Sleeve made too big 1st now having complications

[Thenewme2014 0]

I was first sleeved on Nov 1, 2013. Original weight 260 and I got down to 182. I started having major pain about 3-4 months ago. Went to several doctors my original surgeon moved his practice so I didn't have a bariatric doctor. Finally got referred to one found out my sleeve was "too big" and my stomach actually twisted on top of itself making an "S" shape. My new surgeon had to go in take 50% of the stomach I still had, repair a hiatal hernia and remove adhesions this was all done June 16, 2014. I am having complications I had swelling where the esophagus meets the stomach causing me to go right back into the hospital the day after I was released from surgery and spent 4 more nights in the hospital. Here I am almost a month out and still in a lot of pain. Can't keep hardly anything down. I go back Tuesday to find out if they are going to go in via scope and stretch my opening. I feel like I am never going to get better. Anyone else had these issues? Will it get better? I honestly wish I could go back and never it do it.

[swimbikerun 1,040]

Not that I heard. That is odd, if you will forgive me. A sleeve is made by "ahem" putting a tube down your throat and cutting off the excess stomach and sewing around it. I'm wondering how the sleeve could have been made big. Did you get the surgeon's report?

[Travelmego 235]

Aww I am so sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. It will get better. I am confident that your new surgery will work out just fine and you will be ok. Just hang in there - the wounds will heal and it will get better.It will all go to normal and the ordeal will become a distant memory as you continue living your life without the weight. We are here for you.

[Thenewme2014 0]

Not that I heard. That is odd, if you will forgive me. A sleeve is made by "ahem" putting a tube down your throat and cutting off the excess stomach and sewing around it. I'm wondering how the sleeve could have been made big. Did you get the surgeon's report?

I really don't know how it was made big and I don't have the original surgeon's report or even know how to find him. My new surgeon is wonderful though very carrying always talks me to directly when I call. I am very frustrated that the first surgery wasn't done correctly. I watch the scans when we found out my stomach was twisted and I know I dont know what I'm looking at very well but I swear it looked like it was in a knot. It was the craziest and scariest thing I had ever seen.

[Thenewme2014 0]

Aww I am so sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. It will get better. I am confident that your new surgery will work out just fine and you will be ok. Just hang in there - the wounds will heal and it will get better.It will all go to normal and the ordeal will become a distant memory as you continue living your life without the weight. We are here for you.

Thank you for the kind words

[swimbikerun 1,040]

Go to the hospital where it was done at and get the operative report. You can also get anything else from them. You sign a paper, but its all HIPAA legal.

I am just hoping that things turn out alright. I've not heard of this but I will be checking the research in the next few days to see if I find anything. I've seen studies of one before.

[Thenewme2014 0]

Thank you. I would appreciate any information you find. I have tried finding some but this seems like a pretty rare situation. And thanks for the advice I am going to go get the reports from my 1st surgery!

[swimbikerun 1,040]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3505545/

We also emphasize that when dividing the stomach, the same distance should be maintained between the lesser curvature and the entire staple line to avoid twisting of the sleeve, which may result in food regurgitation, vomiting, or GERD.

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-67202013000600017&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=en

It has recently been reported that loss of abdominal ligament fixations along the greater curvature of the stomach may result in improper gastric pouch positioning, causing food intolerance and persistent reflux^6,22. Cases of gastric volvulus and twisting have been described, with the possibility of more subtle positioning situations occurring and leading to problems¹³.

http://www.cme.umn.edu/prod/groups/med/@pub/@med/@cme/documents/content/med_content_201146.pdf

this goes over leak and torsion issues but I saw nothing on torsion

Also there is apparently issues that the smaller the stomach, the bigger the chance of twisting, since everything moves around. That might also make sense depending on the bougie size. You can find that out in the op report - or maybe not because I didn't see it in mine.

It may also happen when the bougie isn't used and the staple line isn't straight. Are there any photos?

Ok and for us crazy people who are into this sort of madness: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1754-9485.2012.02401.x/abstract.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

give it time. i had a ton of adhesions removed from my stomach, pancreas, and spleen from 10 years ago (unknown case of pancreatitis after my gall bladder removal) this caused a ton of swelling in my stomach. i couldnt keep anything down for almost 4 weeks. my stomach wasnt squeezing due to the swelling. Water and shakes went in. nothing went out. extreme nausea, pain, bloating and then everything would come back up. surgeon told me to be patient. give it time. he was right. it was 2-3 weeks longer recover time for me. as long as you are hydrated, and your pain is controlled, rest and heal. if you are in intolerable pain or cant get enough fluids in, call your surgeon. (or cant keep anything down or have terrible nausea... i needed 3 nausea meds!)

Edited July 7, 2014 by moonlitestarbrite

[IM.ON.MY.WEIGH.DOWN 26]

I was first sleeved on Nov 1, 2013. Original weight 260 and I got down to 182. I started having major pain about 3-4 months ago. Went to several doctors my original surgeon moved his practice so I didn't have a bariatric doctor. Finally got referred to one found out my sleeve was "too big" and my stomach actually twisted on top of itself making an "S" shape. My new surgeon had to go in take 50% of the stomach I still had, repair a hiatal hernia and remove adhesions this was all done June 16, 2014. I am having complications I had swelling where the esophagus meets the stomach causing me to go right back into the hospital the day after I was released from surgery and spent 4 more nights in the hospital. Here I am almost a month out and still in a lot of pain. Can't keep hardly anything down. I go back Tuesday to find out if they are going to go in via scope and stretch my opening. I feel like I am never going to get better. Anyone else had these issues? Will it get better? I honestly wish I could go back and never it do it.

I am experiencing the same thing i was sleeved on August 11th and had a hiatul hernia repair and the endo to dialate my opening since I was unable to keep any liquids down or anything else for that matter im 2.5 weeks out currently I was in the hospital for 10 of these days was released on a phase3 diet however i cant hve yogurt baby food Jello sf ice pops nothing stays down i finally worked myself up to 1 Protein Shake and one bottle of Water a day im so afraid of dehydration and my kidneys failing I wish I could go back I would hve never done it im convinced that I would have rather lived with diabetes then too be experiencing this. If I even try to eat something it seems as if it wont go pass my throat it always comes up all I do is vomit all day even on my liquids or simply when i havent nothing in my system...Have things gotten better for you..I also feel like things arent EVER going to get better everyone says it will but they havent experienced what I have...I really dont have anything to look forward and I completely regret this decision that I made and am now stuck with.