Hello all. I've posted on here before about my nightmare after surgery, I thought it was time for an update. I was sleeved 12/27/12 in Tijuana, things didn't feel right from the beginning, I was hospitalized over there 4 times in the 3 months that followed and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, dr thought I wasn't trying hard enough but I just couldn't get or keep anything in. I'm from San Diego, btw, so it was easy to come back and forth, finally on 3/23/13 Since I could no longer walk because I was so weak and absolutely nothing was staying down, my parents took me to the er at scripps mercy hospital. After a bunch of tests and less than a day later they found the leak. They put me on tpn, I was hospitalized for 5.5 weeks, the nurses told me later I was very very sick and they weren't sure I was gonna make it but I did. After that hospitalization I was sent home early may on tpn and with a pjs drain hanging out of my back, and obviously not having anything by mouth. I was fine for about 2 months then the first blood infection came, my picc line got infected, so i went back to the er with a really high fever, I was septic, that happened 4 more times the remainder of the year. The dr was hoping it'll heal on it's own since it would be best for me, that didn't happen, they tried outing a powder on the leak that helps scar twice and that didn't help, finally they tried a stent and of course that didn't help either. Btw having a stent is the most miserable I felt the whole time, never ending nausea is no joke. The whole time I was going through this I had a chronic cough, it got so bad, sometimes I couldn't talk, I now know that since my case is "peculiar" I also have damage to my left lung and might need some of it removed after my main issue is fixed, that is also one of the reasons drs have been so careful with my case. Anyway on my last hospital stay in December, they put a j tube in (feeding tube) since they could no longer put in picc lines to feed me because they kept getting infected. It has made a big difference, I feel healthier and I can do a lot more things now, except I still can't eat and have a j tube and pjs drain hanging out of my body for over a year now. I haven't been back to the hospital since December, so that's good, bit I'm emotionally drained, I want this to be over so bad, I just can't take it anymore. Right now we're waiting for my insurance to approve a cat scan to see if there's any improvement on my lung and my dr can decide what the next step is, it's surgery for sure but they don't know whether it'd be converting to a bypass or removing my stomach completely, if that's the case they have to see how far up the damage is on my body to see if a dr here I'm San Diego can do it or if it's more complex and they have to send me to USC to see another dr. They might need to bring part of my colon up to attach to my esophagus and intestine and no one here in San Diego does that. I hope I made sense. I just want to get it all out there. After over a year of this I feel like people around me don't wanna hear it anymore but this is my life right now, I need to vent. The only thing I have going on for me is the weight loss but I'm not sure if it was worth it some days. Not being aw to drink or eat anything is driving me crazy and I'm not a happy person at all. If you made it this far, thanks for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm an open book. I think that complications are not talked about enough and I don't want to scare anyone from getting surgery because I've seen awesome results on many people but complications are real and sometimes downplayed.

You, are an incredibly strong person to have gone through all you have, to not attribute blame across the board and to then recount it on here so matter-of-factly.

My thoughts are most sincerely with you.

You absolutely deserve the most rapid and pain free of recoveries and soon.

Your strength is astounding and I am in awe.

Keep us updated x

Im so sorry about your leak, im a year out and the idea of having one scares me. I am currently in the hospital. Can't keep any food down, barely liquid, came to the ER, stayed 4 days, went home. I was released even though i was still not eating. I was released on the base of all blood work coming back clran, ct scan clesn and ultrasound. Anyhow, 3 days later i end back up here, amd.now working with a GI doc. I just had a HIDA scan done today, becase low and behold, the GI tells me, gallbladder issue run high when you.lose weight quickly and large amounts.

I too wish they would discuss long term complications during your preop interview and procrss.

Im so sorry about your leak, im a year out and the idea of having one scares me. I am currently in the hospital. Can't keep any food down, barely liquid, came to the ER, stayed 4 days, went home. I was released even though i was still not eating. I was released on the base of all blood work coming back clran, ct scan clesn and ultrasound. Anyhow, 3 days later i end back up here, amd.now working with a GI doc. I just had a HIDA scan done today, becase low and behold, the GI tells me, gallbladder issue run high when you.lose weight quickly and large amounts.

I too wish they would discuss long term complications during your preop interview and procrss.

Jessi Rae I had the same thing but my surgeon accused me anorexia. It was easier to blame the patient. Everyone else knew it wasn't true. I had the HIDA scan done and it showed function of 12 and 11%. I lost a lot of weight quickly, the surgeon should have known that and didn't. Its not even documented that I had problems getting down the pills they give you for that.

Long term complications? My surgeon doesn't follow them. That's why they don't discuss it. They dont want to learn about it either. My urgent care PCP and another surgeon figured out I was malnourished when the bariatric surgeon didn't. Months before.

I have just scheduled revision from band to sleeve with dr Ponce. now this. I'm rethinking the entire thing.

I have just scheduled revision from band to sleeve with dr Ponce. now this. I'm rethinking the entire thing.

Enough with the leak already. You have had enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I still have a leak as well after 17 months but it is covered by this procedure. No one should go through what you have been through. I have been where you are and it is no joke. Your life sways in the balance.....This will work whether the leak gets sealed by this or you have a combo bypass and sleeve...

Demand it.....No more it is enough pain for you....I am so sorry you are going through this. I understand completely as I to have ridden that horse! PM me if you need any other information.. K

Tell them to do a Roux-en-Y loop

Thank you all for your very kind words. I'm sorry that some of you are having complications, specially so far out, that's scary. I hope they get resolved soon, being in and out of hospital sucks! And always having to see doctors is a pain too. We did this to be healthier and avoid things like that.

@@laura71 I don't know what to tell you. Like I mentioned, idk if it was his fault or it just happened. My friend and her dad both went with him and had no problems, I've also read on here of a lot of people who have gone with him and have no problems. I also saw on TV (while I was in the hospital) a story about a patient of his that was brain dead in the hospital in San Diego and they wanted to disconnect him so another hospital in irvine, I believe took him, it was on TV cos of the controversy around it, apparently the hospital wanted to disconnect him and his family refused, they even had protests outside the hospital. I don't know the whole story but according to the report he was like 23 years old, had the sleeve and got a leak, he lived in Los Angeles and his family drove him down to see dr ponce who put in a stent and the guy went back home, according to the head dr at the hospital where it was done ( which wasn't INT where I got mine) the guy didn't go back in time to remove the stent, (they didn't interview dr ponce but showed his picture) and when they were driving down to tj to get him medical help cos he was really sick, he had a heart attack and ended up in a hospital here in San Diego, brain dead, I tried to contact his family on Facebook but never got a response. Idk what happened to him but considering he was brain dead. I'm sure other doctors have stories like this but don't tell you about them, this one just happened to come out on the news because of the controversy around it.

@rj's/beginning thank you. I think that's one of they possibilities but the problem here is that I have damage to my lung and diaphragm too and the dr says that doesn't happen, he has only found one other case similar to mine and presented my case in a conference and was met with a lot of huhs? So he is being extra cautious but says we're now at a point where I'm a lot healthier and thinner and we need to decide on the next step, we just need another cat scan to see if my lung is doing better and it's safer to proceed. I agree, I've had enough and it's been way too long. I just want to get back to normal life, whatever the new normal is gonna be. Have you had any problems since having this procedure?

I am so depressed, my HIDA scan came back fine, no issues therr. The docs don't believe me, even though im to the point of not keeping anything done. I feel so discouraged, like the issue is never going to end, or they wont find what's wrong.

I'm so sorry :/ it's so frustrating when they can't find what's wrong with you and they don't believe you. I really hope they find out what's going on soon.

@@mattuti86 God bless!! I'm praying for your returned health. I hope they can revise you to the bypass rather than anything more drastic. I'm revising to the bypass from having the sleeve almost 4 years ago as well. Complications do occur that's true, but we have to stay strong so we can tell our stories of victory. Take care of yourself.

@rj's/beginning thank you. I think that's one of they possibilities but the problem here is that I have damage to my lung and diaphragm too and the dr says that doesn't happen, he has only found one other case similar to mine and presented my case in a conference and was met with a lot of huhs? So he is being extra cautious but says we're now at a point where I'm a lot healthier and thinner and we need to decide on the next step, we just need another cat scan to see if my lung is doing better and it's safer to proceed. I agree, I've had enough and it's been way too long. I just want to get back to normal life, whatever the new normal is gonna be. Have you had any problems since having this procedure?

Yes I left the hospital with a category 5 bedsore and other issues. I had pneumonia and liquid in my lungs and still after 17 months I still have liquid in my left lung. I use a pump when needed. Other issues creeped up on me... It is a long sorted story. But I found that surgery saved my life. I have had no issues with it. Other issues yes. but it was a home run for me as far as the leak went...14 surgeries in hospital and so many things that when that finally happened. It started to turn around for me....I was 1 in over 500 patients my surgeon did at that time and he never had one that he figured would have survived it...But I am here writing you..lol

They were cautious with me and I love them so much for their dedication to me. I can never thank my team enough....I am doing so much better..And continue to push forward with my bypass/sleeve combo!

I was sleeved on 2/11 and felt good for about 3 weeks...then I went back to work and started feeling tired and started having problems with soft foods... To make it short on 3/15 I could not keep anything down and on 3/16 I started with a high fever and went to ER... I had an air pocket outside my sleeve and and an abscess on my spleen... I was in ICU for a week and came home on TPN and a reverse feeding tube draining my stomach. I must say I am lucky because they could not find the leak through the endoscopy... Just saw a few ulcerations around the staples then the next day they did surgery to remove abscess and looked on the outside and put blue dye in me and non leaked. My leaked healed itself. After 3 weeks on TPN I am allowed water and certain meds orally. I go back to the Dr on 4/23 to find out about getting the tube removed from my stomach. I don't want to scare anyone and guess I should of started with I have Crohns Disease and have been on an immune suppressant for 4 years which probably caused the leak and slowed my healing. I do get depress mostly because I am gaining weight on TPN.

@ thank you it means a lot to me that people are wishing me the best, it gives me strength since it gets very hard at times.