Revision Gone Wrong

[faith-hope-love 0]

I don't want to scare anyone but I want people to know that the risks of this surgery are very, very serious. It will be one year from my surgery on Mar. 23. It has been quite an experience. I had the surgery on Mar. 23, 2011, went home, wasn't feeling very good and ended up back in the hospital a few days later. After some tests I found out that I had a leak on the staple line where the Lap Band had been. I spent the next few weeks in the ICU. I had 5-6 more surgeries trying to reduce the infection that had spread. My kidneys failed and I ended up on dialysis. My life expectancy at this point was at less than 20%. I finally started to gain a little strength and I was moved to the hospital floor where I spent the next 8 weeks. There was absolutely nothing they could do to repair the leak. We could only hope and pray that I would eventually heal. I was still on dialysis, had a chest tube, 2 drains in my abdomen, a 6 inch long and 3 inch deep incision that had to heal from the inside and I was in need of a Wound Vac (didn't even know what that was before) and constant bandage changes. I had a NG tube in my nose and I could not eat or drink by mouth. Of course IV's and oxygen. Even when I was strong enough to go home, I needed to take all these things with me. I was still on dialysis for a few weeks until my kidneys decided to work correctly. I had a picc line and needed to get IV antibiotics daily for several months. It wasn't until late Aug. 2011 that I was finally strong and well enough to have the picc line removed and the NG tube removed. I spent over 5 months not being able to eat or drink anything by mouth. The doctors had no idea if I would heal or if I may have these problems for the rest of my life (and I had great doctors). There was just no way of knowing. I was very, very lucky. I am alive and doing well. I have healed, even though I may have a few lingering issues to deal with. I did lose weight...the hard way. Was it worth it? No. What I went through and what my family went through was just too difficult. I can't even put into words the difficulty of this experience. Not to mention the debt we are now in because this was not covered by my insurance. To the tune of over $200,000. I know how you feel as you consider this surgery. You are hopeful for a new lease on life as was I. Please consider the risks for this surgery. A 1% chance of a serious complication doesn't seem like much...unless you are that 1!! It's hard for me to even talk about this, but I hope to make others aware of how serious this can be. As hard as this has been...physically and emotionally...I am the lucky one. Many people have died from this same complication. I will never again take my life for granted. I pray that all of you are healthy and strong no matter what your decision. Be happy with who you are...you are a wonderful person just the way you are...your family loves you...your children love you...if you make the decision to have any surgery PLEASE consider the risks and the options. I wish all of you the very best!

[DanityChai 30]

Omf I am so sorry this happened to you. I'm even happier to here that you are getting healthier. May I ask where you had your surgery performed? Did they perform leak tests before discharging you?

[carbgrl 119]

I'm sorry you went through that. I'm glad you're doing better and recovering. Thanks for sharing and the reminder just how precious life is.

[readyforachange 51]

Thank you for sharing your story. And What a story it is! I'm so sorry for the pain you and your family have gone through. God bless you and watch over you.

[his2my2our4 120]

Thank you for sharing! I am so glad to hear you are doing well...my goodness what a year you've had!

[PEvette 297]

Hi, can you tell us where you had your procedure done???

[Capt Derel 287]

Do you think the surgery might have gone better if it wouldnt have been a Ban to sleeve revision?

I know that I am not clear for months thats why I dont press on it. The slower my transitional phases are the better in helping my stomach heal.

Some people get the raw end of a deal and its very unfortunate it happened to you. But I am sure once you fully recover youll feel alot better

[ChaChaBurch 60]

Thank you so much for sharing this. You have given me something to think and pray about. I am so sorry for your pain and suffering. I can't even begin to imagine what this must have been like for you and your family to go through. I am glad that you seem to have turned the corner. I admire your courage, not only in having to face what you did, but also in sharing your story.

You and your family will be in my prayers. Please keep me posted on how your healing is going.

[Rootman 1,101]

We all certainly wish you the best and a speedy and complete recovery.

It is amazing how the simplest procedures can go wrong so fast. My brother nearly lost his leg and potentially his life when his bunion surgery went bad and he got a MRSA infection and it started to spread and he developed heart issues while it was going on. He came out of it with his life AND leg thankfully. Both my wife and I have had it with NO complications at all.

My sister had a bypass and ended up with a lot of complications too, very similar to yours.

You just can never tell and have to judge the potential complication's versus the benefits for yourself.

[Sherry0823 1]

I am SO very happy to see that you're doing okay now. I know with any surgery there are risks, I am wondering if you had more of a risk due to the band to sleeve revision? Did you have leakage tests at all after the surgery? I am considering the sleeve and have been excited to get it while having reservations at the same time due to risks..I have no lap band or anything like that and seeing what you went through really makes me think..you've given me a LOT to pray about...I pray also that you continue to recover and be well..please keep us informed.

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

So glad you are doing better. Thank you for sharing your story as it is important for people to know the risks!

I have been told that risk of leakage is higher for band to sleeve revisions. It was one of the things I was most scared of as statistically it is a much higher rate then 1% for us revisions.

[Becca 108]

Glad you are doing better. Sorry you had to suffer through that. The damage the lap bands leave behind is serious. I hope you continue to heal and feel better.

[johnnyrugzz 0]

I don't want to scare anyone but I want people to know that the risks of this surgery are very' date=' very serious. It will be one year from my surgery on Mar. 23. It has been quite an experience. I had the surgery on Mar. 23, 2011, went home, wasn't feeling very good and ended up back in the hospital a few days later. After some tests I found out that I had a leak on the staple line where the Lap Band had been. I spent the next few weeks in the ICU. I had 5-6 more surgeries trying to reduce the infection that had spread. My kidneys failed and I ended up on dialysis. My life expectancy at this point was at less than 20%. I finally started to gain a little strength and I was moved to the hospital floor where I spent the next 8 weeks. There was absolutely nothing they could do to repair the leak. We could only hope and pray that I would eventually heal. I was still on dialysis, had a chest tube, 2 drains in my abdomen, a 6 inch long and 3 inch deep incision that had to heal from the inside and I was in need of a Wound Vac (didn't even know what that was before) and constant bandage changes. I had a NG tube in my nose and I could not eat or drink by mouth. Of course IV's and oxygen. Even when I was strong enough to go home, I needed to take all these things with me. I was still on dialysis for a few weeks until my kidneys decided to work correctly. I had a picc line and needed to get IV antibiotics daily for several months. It wasn't until late Aug. 2011 that I was finally strong and well enough to have the picc line removed and the NG tube removed. I spent over 5 months not being able to eat or drink anything by mouth. The doctors had no idea if I would heal or if I may have these problems for the rest of my life (and I had great doctors). There was just no way of knowing. I was very, very lucky. I am alive and doing well. I have healed, even though I may have a few lingering issues to deal with. I did lose weight...the hard way. Was it worth it? No. What I went through and what my family went through was just too difficult. I can't even put into words the difficulty of this experience. Not to mention the debt we are now in because this was not covered by my insurance. To the tune of over 200,000. I know how you feel as you consider this surgery. You are hopeful for a new lease on life as was I. Please consider the risks for this surgery. A 1% chance of a serious complication doesn't seem like much...unless you are that 1!! It's hard for me to even talk about this, but I hope to make others aware of how serious this can be. As hard as this has been...physically and emotionally...I am the lucky one. Many people have died from this same complication. I will never again take my life for granted. I pray that all of you are healthy and strong no matter what your decision. Be happy with who you are...you are a wonderful person just the way you are...your family loves you...your children love you...if you make the decision to have any surgery PLEASE consider the risks and the options. I wish all of you the very best![/quote']

I have a band and I am getting the sleeve. My surgeon said he's gonna remove the band, close me up let me heal and then a few months later do the sleeve.My question is : Did u have these complications because the surgeon removed the band and immediately did the sleeve?

[Wheetsin 714]

Revisions always have higher complication rates, unfortunately. The complication goes up as the time between procedures goes down. My surgeon (just for example) will not touch a revision without at least 2 months between procedures. In my case, it will be closer to 6.5 months. I've gained back about 30 lbs since my band was removed in September. I'd have rather not not gained that weight back, but I think it's a small price to pay for the reduction of risk... and it'll come off again.

I was current on the stats a few months ago... I'm not so much now... but I think the "back-to-back" procedure risk is something like 30%, and the "some time in between" risk is something like 3% - 5%.... so you can see how much difference that healing period can make. Knowing those stats, even if my surgeon had been willing to do them back-to-back I would have declined. And probably looked at other surgeons. (That's just me personally, others prefer all-in-one operations)

faith-hope-love, it sounds like you had a really bad septic infection. Those are indeed horrible. My grandfather survived stage 4 cancer, only to die from a septic infection caused by erosion of his stomach from the Predasone that was supposed to help him get better. You too often have no idea until it's already well established. Would you mind sharing a bit more info (if you know the answers)? It may help you in your goal of raising risk awareness, and it may also help set some minds at ease.

How much time elapsed between your band removal, and your sleeve revision?

What leak prevention methods did your surgeon use, in terms of his surgical technique?

What leak detection methods did he use post-op (before closing you up, after, or both)?

How many revisions had your surgeon done?

How many band -> sleeve revisions had your surgeon done?

Did he repair your adhesions during the revision?

What boughie size did he use?

Best of luck with your continued recovery, and thank you for being willing to share your story.

[thinoneday 445]

thank you for sharing your experience with us. that must have been really tragic for you. . .I'm so sorry that has happened. and like you say, it's probably not that uncommon. . . fortunately there are more successes then failures, but when failures occur, they are very very sad. I'm out now 3 years and Knock On Wood, haven't had any major complications to speak of. . .

I wish you all the best of luck and yes, our lives are precious and I think we are all grateful for what we have. . . good luck again and i wish you continued recovery as you go down your path.