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What's this 'leak test' like?

Hi everyone! I am scheduled to have my sleeve surgery on 2/27 and I am getting really, really nervous. I have been reading everything I could on what to expect, but im curious about the leak test that will be done in the hospital before we can drink liquids. What is all involved in this? Do we have to drink something? I had an upper GI test done before I got my surgery date to make sure everything was ok and I had to drink a ton of this nasty barium. Im hoping the leak test isnt like that. Thanks for your input!

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  • I had one done during surgery and one at 5pm that evening. I had to eat blue dyed ice chips 30cc at 30 minute intervals. It was no big deal.

  • I had the leak test a few hours after surgery. They wheeled me down to radiology and took an Cray with me standing up. Then gave me something cherryish mixed with crystal light and had me take a sip t

  • I had mine day after. Worst part of the whole procedure. Had to drink bitter yellow stuff and the only thing that kept me from throwing up was the thought of having to start whole test over

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It wasn't that bad. A couple of sips of"contrast" Fluid. Taste is pretty bad. I would compare it to the Water that you soak your dishes in. .. after two days. ..lol. but just two sips. 30 seconds later. .. It was over! Don't be nervous about the surgery. I had a great experience. .. no complications. Best and first day of my new life!

:lol: :lol: :D Thats an awful thought haha. Love the description!! Classic

I had the leak test the day after surgery. The worst thing was the taste. I just swallowed and got on with it. I'm not a person who throws up easily so I am lucky in that instance. I didn't have any nausea after surgery but my doc gave me 3 different anti-nausea drugs. I was able to rinse my mouth out imeadiately after the test and that seemed to help.

Hope everything goes well for you.

Blessings,

Kathleen

My swallow study was a nightmare. It was Barium, and I had to drink all of it when I puked it right up after the test and continued to puke for a couple hours. I think everybody is different when it comes to the test.

Had one the next morning. Hadn't had any fluids in my mouth for over 24 hours and the first thing I got to drink was the barium. To add injury to insult because of complications and a second surgery had to have a second one three days later. My surgeon didn't order the hospital just assumed and sent me down for it. Lol

Not sure if I had one done during...but I had two after surgery. One the morning after (Tuesday) and another one later that night just to make sure that everything was sealed up because I had a blood pressure flare up that was kind of crazy that night. The stuff you have to drink is absolutely devastating...but hey it has to be done...;-)

I had mine the morning after my surgery so that I could be cleared for liquids. Mine consisted of me drinking a small amount of some dye and then they performed an x-ray while I swallowed it and watched it go down to make sure nothing leaked. It was disgusting, and after eating nothing for nearly two days but ice chips, it's the last thing you want to drink. But I was glad that I got the okay to move onto liquids. It's not that bad! The worst part was waiting to go back up to my room. But every surgeon is different, I believe.

My surgeon checks for leaks in the OR. When I woke up I was cleared for clears.

It's a breeze. if you're worried asked for an antiemetic beforehand...no need to suffer.

I had my leak test Wenesday . I only had to swallow a few swallows of a clear liquid. It was not near as much as the original barium test that I had done presurgery.

I had two the next day after surgery. My doctor performs 2 leak tests on revision patients. I had to first drink some clear yellow liquid. It wasn't bad and then they took some pictures using the fluoroscope. I got to see my stomach post-op and that was amazing to see.

Once this was finished I went back to my room and got blue ice chips. This blue is smurf blue. After 90 minutes there was no blue dye in my drain, so I was given permission to begin drinking.

I had heard and read such horrible things about the test, and was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't bad at all.

Good luck to you on your upcoming surgery.

My leak test was super easy. Stuff barely tasted like anything, and it was only between half an ounce and an ounce I had to swallow. I wasn't scared of the taste, I was scared to drink the stuff. Lasted about 15 seconds and I was on my way back to my room.

My surgeon checks during surgery and then does the blue ice test. No blue dye in my drain so I was good to go

I never had any drains. Surgeons are all so different! Even post op diet progression varies so much. Why cant they just standardize it!

I also never had drains. The surgeon did leak test during surgery, nothing after. It really is amazing to me how every surgeon does everything so differently from one another. I am 3 days post op with very little trouble with anything.

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