hi,

i'm almost 4 months out from vsg surgery and i had a rough time the first six weeks with getting in food and Water, but i started to feel much better over time. i did get the slimies a lot and vomitted quite a few times but i learned i was just eating too fast for my own good. at my three month checkup i had a upper gi series done and they found a 2cm contained leak. i couldn't believe it as i was feeling pretty good, no fever, or any other real symptoms. i have had pain on my left side and shoulder but i'm thinking it was muscular.

so i spent five days in the hospital. they gave me a ct scan to check for abcesses, there were none, i didn't have an infection. i suppose my body just built protection around the leak. i got an endoscope done and they decided to GLUE the leak. the next day i had a horrific time with this, they shoved that black tube down my throat and glued that sucker up. i had a sore throat and esophagus for days after. it's been a week now since they glued me. i don't know if it's going to work or not. i'm still able to eat and drink. the surgeon who did my vsg wanted me to get a tube down to my jejunum and not eat anything for 4-6 weeks, but the specialist here had different ideas.

i'm very nervous and scared now. i feel 'okay'. i'm not foaming or throwing up anymore actually, but my nerves are shot. i'm worried the leak isn't going to heal or it will get bigger or something bad is going to happen. i'm kind of like that, a worry wart. i read all these leak stories and people suffer so badly and i don't really think 'physically' i'm suffering but i think i should be. it's a leak after all.

do you think glue would really work? the surgeon's office told me if i had not had the upper gi series the leak would probably have eventually healed on it's own. i wonder if the vomitting i experienced tore something. the leak was at the esophageal/stomach junction, i believe that's the most popular place for leaks. i feel kind of pissed off i self paid for this surgery and ended up a statistic.

i'm sorry i had to vent. i really need support. i don't have a lot of people to talk to about this and those who i do have, i don't want to burden them.

ahh, sorry i thought they found it right after your surgery (i misread the extra days in the hospital as time you had to stay after surgery). isn't it weird how our bodies do things to protect our organs? like abcesses and capsules. i remember my doctor feeling my stomach to see if he could feel any bulges or hard spots, it must have been for an abcess. luckily i didn't have one. i have a feeling the leak drains back into the stomach because it has no where else to go, as it's not draining into anything. i wanted a follow up upper gi, but my family doctor said do what the surgeon says he doesn't want to upset anything prematurely. you healed in a decent amount of time. your team really knew what they were doing. i hope mine does. i got my surgery in Mexico, the specialist my GP hooked me up with is supposed to be really good. he has horrible 'bedside manner'. but i'm trusting him. Im in canada, in a place where they don't really do vsg's for WLS but, they do partial gastrectomies and whatnot so i guess that's the same really.

Oh not to worry! I hope you have an uneventful and speedy recovery now!

Triple post

Edited December 21, 201312 yr by AnaBanana

Triple post

Edited December 21, 201312 yr by AnaBanana

Sorry for the last post. Havent used the site on my phone so I quoted and hit reply before I could answer.

Ive been in the hospital the last two weeks. IV fluids, cipro and flagyll anti biotics. Three days with an NG tube to suction all my stomach secretions (interesting colors coming out that tube) and now I'm on a nasal jejunum or NJ tube for the next six weeks. Ill catch up more when I get home from the hospital.

I'm sorry to hear you are in the hospital. I will be thinking of you. I hope you start to feel better soon. Please keep us updated.

I am so sorry you are having so many complications from the surgery. Thank God the doctors are able to help you though this. Because one of my coworkers had surgery on 12/9 she was find after the surgery went home got sick was rush to the hospital and die.. my surgery is schedule for January 7th and I very nervous behind the situation that happen to my coworker, I don't know what to do because im scared of pain but just the thought that something might go wrong has me extra worried.

that's awful thicvik. i'm so sorry.

don't be afraid to get your own surgery. you just gotta be really aware of how you feel after surgery. if you get any fever or fast pulse or weird new pains go to the hospital and get a scan immediately. even if you feel something isn't 'right'.

like i mentioned, my leak was 'contained'. so i was very very lucky not to have developed sepsis or abcesses. still, i was never quite right after surgery. i had pain and i had a seriously hard time keeping food down and threw up a lot. my leak was found by accident. amazingly. i am not sure if it was on it's way to getting worse, or slowly healing. i just thank god that i didn't get mega sick. i am home now. and on a tube feed with a tube in my nose down to my jejunum for the next six weeks. it's uncomfortable and i have to consume 1900 calories a day to heal this sucker (makes me feel kinda sad cuz i probably won't lose weight but who knows, i'd rather heal than lose 10 lbs). and you never know. i'm getting straight nutrition in my tube so i might not gain anything at all.

i had a really difficult time trying to get my doctor in my hometown to listen to my mexican doctors advice. five weeks ago when this leak was found the mexican doctor suggested a NJ tube and when i saw the doc here he pretty much ignored that advice. did the glue. the glue takes six weeks to work, yes it causes me to form a scar over the leak, not plug it. he finally got a hold of another bariatric surgeon here in canada who said the same thing as my surgeon in Mexico. nj tube for six weeks. so i started this four weeks too late. now i have to wait till the end of january to get this taken out. so my doctor in mexico knew what he was talking about. i'm pissed off at the disrespect he recieved from my hometown doctors. i won't complain though. im glad i got the tube because i trust my original surgeon.

thank you for thinking of me. its been a whirlwind of emotions. some days i feel like i regret this, some days i worry i won't heal, some days i want to rip this tube out and pretend nothing is wrong. i feel really light headed and im filled with major anxiety. they took me off all my anxiety pills cold turkey in the hospital and i'm just back on them so i'm having a hard time readjusting.

i'll keep you all updated. hopefully this will be a happy ending.

Thanks for sharing you guys....I pray that your body heals as it suppose too.

I agree with anabanana. I did end up with an abcess. You just have to listen to yourself and your body when it is telling you that something is not right. You will know when something is wrong. Thicvik I am so sorry that you have lost someone to thus surgery. I cannot begin to imagine what that feels like. You just need to do what you feel is right.

Edited December 27, 201312 yr by kraney

I agree with anabanana. I did end up with an abcess. You just have to listen to yourself and your body when it is telling you that something is not right. You will know when something is wrong. Thicvik I am so sorry that you have lost someone to thus surgery. I cannot begin to imagine what that feels like. You just need to do what you feel is right.

everyone thought i was being a baby here at home. i know i ate too fast which caused me to vomit a lot. i wonder sometimes if vomitting caused the leak. like it was still healing and the extreme heaves i had popped a staple. i'll never know. but yeah, every time i had a new type of 'pain' i had never experienced i'd go to the hospital. they would take me in right away, one time i went and had a bowel impaction, another time it was just bad gas. then the leak thing. so there was always a reason and once i figured out what it was if i had that pain again i would be like 'okay i need to get on some gasx like right now' or 'i need to get a suppository and laxative'.

well it's been three weeks on the tube feed. i am feeling okay. i have no hunger so i am not suffering by not eating. it's pretty easy to feed yourself. i'm throwing in 100grams of Protein every day mixing my powder with lots of Water and using cans of promote, kinda like ensure. all my Vitamins are good. i eat a cracker with my medications. the only thing that i can't deal with is gaviscon, every time i take it i throw it back up (gently). don't know why my tummy hates it, but i don't like the acidy feeling when i take a pill.

Thanks for updating us. Do you know how long you will have the tube in for? Stay strong.

i have an appt with the doctor next monday at 2:45. not sure if he's gonna pull the tube out, or send me for an upper gi to see if the leak is gone first. i've had the tube for almost three weeks, so technically 3 more weeks. hope it heals faster than that since they did that glue thing 5 weeks ago. can't wait to drink water! i'm so craving iced tea!

i have an appt with the doctor next monday at 2:45. not sure if he's gonna pull the tube out, or send me for an upper gi to see if the leak is gone first. i've had the tube for almost three weeks, so technically 3 more weeks. hope it heals faster than that since they did that glue thing 5 weeks ago. can't wait to drink water! i'm so craving iced tea!

Hi, I'm happy you are doing a bit better. Pls fill us in on your recovery.

Did u see the doctor today? How are things??