One of the biggest barriers to getting weight loss surgery is the fear of complications. From mild ones like nausea and constipation to more serious ones like obstructions and leaks, complications are common among bariatric surgery patients.

Did you have complications after Weight Loss Surgery?

• Nope, aside from a little soreness during the recovery, things went great!
• Yes, but nothing serious. I just had some stomach issues.
• Yes, somehow I developed some nutrient deficiencies. See below for which ones I had and how I fixed them or whether I’m still dealing with them.
• Yes, I ended up back in the hospital. See why in the conversation below.
• I haven’t had weight loss surgery yet, but I’m crossing my fingers that nothing serious happens to me.
• Other. Read my answer in the discussion below.

Mark your answer and give us the details in the conversation below. Sharing your experience can help other members who are making their own decisions about weight loss surgery.

Lap Band with plication 18 months ago…..no problems with surgery or since.

Counting my blessings!

Hello Everyone,

I am here to tell my lap band story.I was banded in 2003 in Wisconsin.I was almost #300 pounds, and was so miserable.I was so excited to get this device and it changed my life for the better in the beginning.I lost #140 and was very good at sticking to the rules. I worked out 5 days a week and had tons of energy. In 2006 I was starting to experience pain on my left side and back. I was living in Arizona by this time, and had established with a bariatric doctor here. Insurance was covering everything, and we found out it was broke.The tubing had become disconnected from the port.I was experiencing a lot of back pain,and what felt like a hernia wanting to push my port out,very painful when I would have what I called a episode, which meant standing up,and pushing on the port to stop the pain.Not fun when I was driving ! A sneeze or cough could bring a episode every time. Then I had to make a emergency move to Colorado, and I had insurance, but this new insurance would only approve removing the port and not replacing it. What was the point in that ? So back to Wisconsin I went to the original surgeon in 2008, and I had surgery to fix it. They found no hernia and replaced the port with a smaller port, thinking that was the problem. About two months later I returned to AZ. I tried to get in to the Bariatric doc I had seen here, and I got in once to get a fill. I told them to check if I had Fluid in my band, and when the doc pulled fluid out it was yucky looking not like the clear saline it should have been. They gave me a fill anyways. After that,because I had it repaired in Wisconsin, they wanted a $500 fee up front,and I didn't have it. Then in the episodes started again. Lots of pain on whole left side. I had then lost my job and my insurance.I couldn't get help anywhere, I went to the ER my old doc practiced at,and they refused to even call a bariatric doc in. I then took the advice of people in our Facebook Lapband Failure group and called around to different clinics. I was advised to go to a specific hospital,and and that they will call a bariatric doc in. So I headed out and within 15 minutes I was having a cat scan, and the findings showed a broken lap band again and the hose wrapped around my spleen. My spleen appeared to be bleeding so the doc said the band must come out. It turned out that my spleen was not bleeding, that is has some weird scar tissue buildup. A friend of mine in the group was experiencing terrible pain as well and headed over to the hospital I went to and she ended up getting hers taken out too. The doc thought it was funny we were facebooking over our phones from different floors of the hospital. He said he was going to use our stories at his seminars. His clinic NO LONGER places the band, as they see too many complications, and are removing at least 1 or 2 a week. Anyhow, I had developed a hiatel hernia,and come to find out a inflamed stomach and esophagus. I had regained weight when my band broke, but was losing weight now that it was out, because I could not eat. Yeah I was digging the weight loss but being sick everyday has been terrible. I had my band removed Oct 1st 2013, its been well over a year. I am still having stomach problems, and the place where my port was still is giving me those episodes, although they are constant and I am experiencing shoulder pain, and popping in my left ear. I believe this is due to vagus nerve damage, and or gastroperesis. I am going to see the gastro doc next week and I want a gastric emptying test done. As my whole digestive system is screwed up over this band. I don't know if this pain by my ex port area is part of that,but I need to find out,because it is constant pain now. It turned out that the surgeon didnt think my spleen needed to be removed. They have never seen a spleen like mine. The bariatric doc said that he figured that from the haitel hernia pushing my stomach up caused the hose of the band to rub against my spleen therefore causing the damage. In all honesty had I of known that this device could do such damage I would of never elected to have it. They said it was reversible with minimal damage. THEY LIE !!! We have people in our group who have to eat with feeding tubes, perforations to their stomach, attachment to heart, liver, and other organs,and suffer tremendously with other issues they did not have before the band. Never again will I have weight loss surgery ! And I wouldn't recommend getting the band. All we can pray for is a class action law suit someday.This device has been reported to the FDA for its failures,and we can only hope we see justice. I'm just so very glad that many surgeons are not placing it anymore due to its serious complications. Thats my story ! wish me luck in finding a solution to the damage the band left behind. Thank you !

My Spleen in the picture

At 62 I sailed through sleeve surgery ☺️

Now if you consider post op constipation as a complication I think the figure will go up to 99% of the people on this forum! ????

No.only pain/gas pain for the first week. I'm 20 days out.

So let me add on to the complication stories already posted here. Got sleeved back on Dec 22nd of 2014. I was fine for the first few (3) weeks out of surgery. Then around the last week of Jan that when things started to take a turn for the worse. I had caught some sort of stomach virus that made even taking down just Water a problem. I wound up in the ER twice within a 3 week span. The last visit to the ER I had lost all short term memory and I was severely dehydrated. I had to get not only an IV of fluids but an IV of Multivitamins that night just to get my vision straight. It has been almost a month since that last visit and I am still dealing with short term memory stuff although my vision has cleared up a lot. I've remained in contact with both my surgeon and my primary care doctor to try and figure out what we can do to get me back on the better end of the recovery process.

I did have to go back on the full liquids again for an additional week and I have been on a prescribed Multivitamin pill along with some additional prescription B Vitamins. So far I am down about 110lbs since the start of the pre-surgery liquid diet phase of this. As much as I enjoy not having that much weight on me, the complications from it have been making life a bit more difficult for me. I work in IT and not having a good enough memory when 1.5 - 5 million dollar projects depend on you remembering can be indeed stressful. I also have to go to therapy to deal with the mental changes the surgery has caused. They have been helpful but again with the memory loss sometime I forget those appointments and I've already had to pay for an expensive no show fee.

All in all would I do this again, yes because I know I am extending my life by getting the weight off of my body. But the complications sure are making it difficult to easily say yes again. Right now I have an appointment to follow up with my primary doctor this week and I am going to ask him about getting on pure Vitamin shots instead of taking the pills. I really would enjoy for my short term memory loss to go away. Then I could focus a lot more time on shedding off more weight and actually feel good about my accomplishments so far.

When I went in for my post sleeve surgery followup appointment, I felt so good I jokingly suggested that my surgeon just marked my belly with a sharpie and didn't operate at all. Didn't even need any pain pills.

I'm only 9 days post op but no issues so far.

I was the worst patient. The gals having this surgery I have respect for you. I had a rash develop from blood settling in my stomach. I had issues getting my fluids in. I had increased pain in my neck, back, and shoulder. My feet developed a intense burning itch from the diabetes that was cured by the operation. I now suffer from a deep depression as I don't feel I'm doing well. But the scale does not lie, nor does my old clothes I found in the back of the closet. I believe stats say 3 out of 4 people have complications. But most don't require a return stay at the hospital. Your body is going to loose a lot of weight very quickly and things like staples coming loose will concern you, but happen and nothing to worry about. Incision pain was another concern. Also my urine stream got very weak. I was worried my kidneys were failing. Test don't lie, I am fine. Last the foxes my stomach but not my head. I still battle with food even though I can not eat. Last I rolled my ankle walking as part of my exercise routine. Bit all this was worth it, I have a food problem. I was Jill ng myself with food. My family also makes it hard when trying to stay away from food triggers. But my family have all lost a heathy amount of weight too. The hardest thing I do at 6 months out is finding things with taste. I no longer look at volume but tasty protein with lil or no carbs. When I stray I go back to a food journal to monitor myself. I am not going to gain this weight back and that will always be a struggle for me.

3 weeks out. No complications. Just a bit of soreness.

I had an allergic reaction to the surgical glue. I was scared it was an infection, but my surgeon assured me by showing me pictures of other patients. It was itchy and red. It resolved itself within a week. I am having constipation issues, and am looking to add Fibersure to my liquids.

I had allergic reaction to da glue also and I'm 8 weeks In. I'm still itchy, scaly and sometimes leak yellow fluid. My surgeon gave me antibiotics so I'm still taking them. I'm so paranoid about scars.

My recovery was so uneventful that at my first post op appointment, I "accused" my surgeon of not operating at all and just marking my belly with a Sharpie and putting little bandaids on and calling it quits. Three years out and I have a hard time finding the little scars from my sleeve.

I ended up back in the hospital twice for a total of 3 weeks... Basically I couldn't eat or drink anything after my gastric sleeve without nausea/vomiting. After many tests and ultimately having my gallbladder removed, I finally started to feel much better. Now I'm very happy I had the surgery as I've hit my goal weight in only 7 months! 108 lbs gone and never looking back

I continue to vomit one year later. Now I know, this is probably my fault, I eat to fast and don't chew enough. Working on that.

No, followed the directions.