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What Are The Signs We May Have A Leak?



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Last night as I was going to bed I had a horroble pain on my left, back side. Not shoulder pain, lower like below the shoulder blade. I had to get back up and sit for awhile until pain subsided enough to allow me to lay back down. I'm 3 wks post op and have no complications. Worried about a leak cause Dr never told me what to look for. Today I have discomfort/ back pain on left side still, but haven't tried laying down again. Please let me know if this happened to anyone else and/or what are the s.mptoms of a leak. Pain isn't unbearble today, just feels like back pain.

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Last night as I was going to bed I had a horroble pain on my left, back side. Not shoulder pain, lower like below the shoulder blade. I had to get back up and sit for awhile until pain subsided enough to allow me to lay back down. I'm 3 wks post op and have no complications. Worried about a leak cause Dr never told me what to look for. Today I have discomfort/ back pain on left side still, but haven't tried laying down again. Please let me know if this happened to anyone else and/or what are the s.mptoms of a leak. Pain isn't unbearble today, just feels like back pain.

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I just spoke to my dr yesterday about this. He told me you will know if you have a leak it is not subtle and will not come and go it will get worse without medical attention. Dr said the symptoms are violently throwing up severe pain and fever!

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My only symptom of my leak was left shoulder pain which was determined to be referred pain from the abscess pushing on my diaphragm. No fever, vomiting, anything. My shoulder pain came and went in the beginning but eventually stayed. Occasionally I would have mid left side pain but that was never confirmed as a symptom. Neither of these things were on my list of what to watch for. My doctor couldn't believe I wasn't sick with it. If something doesn't feel right, speak to your doctor until you are satisfied you have the right answer and treatment. Listen to your body.

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I had a fever, nausea (no vomiting), stomach cramping, left shoulder pain (this can also be due to air left during surgery) and lightheadedness. Mine is a small leak and caught early.

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Symptoms of a sleeve leak include pain in the abdomen that gets worse rather than better, swelling in the stomach, pain in the left shoulder or chest, dizziness, fever, infection and the appearance of sickness. The best thing to do if you are unsure, is to get in to see your doctor as quickly as possible!!

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I forgot to mention, my upper stomach was distended.

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Thanks for your replies. I will call tomorrow morning (also my first day back at work). Hope it's just my back being tired from my sleeping in one position all night since surgery!

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Did your doctor check you for a leak before leaving the hospital? My doctor sent me to radiology where I had to drink Fluid while the radiologist monitored the fluid. I was told everything looked perfect and I was able to watch the monitor as well. Is it possible to go through this with a radiologist and still develop a leak? Has that ever happened to anybody?

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I am 7 weeks out and i did have back pain, it was from gas pressure

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Yes they did the leak test at the hospital. I hope it is something simple. Right now it just feels like soreness.

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If you are having that much pain I would certainly seek the advice of my medical doctor or of the surgeon that did your surgery. I do not think that it is a leak but it could be some other problem that needs to be addressed.

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I'm getting scared with the talk of the left shoulder pain. I occasionally get a "gas" pain in my left shoulder. Other than that, I feel fine. Is there another reason I would have pain in my left shoulder?

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Did your doctor check you for a leak before leaving the hospital? My doctor sent me to radiology where I had to drink Fluid while the radiologist monitored the Fluid. I was told everything looked perfect and I was able to watch the monitor as well. Is it possible to go through this with a radiologist and still develop a leak? Has that ever happened to anybody?

sometimes people only show symptoms weeks after when the stomach becomes less inflammed and then the leak shows up (as it was plugged from swelling previously).

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Yes it is. My leak was held closed from the swelling for at least 9 weeks until the abscess was discovered.

Did your doctor check you for a leak before leaving the hospital? My doctor sent me to radiology where I had to drink Fluid while the radiologist monitored the Fluid. I was told everything looked perfect and I was able to watch the monitor as well. Is it possible to go through this with a radiologist and still develop a leak? Has that ever happened to anybody?

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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