 days later. He went BACK in to the surgeon and he ordered another round of antibiotics, but he could not tolerate taking them in and by the time Friday rolled around this weekend, he was hardly tolerating very small sips of water and was vomiting several times an hour. The did another Barium swallow and found what they thought might be a small abscess, but the doc on call didn't want to treat it with his surgeon out of town, and then ordered the antibiotics again and told him to follow up in 1 week. One week and he would have been dead!

I talked him into going to the ER Saturday morning. He called me to tell me he didn't want to do that because he didn't want to be admitted. I did a little nurse magic, and told him they couldn't make him do anything. All he had to do was tell them he wanted to be hydrated only and go home. Luckily, when we arrived, they popped him a bag of fluids, zofran and a dose of pain meds and did a CT of his abdomen. They found the "abscess" but later determined the original CT on 7/15 (at the hospital) had been misread and he had a leak with some minor pooling outside of his stomach.

So now he has been in the hospital 5 days. He has a PICC line in for TPN, tons of IV fluids and antibiotics, is NPO. The gastro doc did the stent this morning, but I wasn't able to be there. She said she would be putting an NG (nasogastric) tube in as an alternate feeding source (in case the docs don't want to keep him on the TPN). He called a bit ago and has been vomiting pretty violently and the Zofran hasn't helped much.

Is the vomiting after the stent normal? He was doing it too much earlier to do the scan to check the stent's placement, so they are holding off until the AM. Someone tell me that this will get better? They found the leak without any major infection in his abdomen. No pain. No fevers. And it wasn't an abscess after all. Just vomiting. So, I certainly think that is a good sign overall, but I'm scared for him.

Thanks for listening-- to this book!!!

~worried girlfriend~

Ugh, what a rough time he's had (and you too!). You're a wonderful person for sticking by him through all this. I'll definitely keep the two of you in my thoughts. Hang in there!

Compared to your boyfriend, I shouldn't complain about my leak. My gosh he's been through it all and then some. I am so sorry for all that you both are going through. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

I am speechless after reading this whole thread. I am so sorry that both of you have gone through all this. What a mess. I really hope this stops very soon for him. It must be so frustrating!

My god darling, my prayers are with you and I wish you both fast healing and strength. You are amazing, I wish your bf a safe, quick recovery. *hugs*

Thank you all for the kind words! It just feels like so much uncertainty and that's the hardest part of going through complications. I knew something was wrong yesterday. I am sure I worried him with my tearful worry all day, but I knew it was more than that drain site draining causing his symptoms and "leak" kept coming out of my mouth. Part of me knew it was back/ still there or whatever you want to call it, but it is what it is. I just hope he heals. And if this area doesn't heal that there are other options to maintain a normal life at some point in our future... our future has wedding bells and a home we are trying to buy right now. This is just terrible timing, but I believe the Maker knows what He is doing for those who believe.

Peacequeen, don't ever compare! Leaks, complications, strictures, infections-- it doesn't matter. It is all scary and all bringing health into dark territory.

My BF told me 3 times today that he wished he hadn't done it. He said he should have tried working harder at it and doing it the "proper" way. But the band didn't work, and he loves food. Loves it. How do you leave something you love so much? So he felt he should have tried us losing weight together before doing the sleeve and regrets that all over again. But...

When we talked on the phone tonight? He said he had been thinking since I left him at the hospital at suppertime-- he did it to get rid of the diabetes, the high cholesterol and the high blood pressure and the horrid back pain he experienced. He did it to improve his health. He has lost about 95# if I'm not mistaken and is sitting around 210# this afternoon. That is something! I told him I didn't want him to ever regret wanting to be a better, healthier person, regardless of where this road takes us. I promised him before his sleeve surgery that I would never say "I told you so" no matter what happened. And I never have (and never will), even through the frustration and sadness and scaryness of all we have gone through. This too shall pass. And we can turn thoughts of "I told you so" into "I DO"s.

Praying for you now. His ear is open to our cry. Please post a wedding pic when the time comes! This will all be a distant memory once and for all...

Who did the surgery?

(null)

Hey You! You know I'm thinking of you both. Keeping you in my thoughts all day today. Keep me posted. Sorry that you all are going through this again. Give him my best and my hubby wants me to say that he's praying for you as a caregiver. His walk wasn't as long, but his been in your shoes. Love <3

Hello. I am sorry to hear about your bf troubles. My hubby has been hospitalized since June 3rd for a leak, infection, abcess, and pneumonia. He is now about to get two stents put in after the first one migrated. He has been npo for 90% percent of the time. How is your bf now?

Can they give him phenergan instead for the vomiting?

Hey everyone. I haven't been here in ages, especially to this thread. BF is now fiance and we built ourselves a home that we moved into a year ago. He healed up pretty well (or so we thought) in May of 2012. His PICC line was discontinued and he had been fairly healthy for th last year or so. He kept having respiratory infections off and on for over a year. He's had some abdominal pain, and constant shoulder pain that hasn't gone away with any kind of treatment-- narcotic, nerve meds, etc... turns out we learned why this August of 2013.

He had a respiratory infection again (about the 12th one in the past year and a half), and the antibiotics didn't do the trick. I took him to the ER about 3am in the middle of August with severe chills and fever, coughing up some nasties. He had septic pneumonia with kidney failure. After CT scans and huge amounts of antibiotics, he cleared up after two weeks in the hospital. That isn't after finding out that he still has a leak. The surgeon (not the one who did the original revision-- band to sleeve) said he had a self-contained leak that was affecting the abdomen and probably touching the lung wall (thus all the respiratory infections). He and a thoracic surgeon consulted with us, saying that something had to be done. After 2.5 years, this leak has still persisted, though staying in one spot and not growing. It was affecting the spleen. Their suggestion was a total gastrectomy, spleenectomy and partial esophagectomy (since the leak was in the stomach/ esophagus juncture and the leak was damaging the spleen).

They referred us to the thoracic surgeon's mentor in San Antonio, a cardiothoracic surgeon who does transplants, etc... He knew he could get the job done and do it well. After another 2 day stay in the hospital, my fiance is now 2 hours away after having had surgery this Tuesday. Luckily, he saved the spleen. He found multiple adhesions, two abscesses in the abdominal cavity and a leak so large he could stick his entire (chubby) index finger in the hole in his stomach. He removed several inches of his esophagus, removed the stomach, and 4-6 inches of his small bowel and reconnected him with an RNY connection. The surgery took six hours, and he had a j-tube placed for nutrition while he heals.

All looks well today. Several x-rays of the connection have been taken with the gastrografen, and he's started on Clear liquids today. Tomorrow they will do a swallow study and let him progress with his diet. After 2.5 years, this might have finally been the answer we've needed. We're still a little worried, after everything he (we) has been through. Leaks shouldn't resurface after 2 years. But his never healed.

It hasn't been a fun road, but it's been one that has brought us closer together in ways we never dreamed. For that, I'll never wish it hadn't happened. But after these years, this should have been an old nightmare that is now hard to recall. Not the case.

I know lots of you come on here wondering about revisions and whether to have this surgery. Searching for "leak" like I did before he did this.

A year ago, he was glad for all that he gained (lots of weight lost, losing the high blood pressure and diabetes diagnoses), but today... and yesterday, he wished he hadn't done it. My only wish is that that original surgeon had removed the band and closed him back up-- telling him he needed some healing before doing the revision. This story might have gone a lot differently if he had. He would have been disappointed, but we might not be back in the hospital again.

My wish for you all-- ask those questions before you make the decision for a revision. Ask what your surgeon will do if your band caused lots of scarring inside of you. Even better. Use a surgeon who won't do it all at once. You don't want your story to be this one if you could have made different choices.

Happy outcomes to you all! And I'm here if you guys ever have questions! It wasn't my surgery, but it was what I have lived since June 2011.

What is the name of the surgeon who did the revision?

Bless both of you for what you have been through! So happy he has found out exactly what was wrong and that this surgery may have saved his life and saved BOTH of yours quality of life for the future! I am so very happy to hear you both are together and making a life. You are someone who stuck by him at the worst of times. I am sure he will never forget that!That is what commitment is all about! Best wishes to both of you and to a happy and healthy life together