I have a leak. I would like to know how other people deal with this problem. Being on TPN is so hard. I’ve been on TPN for 4 weeks now. I would like to know the average time most people have to be on TPN? I would love some responses.

@cathynthesky82 your left shoulder hurt? Mines been killing me like a horrible crick in it from ear to shoulder since day 3 post op. I’m day 8 now. Was that the only symptom?

So my latest update is... they went in and sutured up the leak and then we did a leak test a couple days later and there was just a tiny whisp of a leak barely anything to notice but to to be cautious the docs decided they wanted to to back in and put a stent it to see if it would heal itself. Low and be hold I go in for my next leak test and find that I have what looks to be a different leak but worse. Doc said stent may have made it worse... great. So now they're going to remove the stent Monday which I can't wait for, this stupid thing is uncomfortable and then I guess I'm back to having the total stomach removal on Jan 10th but on the upside and still slightly confusing, they're letting me have some water. I guess that's because my chest tube is grabbing it all.

I am so sorry. It’s so frustrating. I went in to have a blue line check, where they go in the drain. I still had two places that were leaking into my stomach. The doctor that put my drain in told me it could be 6 to 8 months to heal. When he said that, my heart sank. I called my bariatric doctor, I was so upset. I asked her isn’t there some way to stitch up my stomach. She said she had not yet seen my drain test results.
You have been going through this a lot longer than me. I’ve only been on TPN for 8 weeks. How have you held yourself together.

Have you thought about talking to a lawyer? I know I have. Just wanted your thoughts.

I'm just taking it one day at a time with baby steps. Kind of going crazy being stuck in the hospital but hopefully they're gonna get me out for a few days before the big surgery in January just to regroup and reframe my mind but I have to have a feeding tube , antibiotics and blood thinner shots so I dont know how they're gonna do it all because I've already had a pic line and 2 mid lines inserted and removed. One of the mid lines actually gave me a blood clot. May just have to hang in the hospital until January which I am not thrilled about.

We will be consulting a lawyer about the original surgery, we just want to get me better and out of the hospital first and then we'll tackle that mess.

On 12/16/2019 at 7:45 PM, Tomkat said:

@cathynthesky82 your left shoulder hurt? Mines been killing me like a horrible crick in it from ear to shoulder since day 3 post op. I’m day 8 now. Was that the only symptom?

I was sleeved 12/04 and afew days ago while walking I got a dull aching pain between my sholders and neck both sides that made my arms feel heavy. It hasn't been back but having read it could be a symptom of a leak I'm kind of scared. I almost died from sepsis 2 years ago due to a leaking duodenal ulcer . Now wondering if I should report it to the surgeon's office tomorrow.

I was sleeved 12/04 and afew days ago while walking I got a dull aching pain between my sholders and neck both sides that made my arms feel heavy. It hasn't been back but having read it could be a symptom of a leak I'm kind of scared. I almost died from sepsis 2 years ago due to a leaking duodenal ulcer . Now wondering if I should report it to the surgeon's office tomorrow.

I would certainly mention it but I may just be trigger happy because of what I'm going through. Better safe than sorry especially since you've had experience with a leak before.

Call the doctor!! Are you running a fever? My stomach was also swollen where it was leaking into a pocket my body made. You don’t want to have to be on TPN, it’s miserable, especially during the holidays!?

Cubyblue6, I don’t know how you keep your sanity in the hospital. I went crazy while I was in there. You have had so many problems.
What is a stent? And where does it go? Do they put you to sleep to put it in?

A stent is a kind of tube they put in to keep the area open and covered so that the hole can heal up. Yes, they put you to sleep to have it put in and taken out. The first 2 attempts at putting it in both failed. The guy was going to do it a third time and I told my surgeon I felt like I was dying and to please not let this other man do it again - he didn't intubate me and so I had terrible problems on the operating table with my breathing... I swear I was close to being a goner. The stress of it made me soil myself and so when I came round I was swimming in my own filth... which I was left in for days. Jeez... I can't believe what happened. So I was sent to a specialist who sewed the stent in place. God was that uncomfortable, but it worked... well... it came undone once and slipped so had to be done again, but 4th time worked.

This is basically what they do when you have a gastric sleeve leak

4 hours ago, Billy Bob said:

I was sleeved 12/04 and afew days ago while walking I got a dull aching pain between my sholders and neck both sides that made my arms feel heavy. It hasn't been back but having read it could be a symptom of a leak I'm kind of scared. I almost died from sepsis 2 years ago due to a leaking duodenal ulcer . Now wondering if I should report it to the surgeon's office tomorrow.

If you have ANY doubts, check with your doctor. That's what they are there for. And if it gets any worse, go to your ER. It's not worth taking risks if you feel something is wrong.

Edited December 22, 20196 yr by froufrou

1 hour ago, Cathynthesky82 said:

Call the doctor!! Are you running a fever? My stomach was also swollen where it was leaking into a pocket my body made. You don’t want to have to be on TPN, it’s miserable, especially during the holidays!?

That was a few days ago. Yesterdays temp was 96.6 and today was 97.4 , typical hypothyroid temps but I will tell them. Thanks.

34 minutes ago, froufrou said:

This is basically what they do when you have a gastric sleeve leak

Thankfully I have had none of the suspected leakage symptoms above .

I only ran about 100. When I called the doctors office about my fever, they told my it wasn’t high enough. I had a fever several days. I called the doctors even the on call doctors. My temp usual is 97.? So I alway run a low fever, so when I run 100, I feel really crummy.
Once my shoulder starting hurting, I thought I was having a heart attack, I went to the emergency room. They did a cat scan and knew automatically it was my heart and that it was a leak. A leak is a nightmare. Well it has been for me.

3 minutes ago, Cathynthesky82 said:

I only ran about 100. When I called the doctors office about my fever, they told my it wasn’t high enough. I had a fever several days. I called the doctors even the on call doctors. My temp usual is 97.? So I alway run a low fever, so when I run 100, I feel really crummy.
Once my shoulder starting hurting, I thought I was having a heart attack, I went to the emergency room. They did a cat scan and knew automatically it was my heart and that it was a leak. A leak is a nightmare. Well it has been for me.

Cathy, I really think you need to see either your surgeon or someone new. You must get some answers regarding your situation. I mean, they cannot tell you when it will heal... it's like asking 'how long is a piece of string', but they can at least let you know what some options are. Your leak is in the same place mine was - it's a classic place to get one, so I'm not sure why they are telling you it could be 6-8 months to heal when a stent will help it heal quicker. Sometimes you have to be a pain in their arse to get them moving - be that squeaky wheel. Do you have someone who can help you with these calls and help support you?