Hey Guys,

So I've been having a ton of issues since my surgery 18 days ago on 6/12/2015 m, have been in and out of the ICU/ISCU and am just hoping for some support from other people who have suffered the same complications. Here's a brief overview so far:

6/12 - went in for gastric sleeve. I woke up and they took me out to walk around. Next thing I know someone says I'm bleeding into the floor. I also believe I was taken back into surgery this day.

6/13 - I was told I didn't have a leak in the way I was thinking of it (ie gastric juice in my stomach) but that there was "oozing" from the incision line. They offered surgery again and suggested they could insert drains. Additionally, I was told I had a blood clot (hematoma) at the incision line and that I was losing blood. They had to give me transfusions and it took about 4 pints of blood transfused for my level to stop dropping and then at the 5th it went up slightly. This was an indication to them that the bleeding/clot/hematoma had stopped. I was told it would take several weeks for the clot to be transformed into my body.

6/17 - I was released from the hospital, told to progress normally from week 2 of my diet, etc etc.

6/21 - I had been having some stomach pain all day and thought I just had a lot of backed up stuff that was finally coming out. I was in the bathroom for like an hour and stuff (semi-solid) stool just kept coming. After like an hour of agony, I took a small sip of the liquid hydrocodone and was going to try and take a nap. Within a few seconds of taking a sip my body warmed up and started getting itchy. I looked down and knew something was wrong as I had broken out in hives all over my body in a few minutes. Mind you I had taken this medication for several days prior. I called 911 and ended back up at my surgery hospital.

6/21 - My surgeon took my back in for surgery. I was told my stomach had ruptured again and they tried to seal it but the skin was so thin they couldn't guarantee it would stay together. They also put in 2 drains.

6/22 - They did another sip test and I'm still leaking. I'm on "NPO" which means no liquid at all ever. They put me on TFA or something which is a white liquid hooked up to an IV so I'm not ingesting any food or Water.

6/30 - They did another sip test and confirmed I'm steal leaking.

Just to cover a few other things, I didn't cheat and I don't smoke. They want to transfer me out of ICU and to a short term recovery facility. I was pushing to be able to go home and have a nurse come out but I guess there are a few medications I'm on that some of these assistance companies don't want to be responsible for administering. It may be because of the medication itself or having to come to my home very frequently. Not sure. The hospital I'm in said they would probably want to wait 4 more weeks before another swallow test so it sounds like I'm going to be stuck not home somewhere either way.

Has anyone gone through these issues with leakage? Could you share your information with how long it took to recover? How will I know when my stomach is no longer at risk of tearing? I'm super worried at this point and don't want to confuse "not currently leaking" with "not currently leading but still not strong enough to resist leaking from 1 extra sip of water."

Thanks!

I was sleeved on March 30th. Went back into the hospital with a 9cm leak on April 8th. Spent 6 weeks in ICU. Doc said I came as close to dying as you can come. I spent another week in a general care ward and went home with a drain and a pic line with a mesh stent in my esophagus. The stent hurts like hell. I am allowed to eat mushy foods like cottage cheese and yogurt but swallowing hurts so I rarely eat. I get TPN at home every night. I did a swallow study last week and I have a less than 1cm leak still. Doc says each person is different and heals differently. The most time to heal he has heard of is two years. I have lost 92 pounds which is good considering TPn is high in calories and sugar. I am in a wait and see mode at this point. I take four percosets a day and am on a 150 microgram fentynal patch that we change out every three days. Life pretty much sucks right now but I know when the leak heals and the stent comes out I will be much better. Don't try to compare heal times with others because it will just frustrate you. It will be a rough time but be as patient as you can and you will get through.

You are not over reacting. I spent 6 weeks in the hospital and had home health care. I was in IV food and antibiotics. U had 7 surgeries in one month. It's such a tough road and I will be praying for you. If you feel you need the test then don't stop asking.

I agree with dgsleeve. Sometimes you have to be your own advocate because your doctor may be busy or just not attentive. Doctors are only human and are definitely not right 100% of the time, you're the one that knows your body. If you need something push for it.

Hi @@Alkalinetrio262 -- fellow Trio fan here!

Sorry to hear you've been having trouble! I've been dealing with a leak for almost two years now and can share some info on what happened and why I'm still dealing with it.

First, after a couple years of hearing various doctor's opinions on the matter, I've realized every situation is different so how one heals or how long one takes to heal is dependent on so many other things. My initial surgeon was confident it would heal in X amount of time. My second surgeon thought it would take a different X amount of time. The bottom line is, it can take any amount of time.

Getting it diagnosed early is key! My leak was misdiagnosed and enough time passed for a large amount of scar tissue to develop that has lead to the leak not being able to heal. Nutrition is also key. I feel ya on mental madness that comes with not being able to do as much as take a sip of Water. I was NPO and getting TPN via PICC line for six months. This actually backfired and left me severely nutritionally deficient and unable to heal. It also allowed even more scar tissue to develop that basically left me with no chance of it fixing itself without corrective surgery. When I did start drinking again I had to re-learn how to swallow. I literally had forgotten how to do it and was choking when I tried to drink.

It sounds like they caught your leak early and you've been making good progress! I'd bet you'll be healed up rather soon. But don't dismiss the importance of Protein and Vitamins. Being a stubborn guy myself, I often thought I'd be fine with whatever amount of protein I got. But seeing what happens to a human body after not getting normal nutrition for half a year really made me realize how important that stuff is. So keep putting that protein in no matter how you have to do it!

Good luck!

I had a leak that was found a week and a half post op. I went septic and went into kidney failure. I was in ICU for five weeks and step down another week. I have been on TPN since with a drain bag in my side. I had a swallow study last week and it showed a worsening of the leak. I am now having a total gastrectomy next Friday to end this nightmare. I am terrified but the doc says it will get me to a more normal life which I haven't been close to in 6 months.

God bless you guys. I feel like tall have taken one for the team:(

Hello everyone, I'm pre op and after reading about the leaks, icu, & xtra surgeries; I must say I shaking in my boots right now. I'm seriously thinking I don't want to do this????

Hello everyone, I'm pre op and after reading about the leaks, icu, & xtra surgeries; I must say I shaking in my boots right now. I'm seriously thinking I don't want to do this????

Me, too.???? I'm scheduled for surgery in 5 days.

You guys will be alright. What happened to some of us is pretty rare. I believe the National average is less than 2% and your individual surgeons a may have a rate even lower than that. It's not a minor surgery and of course there are risks, you just have to ask yourself why you're doing this and if you think it's worth the risk. For me, it was. My complications weren't as bad as some of the other folks so I can't speak on their behalf. However for me it was worth it and I would go through it again to be where I am now. I hope this helps. Best of luck!

Thanks a lot for the encouragement. I'm praying all goes well for the rest of us. I don't have my date yet, but it will be before this year is out. I so want to stop having to take blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. And besides wanting to look and feel good about my weight again. I want to be happy and healthy living a long and prosperous life.

Just so you guys know, the last 6.5 months has been hell for me. I am finally on the down side of the ordeal as the total gastrectomy has finally fixed things. Life will be different for me now but it would have been with the sleeve too. I have lost 125 pounds and when my strength comes back I will be the healthiest I have ever been. I don't regret the surgery. I wish I didn't go through what I did but I did and I have to roll with the punches of life. I told my story not to turn people off to the surgery but to make sure you know the risks.