AnaBanana

i think both doctors have given up on me. i'm just sitting here at home on a j tube and contacted both doctors and i'm seeing one april 7th and the stent surgeon hasn't gotten back to me at all (he mentioned something about this last tuesday but didn't have his office call or anything). i don't know what to do. dr. aceves office has kept in touch with me, they suggest i keep the j tube in till i heal, and use ice chips if i'm thirsty. i'm really afraid of just having the j tube, i mean swallowing saliva, can't that get into the leak and cause problems? i have the odd weird 'pain' in the area to the left of my sternum which i thought before had something to do with the leak. terrified of getting more abcesses~! my temp is good though. my pulse is a bit high, but i think it's got a lot to do with stress. my surgeon who cleaned the abcesses and took care of me in the hospital made the appt for me monday, he called me and i should have asked him more questions but i didnt even think. i guess i should call him again. ask him what to look for. if i get really stressed i can always go to emergency and tell them im in pain and they will investigate. how many xrays and ct scans can a body take though? i've had about 12 xrays and 5 ct scans in the last three months.

smack accepted. i deserve it for being a baby. i'm learning my lessons fast and hard when it comes to listening to doctors.

well. at least i know the stent had not migrated, it didn't hurt me at all and it worked. i suppose suffering four more weeks is worth closing the sucker up. pleaaaaase close dammit! supposed to go in tuesday. i should be okay this weekend right? i don't want to get sick.

well i got my stent taken out today. still have a leak. they tried to use clips but the tissue was too 'fibrous'. he claims that the leak has shrunk to under a cm. from 2cm. so he was quite smug in blaming me for not keeping it in the whole six weeks. i twisted his arm to take it out today. blah blah. he wants to put another stent in for four weeks. i guess i have to add 2 weeks on for another round. to suffer for my crybaby sins. :/

i really felt a bit 'off'. i kept in touch with a few people who had the surgery around the same time as me and they were doing so well and i wasn't 100%. i had pain on my left side when i would sleep on it, my shoulder hurt. i didn't have a fever at all. after i had the emergency surgery to get rid of the abcesses the shoulder pain was completely gone. it was actually really weird. deferred pain. really pay attention to pain on your left side. and how you feel when you eat. keep up with others on here who have had the surgery. keep one step ahead of things. you will be fine. i have 7 days left till they remove the stent! the morphine really helps get rid of the aches. one thing i noticed is i have baaaad acid issues though. don't know if that's from the meds, or what. but gotta get that fixed. i'll talk to the doc when i get the stent removed. it might be because my flap between my stomach and esophagus is opened from the stent and the bile keeps coming up.

please don't let my leak affect you! yes there are risks definitely but honestly, as much as i come on here and whine and cry and am depressed, understand this is me at my worst. and as bad as it sounds there are much worse things that could happen like co morbities with obesity. those build up and last a lot longer than a leak and do damage to your body. listen to rk. she is a wonderful example of someone who needed surgery. to save her life. this is a temporary thing some of us have to go through. i will start helping/supporting others once i'm healed and this is over. i would do the surgery again... honestly. chances are you have nothing to worry about, but if you are paying attention to your body and educating yourself with what symptoms to look out for, you will do great, leak or no leak. and come here for support if you have questions, and keep up a good comraderie with your surgeon, and have back up medical care that understands what you did where you live. having complications doesn't mean your life will always be in danger. especially if you use your sixth sense and listen to your body.. my motto is this... 'if i have never felt this pain before i head to the ER'. believe it or not it saved me a lot of grief because i came in before my abcesses caused problems. my doc was able to clean them out before they spread and made me sick. i think all of us who have had problems have done things like that. and if you don't think you know your body, if you do go through these types of things you sure learn fast how your body works! GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DECISION.

this is so true. i wasn't your weight, but even at 250 my body was breaking down. i couldn't wipe my butt. i smelled funny from all the folds i couldn't reach to clean. i was out of breath from talking. i waddled. take a look at my before pix. i was a bloated mess. i felt like crap. a single woman age 42. where was my life going? downhill. i kept gaining weight, i had thyroid problems and bad anxiety. i thought i was going to die any minute. now? this leak is temporary, and when it's healed, like rj, i will be free, i feel like a butterfly, not quite out of her cocoon... ready to fly. maybe by spring? maybe this summer i will hike and walk and swim and go out in public and buy a beautiful dress without feeling ashamed of my body. no maybes. it will happen.

rj thank you for the kind words. it means a lot to me, all of you who have given me support through this. i keep reading this thread over and over and it makes me feel so much better. i went to the hospital tonight and wrangled a morphine prescription from the doctor on call. he truly felt sorry for me. i said 'the doctors are telling me i should not have pain but i do! and it hurts and i'm breaking down!'. he said 'of course you are going to have pain it's not natural to have a metal tube in your body like this!'. he was awesome and prescribed me 20 morphine pills. even though they don't get rid of the pain completely, they kind of relax me and take the edge off. the pain is getting definitely worse. im not sure if the stent has migrated or my gagging is just making it worse, but i think i was having spasms tonight. i have a prescription for an antispasmodic and took it as soon as i got home. you know the pain isn't the 'worst' i've ever had, i think it's a combo of pain and my body freaking because of a foreign object and stress from having it in and the leak itself that makes it so bad and so unbearable. flutterfly it does sound terrible, but i think you should not be afraid. i was fully prepared to accept that i might have a complication and i still took the chance. you know what though? i've lost almost 100lbs. in six months. which is probably too much really, but my labs are actually good, i dont have any deficiencies and as long as you are aware of any symptoms of leaks you should be good whether you have no complications or have complications. it took me two years to research this surgery and i chose my dr. for his expertise. he has a pretty good rep and i don't blame him at all for this. i would still go to him again. he keeps in touch and his office has been more than wonderful, even offering to fly me out for free to get fixed. i didn't take them up on that offer as i wanted to stay closer to home and trusted my doctors here, but if you get surgery just make sure you have a good doctor. even the best docs have screw ups. i was the lottery winner for that time. all the girls i met at the hospital are doing great. and i'm happy for them. i think everything has a purpose and i guess me having a leak was for a reason that i don't understand yet, but maybe i had to get one to learn something. even if it was just to break out of my shell and come to a forum and reach out to strangers who have shown me that i'm worth rooting for. i'm a lonely person and i'm so grateful for any support. again i love you all! you rock!

my goodness you have been through so much! it sure makes a person stronger doesn't it? i read so many stories before surgery of people who had leaks and i never thought i could deal with one and here i am. it's amazing how resilient we can be isn't it? my stent doc called today and he has given me a prescription for a stronger anti nauseant (zofran?) and amitriptyline. apparently that will help with the pain. not sure if it will. he said he doesn't want me to have this stent when i feel so much pain and that if that prescription doesn't work he'll take it out next week. i'm booked for removal next friday but he doesn't want me to suffer. it's kind of a catch 22. yeah the stent will be out but will it have been long enough? i've been in contact with dr. aceves in Mexico and he wants me to just stay on the jtube with nothing by mouth if the leak hasn't healed. he isn't happy with their ideas of gluing and clipping the stomach. he said it's best to let it rest and heal on it's own and the jtube can stay in for a long time so if it takes a few months then so be it. i do agree. i don't like the idea of clips or other weird things wrecking the tissue. rj i feel you about not having much support. i don't either. i feel really alone and depressed. although each day that gets closer to this removal is making me feel better. i'm really hoping after the stents removed i am healed and will feel 'normal' but i also know that i do have some eating issues (foaming a lot and vomiting) i had that before all this happened, unless that's part of having a leak. i'm so glad i can vent here!~ you guys are

my son's friend who is a doctor said that you can still eat without a stomach, but you have to eat little bits every few hours. is this true? when i went in for the emergency surgery the doctor said he might have to remove my stomach. he didn't, but he said it wouldn't be very bad if he did. rj thank you for the advice. i'm so sorry that you had complications with the sepsis, and i hope you heal completely soon. i feel like this isn't going to work. this stenting, but i have also seen it work in so many other posts for other people. the stent doctor was very positive as he said my leak edges were 'raw' in a way that would heal. like they didn't form edges that were healed so they could still stick together if that makes sense. that's pretty incredible considering it's been six months since surgery! it's hella hard not to gag myself. i have to admit yesterday i didn't, but today i did about 5x which is a huge improvement from the norm (i was gagging over 20x a day). i was able to drink the broth from wonton Soup and have some iced tea. drinking really helps with my strength. when i just rely on the j tube i feel dizzy and weak. drinking very cold or warm beverages has helped me feel so much better which gives me a much better attitude. my doctor said i was okay to drink. i do take a med that needs food taken with it so i usually nibble on a arrowroot cookie. i'm just taking the tylenol. whether its taken out in 4 weeks or six. yes it hurts but i gotta do this. i cant just give up cuz i will only end up in the hospital again with more abcesses. those hurt and are awful. the drains suck.

hey. i saw my doctor today, he discouraged me from getting the stent removed this week (it will have been 3 weeks). he really wants me to do the whole six weeks. although the doctor who put the stent in only wants me to have it for 4 weeks. i am forbidden to gag myself with my hand, which i have been doing for the last two weeks. my doctor said the pain and discomfort is from the gagging and the anxiety. i don't know. feels like blades in my breastbone and being stabbed in the back. putting the stent in was pretty uncomfortable but not the most uncomfortable thing i've ever experienced. i was given versed and fentanyl which was supposed to 'put me to sleep' lightly but i was completely awake and totally out of my head. i'm a squirmer so three nurses had to hold me down while i gagged and moved around. make sure you empty your bowels before you get the procedure, i had the runs at the time and i basically soiled myself from gagging so hard. the only thing the drugs did was make the procedure seem quicker than it was. i'm not looking forward to the removal. i'm trying to drink a little bit even though i'm on a j tube. i get so thirsty i just crave cold cold ice or Water. it hurts to take bigger gulps. but i keep doing it cuz it tastes so good. i guess i have to deal with this for another 2 - 4 weeks. i'm trying to be strong and be inspired by you guys. it's so hard. basically i've been laying on my couch with a tubefeed watching tv shows. tylenol and buscopan (to stop spasms) don't really help i guess like my doctor says i gotta control the pain mentally. he won't give me any painkillers which really pisses me off because the first week of my stent i was in the hospital and getting morphine and gravol every few hours and was in total lala land and didn't feel or worry about a thing. guess they don't want me to become a junkie. lol.. cuz i probably would to deal with this. i'd eat a crapload of morphine to get my mind off this pain and discomfort...

thank you guys. i'm still crying and listening to sad music today. crying is good because it lets out all that emotion i have pent up. i am terrified of having another emergency surgery or that horrible horrible pain. i feel fricking traumatized by it almost. i'll have a crying day and deal tomorrow. i will try not to force myself to gag. thank you again.

got home yesterday. drains out. j tube in, stent in, hate the stent it makes me gag. its so uncomfortable the only way i can deal is by sticking my hand down my throat and causing my body to wretch so bad it takes my mind off the feeling. i want this stent OUT now. i just had my six month anniversary from surgery. i dont even know how the heck they think a stent will make a difference. not sure if it's even feasible for the leak to heal now. i was in so much pain and sick in the hospital i thought i was going to die. i screamed and cried and was freaking the hell out. i was allergic to the dilaudid and hallucinated and wasn't making any sense which didn't help. i'm very depressed right now. im at home and i have no energy or feel like walking anywhere. everything in my fridge is rotten and my house is dusty and kinda messy. all i'm doing is sitting here and spitting and trying to do something besides drug myself up to sleep. gonna try to get the stent removed this week. i don't know anymore. i'm worried my life is completely ruined. i have no appetite no desire to eat. no reason to fight anymore. it's all so sad and useless.

sitting after spending week after week with new complications. at the hospital. my body has an abscess drain from each area. now I have an inredible pain from the tube that has lipase in it. my panreas. they dont know what is happening. anti biotics arnt fixing it

hi, i'm almost 4 months out from vsg surgery and i had a rough time the first six weeks with getting in food and Water, but i started to feel much better over time. i did get the slimies a lot and vomitted quite a few times but i learned i was just eating too fast for my own good. at my three month checkup i had a upper gi series done and they found a 2cm contained leak. i couldn't believe it as i was feeling pretty good, no fever, or any other real symptoms. i have had pain on my left side and shoulder but i'm thinking it was muscular. so i spent five days in the hospital. they gave me a ct scan to check for abcesses, there were none, i didn't have an infection. i suppose my body just built protection around the leak. i got an endoscope done and they decided to GLUE the leak. the next day i had a horrific time with this, they shoved that black tube down my throat and glued that sucker up. i had a sore throat and esophagus for days after. it's been a week now since they glued me. i don't know if it's going to work or not. i'm still able to eat and drink. the surgeon who did my vsg wanted me to get a tube down to my jejunum and not eat anything for 4-6 weeks, but the specialist here had different ideas. i'm very nervous and scared now. i feel 'okay'. i'm not foaming or throwing up anymore actually, but my nerves are shot. i'm worried the leak isn't going to heal or it will get bigger or something bad is going to happen. i'm kind of like that, a worry wart. i read all these leak stories and people suffer so badly and i don't really think 'physically' i'm suffering but i think i should be. it's a leak after all. do you think glue would really work? the surgeon's office told me if i had not had the upper gi series the leak would probably have eventually healed on it's own. i wonder if the vomitting i experienced tore something. the leak was at the esophageal/stomach junction, i believe that's the most popular place for leaks. i feel kind of pissed off i self paid for this surgery and ended up a statistic. i'm sorry i had to vent. i really need support. i don't have a lot of people to talk to about this and those who i do have, i don't want to burden them.

good for you. i think you will be very happy with your surgery. i am very happy to have had my surgery, even with the leak. i'm grateful to be alive and not have gotten really sick, and i can't wait to have this heal. i'm thinking positively. now if only i could have a bm. i'm pretty impacted right now and have tried many many things lol. last thing i got here is an enema to try... just staring it down at this time... not ready for it yet.

i find out february fifth. i was supposed to be on the tube feed till then, since i'm not sure i've been healed i'm sticking to liquids, drinking my tubefeed cans of nutrition and lots of Water.

thanks for your thoughts. i actually feel pretty good. it took a few days to get used to drinking again and getting in all my liquids, but yesterday i managed it and woke up feeling happy and 'normal'. i still have to go feb 5 for my xray. dr didn't give me heck for pulling the tube just said to make it for the xray. and keep drinking. i hope to god it healed. honestly.

are you bleeding? like if you spit it up is it bloody? if it's just a taste and not actual blood that might be a yucky reaction from going into ketosis. of course if you are concerned see your doctor. when i was in ketosis my breath felt like someone pooped in my mouth lol.

i felt like total shit the first 8 weeks after surgery. i ate too fast and foamed, never got enough Fluid in. some days only 200 calories. into my third month when i was able to drink more than little tiny sips i started feeling so much better. i think it's the tight swelling of the tummy combined with the shock of your digestive system getting constipated (i was impacted a couple of times). what made me finally feel best was going to the ER, getting a bolus bag of IV (one bag in an hour) then a second one over time, and they gave me some crazy powder that caused me to (i know TMI) FILL my toilet bowl within three days. constipation makes me sick, then i can't drink cuz it's gross then i get dehydrated then i get more constipated. try to find something you can take every day to keep you regular. being dehydrated makes you feel nauseated too. and when you eat too little you get weak and dizzy. it sucks. but it does get better! good luck!

well last night i went to a mediclinic and got my tube removed. the night before i was so sick i was wretching so hard i thought my stomach was going to explode. mentally i wasn't coping. i am freaked out a bit now. i know the leak is contained, and i've been drinking the whole time to take my meds and stuff but now i'm oh oh, how am i gonna get 64oz of fluids in! sip sip sip. i'll call the doc on monday and tell him what i did. he did give me a choice monday but said it would be better to keep it in a few more weeks. but i got it pulled now i gotta pray that the leak is healed. it was glued six weeks ago so hopefully it is. i'd feel better knowing that it was fixed though. i wont be eating just drinking.

i actually don't have a stent. if it doesn't heal by nj tube, stent or surgery would be the next step. i'm kinda interested in the clamps, not sure if he would do it, i would have to probably be sent to a specialist in canada. No! So the next step would be a stent. Trust me they would not have to send you to Canada for that..They are well equipped in US for that..... LoL @ our miscommunications. I am in Canada, I guess it's not obvious by my stats. I'd stay in our health care system.