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How do you know if your staple line is leaking?



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I have had zero pain. Up until today. I had surgery on the 8th so just over a week ago. I’ve lost zero weight. I’m following the diet perfectly. But today, I get a pain that’s just under my left side rib cage. Sometimes it’s on my left side where my ribs are but deeper. I heard leaks can be a complication. I’m terrified of that!

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Fever and very rapid heart rate *can* be a sign something is wrong. If you are in increasing pain and health seems to be declining (over a short period time) instead of improving, please don’t hesitate to let your team know

Good Luck!

https://jetmedicaltourism.com/signs-and-symptoms-of-gastric-sleeve-leak/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4194572/#__sec2title

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=134&contentid=154

https://doctormarvin.com/after-surgery/post-op-laparoscopic-sleeve-gastrectomy-concerns/

Edited by GreenTealael

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Losing little in the first week isn’t uncommon. In fact some see an increase in the scales. It’s from all the Fluid they pump into you during & after surgery. It can take several days for you to pee it all out.

After the initial post surgical pain reduces you still will experience twinges & sharp sudden spasms - sometimes random sometimes after certain movements. It’s all part of healing & your body getting used to the changes that have been made internally. Be careful lifting & reaching for a few weeks to ensure you don’t pull any internal stitches too.

If your pain persists &/or increases contact your medical team. If you also experience dizziness, fever, distended tummy &/or bloody stools go to the hospital ASAP.

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leaks are rare and usually occur within the first day or two after surgery. The typical symptoms are nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate, and fever. As Arabesque said, pains and twinges aren't unusual and are part of the healing process. Also, I agree with her about the lack of weight loss. Most of us leave the hospital weighing more than they did when they went in due to the IV fluids - I've read about people "gaining" up to 10 lbs from that. It takes a few days to work it's way out...

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19 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

leaks are rare and usually occur within the first day or two after surgery. The typical symptoms are nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate, and fever. As Arabesque said, pains and twinges aren't unusual and are part of the healing process. Also, I agree with her about the lack of weight loss. Most of us leave the hospital weighing more than they did when they went in due to the IV fluids - I've read about people "gaining" up to 10 lbs from that. It takes a few days to work it's way out...

This exactly. My PCP actually had me take my BP med with the integrated Water pill the day after surgery. It helped get the Fluid out and I peed like a racehorse that day… and immediately felt better.

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My surgeon sent me in after about 10 days to have a barium X-ray to verify the staples hold. He said the first couple days and then around the 10-12 day mark you see this issue.

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Could it be an incionsal hernia? I have had a lot of pain about 2" below my hernia. Looks like it's an incisional hernia. Evidently it's the most common complication at about a rate of 33%.

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37 minutes ago, Bloodhound said:

Could it be an incionsal hernia? I have had a lot of pain about 2" below my hernia. Looks like it's an incisional hernia. Evidently it's the most common complication at about a rate of 33%.

I had this pain my surgeon said it was my spleen because it gets disturbed during surgery

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I had the same pain or in other weird spots on my abdomen spontaneously for a few weeeks. It was gas. Try taking gasx and talk to your surgery team about your concerns!

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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