Sleevers Beware

[flipper72 36]

Hi everyone, I've hesitated to post this because I certainly do not want to scare anyone. However, this is one side effect that no one ever warned me about...and maybe because you can't really predict when something like this could happen. I'm referring to PANCREATITIS! If you haven't heard of it...it's an inflammation of the pancreas that is, by far, the most painful thing I've ever experienced. The ER docs and nurses compared it to child labor. When I asked if it was similar to diverticulosis.....the nurse said "Sweetie, people with pancreatitis pray that it was only diverticulosis". Pancreatitis is something that can be reoccurring...or it could be something that happens once. I had it once for a little over two weeks....couldn't go anywhere or do anything beside try my hardest to fight the pain.

From what I've been told...the Doc's think that the rapid weight loss lead to gall stones which upon traveling to my small intestines got lodged in my pancreatic duct. (the gall bladder and the pancreas to not get along apparently) Anyway, once inflamed, it can take anywhere from a week or months for the pancreas to recover.

Again, this isn't something anyone can predict. I had an ultrasound on my gall bladder in June (my surgery was Aug 4th) and it was clear. However, if you lose weight fast your gall bladder can create stones and from there.....a litany of things can happen.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

I'm not trying to scare anyone from having the surgery......even though it was brutal....in the end, I do not regret the surgery. But I was so blindsided by this that I thought I would share my experience.

Hope you're all doing great with your pre & post surgery experiences!!

Thanks for reading

[mouse1972rb 24]

I heard about it and its in the preop disclosure i got along with about a hundred other conditions that can develop after also.... With everything it is a gamble all we can do is live. Not to belittle what your going through i do wish you well and that things turn right for you.

[ellie123 374]

So sorry you are experiencing this But that is why I'm having my Gallbladder removed and the sleeve performed in the same procedure. My gallbladder has only acted up twice, BUT, following rapid weight loss, it's bound to act up. I wish you could have had yours removed back during surgery. But congratulations on all that weight loss. Bravo!

[emma4884 81]

@flipper72. Wow! I had my surgery on August 4th too and was diagnosed with pancreatitis on August 21st. Was also told my gallbladder was "a sack of rocks."

Because I had complications requiring emergency surgery hours after my sleeve surgery, my surgeon is reluctant to remove my gallbladder this soon. We are waiting to see if I can live with it for awhile. (They tell me I depleted the hospital's supply of Factor 7, a blood clotter. When I was readmitted to the hospital, the nurses told me I am known as the"spurter," due to the uncontrolled bleeding. OK by me. I am just glad they saved me.)

We thought we'd done our homework and knew the risks. Then wham, we get hit with this. I too am very glad that I've had the sleeve surgery. However I'd be lying if I didn't see admit to being very surprised to find myself in the "complications" column of statistics. When I completed my Advanced Health Directive, I truly never thought it would necessary.

I thought following all the rules would prevent complications. Now I think it's a crap shoot.

So I live day to day hoping I can finish healing from sleeve complications before I need my gallbladder removed. Sometimes it's better not to know what tomorrow will bring. It's out of my hands beyond being a compliant bariatric patient.

I do know that my quality of life is already improving, despite these bumps in the road. Roughly paraphrased, someone once said, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," right?

[flipper72 36]

Wow Emma - My pancreatitis started on the 21st and I was diagnosed in the emergency room on teh 22nd...we're the mirror image of one another. However, I had zero complications up until that point. I met with my surgeon on teh morning of the 21st and was telling her how stellar everything was...I had moved to soft solid foods and was walking everyday and feeling great. Got home, had dinner that night and boom...woke up in excruciating pain. Isn't it the worst pain ever!! UGH! I had a little setback because they had me on a liquid diet for about another week, but now I'm back to soft solids. I haven't had a carb/starch since July and bascially live on Protein and my green smoothie drinks that I was excited to be able to add to my diet. I feel better physically but still have anxiety around eating anything that could possibly trigger an episode.

My surgeon wants me to consider gall bladder removal in the future but like you, she wants me to wait.

I hope you're feeling better and stronger everyday!!

xo

[emma4884 81]

@flipper72. The similarities are remarkable! I am on "mushies" until mid-November. Spent three weeks on Clear liquids, then two weeks on full liquids. The pain does make you afraid to eat anything although you know all this Protein is only increasing the stones in your gallbladder.

We got this!! We're headed in the right direction; just on a bumper road than most. Thanks for posting this thread. Once again bariatric pal members are there for each other!

[Miss Mac 6,261]

The possibility of pancreatitis is the reason why I cringe when someone says that ate regular food just days before surgery. I was told that undigested food also puts you at risk for stomach and bowel contents leaking into your abdomen while the doc is in there working with his tools.