I assume the staples stay in forever, does the cut actually heal causing the possibility of a leak to end?

Yes, staples stay in forever and the risk of leaks is in the early weeks/months. It is my belief that most of the time when they are found later it is because the swelling went down enough for the leak to be leaking. that is simply a guess on my part though.

The exception is a person on this forum who developed a very severe ulcer many months post op that caused a gastric leak. That is different then a staple line leak, however it creates the same serious problems. It is a rare occurance but definately reminds us all to follow up on symptoms!

And adding to what CowgirlJane said, we need to watch what we consume that can cause ulcers. They are serious, and they are REAL!

Good luck to you!

If I am not mistaken the body actually will heal around the staple so they will eventually be totally encased in tissue. Plus the cut edges of the stomach will heal together too.