Anyone else's surgeons not do leak tests? I asked mine and he said they don't do them as it gives the patients a false sense of security and many would eat the wrong yhings

My surgeon only does the leak test that we have while still in surgery because as he puts it: He wants to know about any leak while he can still be in there to fix it. He does not do them post op unless people have symptoms So I did not have one the next day like a lot of others. Thankful I did not because I hear they are not fun. I couldn't even sip water so not sure how I would have swallowed that vile liquid!

Mine also typically does just the one while still in surgery. I specifically requested one later in the week because I live about 3 hours from that clinic and did have post op complications and he agreed it was better to be safe than sorry.

Mine did it thru the surgery too.

Mine did it during the surgery..

I asked him after the surgery if I'm going to do another one .. He said no .

I had my surgery in a Mexico and my surgeon does 3 leak tests.... One while in surgery (fill the sleeve with air, submerge in saline and look for air bubbles). The drain is a second test...will alert you to any bleeding or abnormal discharge (ie. leak) into the abdomen. Drain was pulled the 3rd day and then they do a barium swallow fluoroscopy. This could show potential leakage, but it also shows any strictures and allows them to assess how well Fluid is passing through the esophagus, sleeve and intestines.

All of these tests certainly didn't make me want to go out and eat the wrong things. I still followed my postop diet to a tee. That seems weird that your surgeon needs his patients to be scared they have a leak in order to not cheat their postop plans.

He wasn't scaring them, but a lot of people take the leak test as a false sense of security, and then they eat the wrong foods too early

LIke so many here, mine was done during surgery.

I was having some post op stomach pain a week out and had an upper GI (ESD). But that's not routine. (ends up it was reflux) It was fun to watch it however - at least I could see that the VSG was actually done (having read posts of folks who have found out later there's no staples/no vsg done...eek!) Oh, I could also see the "contents" funnel back up from what I assume was the pyloric valve. That's what was causing the reflux. Pretty neat technology.

I had my leak test the next morning, the stuff tasted like crap but i got it down and it was pretty interesting to see it go down and through my new baby tummy.

As far as eating the wrong stuff too soon, you have to be an idiot to want to do something like that, why would you even go through this operation if you would do this. got to give something up right?

I had my leak test the next morning, the stuff tasted like crap but i got it down and it was pretty interesting to see it go down and through my new baby tummy.

As far as eating the wrong stuff too soon, you have to be an idiot to want to do something like that, why would you even go through this operation if you would do this. got to give something up right?

no doubt that's where the WLS regain stats come from.....

Edited September 25, 201411 yr by Kindle

He wasn't scaring them, but a lot of people take the leak test as a false sense of security, and then they eat the wrong foods too early

Sounds like he needs a better preop psych eval protocol.

next day for me.

Sounds like he needs a better preop psych eval protocol.

He's a great surgeon and as far as I know, no one else around here has a 2 year followup program like they do. I will have nutrition, doctor, fitness, and psych visits for the next two years.

They do internal tests, but not the external tests like swallowing barium.

LIke so many here, mine was done during surgery.

I was having some post op stomach pain a week out and had an upper GI (ESD). But that's not routine. (ends up it was reflux) It was fun to watch it however - at least I could see that the VSG was actually done (having read posts of folks who have found out later there's no staples/no vsg done...eek!) Oh, I could also see the "contents" funnel back up from what I assume was the pyloric valve. That's what was causing the reflux. Pretty neat technology.

That would be awesome to see! My surgeon also repaired a hiatal hernia and so far no reflux...for the first time since I was 16 or so, I haven't had to sleep on my left side to prevent reflux at night, or worry that I will get pain in my abdomen. The last surgeon I went to actually told me u didn't have a hernia and that my liver was too large. My surgeon now says he doesn't want to step on any toes, but he doesn't understand why or how the other surgeon couldn't do the surgery previously, but if he had done the surgery, I still would have been left with a hernia.

No post op leak test for me either, just during surgery.

Edited September 26, 201411 yr by johnsydney

My surgeon did an EGD after the sleeve while I was under. He did a leak test too. Not sure if the leak test is the same as the EGD.