I'm an eroded gastric band survivor trying to be sleeved. I have been following sleeve forums for the past year and have compiled a list of folks and the complications they had.

1. Sandyd – infection from surgery (Reno) (VS Talk)
   
2. MeMeMEEE – leak (twice) (VS Talk)
   
3. Driver63 – leak
   
4. Tiffykins – leak (band revision)
   
5. Hansi – stomach ruptured
   
6. Dishdiva – leaks (Mexico)
   
7. YellowRose – infected incision (Mexico) & drain tube infection
   
8. DivaDee84 – Infected incision (Mexico) leak (still @ seven months)
   
9. Honeyrubybee – splenic infarction
   
10. TKDBlackbelt15 (fiancee) – leak
    
11. Rblessed – leak
    
12. Jen Jen – leak (Mexico)
    
13. Ladiesassie – nicked liver (didn’t follow pre-op diet)
    
14. Moore37042 – leak
    
15. Jagator88 – leak & esophagus was destroyed and had to be rebuilt from muscle (Mexico)
    
16. Jsfound – leak (VS Talk)
    
17. Leisa815 – leak (VS Talk)
    
18. Jasleeve – leak
    
19. Joesph – leak Kuwait
    
20. Peachqueen – leak
    
21. Jcarelle – leak
    
22. Jerseygirl74 – leak & spleen infarct
    
23. Happylife – stricture (had a stent like a leak)
    
24. Kookia – leak
    

Even with the complications, I think most of the above had said they would do it again.

How do you research your doctor? I have just been googling his name but feel pretty in the dark!

How do you research your doctor? I have just been googling his name but feel pretty in the dark!

Any one with malnutrition or other like issues after surgery?

@@DogBone so sorry to hear this news. I am praying that you find peace at this time.

What I hope is that people share their stories. The more patients know the better we can make things for the next group of people going through. That's why I tell mine.

how did they fix your leak and when was it detected?

Leak, caused by scar tissue.

I was sleeved 3/26/14, on 3/27/14 I went back under because I had internal bleeding. I had lost 5 pints of blood and had to get a transfusion, which took a few hours for the hospital to receive my blood type. I was in the hospital for five days. I remember coming out of surgery that first day and doing ok, came out around 3'ish. By 6am the next morning, my drain had leaked everywhere and my chest hurt and I couldn't breath. Within minutes my room was full of nurses and surgeons and anesthiologist. I remember calling my husband, he was at home with the kids, telling him it was serious and have to have emergency surgery. The nurse took my phone to tell him what was going on as they wheeled back to the operating room.

After the second surgery, my throat hurt realy bad from being intubated again. I was very tired and very anemic. Spent those next few days receiving bag after bag of blood (4 total). Found out the hospital had med-flew my blood there from 2 hours away. I stayed very anemic and tired for several weeks. It probably was about 4 weeks out that I finally had any energy and my iron was back to normal, no longer anemic.

13 weeks out now, doing great! Even with the complications, I would do it all over again!

I am very very relieved to hear that you are doing well. I can imagine many were wondering how you would do.

Did they find out what happened? If you find out why it happened, then you know how to prevent it (learn from your mistakes).

I hate to be a downer but I have a sleeve complication and so wish I could go back and undo it, I tell people to be very very weary and that surgery is much more dangerous then some make it out to be. I've written my story a dozen times but it basically boils down to a sleeve in 2012, now in 2014 I have not had any solid food since surgery and I've been on liquid Vicodin on and off for over a year and a half just to get enough fluids down to stay out of the hospital. I'm now scheduled for a revision just to try to stop the constant pain. I've been admitted to the hospital a dozen times and been in the ER at least once a month for iv fluids and pain medicine for food getting stuck. I have severe esophageal spasms and the beginning signs of achalasia which basically means the sphincter that helps you swallow isn't functioning correctly and untreated that can lead to cancer.

I try to be positive on the forums because I know complications are rare but I wish someone had told me prior to doing this how much of a risk complications have. I'd be overweight for the rest of my life and totally be happy if I could just stop the pain. All I can say is buyer's beware, this is not guaranteed to work and this one decision can ruin your life...be very very very sure before you take the chance. I was a happy and relatively healthy (besides a few comorbities) nursing student and now I'm 21, am just barely staying afloat in school and my health is pretty miserable which affects my whole life and will continue to affect my whole life until it gets under control. This is not what I signed up for and I would go back and stop myself from making the worst decision of my entire life any day of the week. Hopefully the revision fixes things and I'm being as hopeful as possible.

I'm not trying to scare anyone here, just telling my story and hopefully I'm making sure you are 100% positive you are ready to take this leap because once it's done, there is no going back.

I hate to be a downer but I have a sleeve complication and so wish I could go back and undo it, I tell people to be very very weary and that surgery is much more dangerous then some make it out to be. I've written my story a dozen times but it basically boils down to a sleeve in 2012, now in 2014 I have not had any solid food since surgery and I've been on liquid Vicodin on and off for over a year and a half just to get enough fluids down to stay out of the hospital. I'm now scheduled for a revision just to try to stop the constant pain. I've been admitted to the hospital a dozen times and been in the ER at least once a month for iv fluids and pain medicine for food getting stuck. I have severe esophageal spasms and the beginning signs of achalasia which basically means the sphincter that helps you swallow isn't functioning correctly and untreated that can lead to cancer. I try to be positive on the forums because I know complications are rare but I wish someone had told me prior to doing this how much of a risk complications have. I'd be overweight for the rest of my life and totally be happy if I could just stop the pain. All I can say is buyer's beware, this is not guaranteed to work and this one decision can ruin your life...be very very very sure before you take the chance. I was a happy and relatively healthy (besides a few comorbities) nursing student and now I'm 21, am just barely staying afloat in school and my health is pretty miserable which affects my whole life and will continue to affect my whole life until it gets under control. This is not what I signed up for and I would go back and stop myself from making the worst decision of my entire life any day of the week. Hopefully the revision fixes things and I'm being as hopeful as possible. I'm not trying to scare anyone here, just telling my story and hopefully I'm making sure you are 100% positive you are ready to take this leap because once it's done, there is no going back.

So sorry you've had so many problems. Praying you'll find a solution that allows you to have some normalcy in your life. Good luck to you. Let us know how you're doing.

Thank you for telling your story. I dont think you are being a downer. You should tell what happened to you honestly and you did. Letting others know of your situation will help others - and I thank you in the midst of ALL that you are going through to be big hearted enough to think of helping others at this time.

I am nervous as I am 18 days out and I have an incision that has opened! Not sure what to do????

I am nervous as I am 18 days out and I have an incision that has opened! Not sure what to do????

Call your surgeon. Stat.

Did you call the surgeon?

The surgeon went over the possible complications after surgery (leak, infection, bleeding) and said they were rare; less than 2%. I ended up with all three, was septic and had a 5-week hospital stay. I nearly died twice during that time. The surgery was on April 25th and I am just now getting back to work.

After a 400-mile ambulance ride across the state, the specialists inserted a stent to cover the large tear near the esophagus and I had severe nausea with vomiting the entire time it was in. So grateful to have it out!

I have managed to lose over 50 pounds so far and am learning how to get in enough Protein and Water daily, but still have the feeding tube since my physician couldn't figure out how to remove it. There appears to be a balloon or something holding it in, so I will have to have someone else do it later on. As it stands now, I am worried about it being an infection issue.

The surgeon's nurse said, "Well, one day you will look back over this as just a bump in the road and you will do very well!" I wanted to say it was more like a gigantic sink hole! It's been a long haul!