Sleevealicious

I had a cold on the day of surgery, got it the night before surgery. I asked my surgeon and anesthesiologist and they said they would still do it but it was up to me. I was already there, so I figured I might as well if it won't be a problem. I assumed when I went in for surgery they would tell me to go home, but nope! (This is in the US) However, I did end up with a leak two weeks later, unknown reason, but definitely wasn't from anything I did. I doubt the cold had anything to do with it, but it is one of the things that I wonder about...

Hey there! I had leak as well. Same situations as you. Two stents, etc . Definitely had some emotional damage , not to mention physical. Stents are hell. Plain and simple. TPN, PICC Lines, all the drains, chest tubes, NG tubes are miserable. Anti nausea meds don't even work that well unless through an IV. And yes , blurry bison , constipation , not being able to read anything up close sucks. ( nothing helped me unless it was through an IV, the only thing that could even touch my pain were large doses of dilaudid from IV, the pills did not do much) being on liquids only for months sucks. The whole situation is terrible and feels like it will never end. But I promise you It WILL! I know what you are going through, and I totally feel for you. but you got the stents out, it's all uphill from here . The liquid diet will end . Eventually you'll be able to eat real food. And it will all just be a memory . Focus on the good , I know it's hard. try to feel grateful that you lived! People do die from this. I know how emotional it's makes you , I'm six months out and am still struggling, but I try to hang on to the fact that I am lucky to be alive. I have gone on Wellbutrin , which has somewhat helped. I still break down and cry about sometimes though, just definitely less frequent. I am totally here for you! If you want to private message me i would be more than happy to talk with you and provide as much support as I can. I will say this, I am down almost 100 lbs and am 3 lbs from goal in six months, so you have lots of weight loss to look forward to! I have gained almost all my strength back now and can eat anything I want, just small portions. please feel free to message me! You are in my thoughts and prayers!

Wow, just wow! I am so sorry to hear that all of that happened to you. ! I was in a similar situation due to the leak I had ( found 2 weeks post op), chest tubes, etc. but my lung was only compressed. Those things hurt . And losing half your lung? that's insane. I can't imagine being a year out and being hit with all of that, totally unexpected. I am amazed that you were able to go so long with a leak and still live. I barely made it and it was found after two weeks. You are a very strong woman, that is just horrible what you had to go through physically and mentally- and you still have an upbeat attitude! thank you for sharing your story. I am so glad that you are better now. Question for you though- how did they treat your leak? I had a stent and that was hell. I can't imagine what they had to use for a year old leak! You poor thing!

Well she is definitely not making up the doctor, as i used the same one! and based on my experience I could see something like this happening.... My experience was really bad too, though I am happy that I lost 90 lbs so far , it wasn't worth the risk almost losing my life and putting my poor family through all of that.

Thank you! Very much appreciated I am doing much, much better now.

I used Dr. Nain as well back in August. I was his first patient to get a leak and nearly died ( not my fault ). He seemed pretty freaked out at first especially because I was supposed to be an "easy surgery" because i am young and had a relatively low BMI. BUT then took off on vacation a couple days into my 20 day hospital stay... said he would come and check in but never did, even though he was still in the area. I did nothing wrong and almost died after his work, so I don't doubt that something didn't go right during your surgery. Question for you though- if you asked him if he had ever had a leak before your operation, did he say he had? Just curious as to what he is telling people and wondering if there were people before me too that I wasn't told about...

Thanks for the info! I will probably end up getting some at less for all the fiber! might help with some issues I have been having in that department, and ill get to eat bread without all the guilt!

Thanks!

I believe so. I always thought that was all they did until after my leak. I thought that's what steroids are for. I had heard that they can weaken your immune system in general though, so I'm not sure. I'm sure that there are different types. just definitely something you really want to discuss with your surgeon . better safe than sorry

Steroids and cyclosporine slow healing. They probably just want to see how recently you have taken them. I used restasis, a mild cyclosporine eye drop to treat chronic dry eye right after my surgery and ended up with a leak. Whether they were related , nobody knows. my surgeon okayed me to use the drops post op, but when I got the leak mentioned it could have been a factor.

Looks pretty good! Thanks for posting any idea of calorie content though? Or any other nutrition facts on the products other than that they have zero net carbs?

That area was the sorest the longest for me. It might be that your stitches are just now dissolving under the skin. Hope you feel better!

Congrats! I just recently had the same experience so I know how great you must feel!!

Thanks for posting. I had the stent for about 5 weeks and it was pretty hellish. All of the side effects listed are true , but the part about them going away after a few days was not at all true for me. Constant nausea, vomiting, pain... but the worst issue was the non-stop saliva overproduction. I thought I was the only one that had the "drooling" issue mentioned in the report as a side effect since the doctors Seemed pretty baffled about it. That part really sucked because I couldn't go anywhere because my mouth was just constantly flooding with saliva. It was the weirdest thing and very miserable. I had to keep a plastic bag with me at all times to catch the drool. I would wake up choking on it at night if I laid on my back. the stent was probably one of if not the worst parts about the leak. I am so jealous that I was not offered the claw that Iggy talks about. sounds pretty awesome ( well, as awesome as leak treatment can be...) She has said in another post that the claw is pretty painless. I hope more surgeons learn about this new technology, stents are just terrible. You already feel like death when you have a leak , and to then shove a metal wire tube down your esophagus and leave it there for weeks is torture.

I really struggle to get my water in because of this. I usually put 1/2 cup of apple juice in a glass and then add 12-14 ounces of water. It's only about 50 calories and is so worth it to actually be able to get water down. I have found that crystal light and any other artificial sweetener drinks make me sick with the sleeve, even at over 5 months out. I know everyone says to watch out for juice because of the sugar, but it's only 50 calories and it is a whole lot healthier for you to get a little sugar than not being able to drink at all and getting dehydrated. I used to be a big water drinker before surgery, over 100 ounces a day... Now I struggle to get 30!

Surgery on Aug 6 Starting weight: 257 Current weight: 172 Down 85 pounds

if you really need to go, but don't want all the stomach cramps that come along with stimulant laxatives- try dulcolax suppositories. Just try and hold them in as long as possible. You will get relief in less than half an hour. Of course, this is only after you've tried all the more natural and long term sources. But this is a quick fix, and as we all know quick fixes always have consequences- but I don't think it will do any damage if you just use it occasionally and if you really need it, like those times when you haven't gone in over a week. That is so uncomfortable and I feel like it is worse for your body to be THAT backed up. they are a little expensive, but so worth it in my opinion! Just please don't overuse them!

Yes , blood thinners are very important after surgery. You don't want a blood clot for Christmas! I had a two week supply of lovenox injections, not too fun , but better safe than sorry!

Well that's good you won't have to worry about any gall bladder issues after the surgery yeah, honesty is the best policy. Telling the lie is on my list of regrets now. Maybe I will come clean about what I really had done, I just don't want to be seen as a liar now. I am usually very honest, it was just something I felt insecure about.

I know, I know! Oh what a tangled web we weave , when we practice to deceive! I ended up with a leak and had to tell more lies about why I was so sick and in the hospital for so long. I probably should have told the truth, but I didn't have the guts and frankly was embarrassed that I had to resort to surgery to lose weight when I was only 22. I know I shouldn't be , I wish I had the confidence in myself that most people have on here. I am really paranoid that something will happen with my gall bladder, but it's been five months and no issues yet . Trust me, this is a big fear of mine! Knock on wood. All I can do is hope and pray everything is fine with my gallbladder. So yes, telling the truth is your best bet , but I was just sharing my experience as far as what I told my coworkers. They are VERY judgmental people.

How did your doctor find out you were talking about him? Did you tell him or did he get on the site himself and find it? I didn't think you could sue if what someone was saying was true.

I said I was having my gall bladder removed. Weight loss is from the nausea after surgery and you are supposed to eat low fat after the surgery because your body can't process fats as well any more and you will get sick. Then just say you are on a strict diet. I thought about just saying a "personal" surgery, but that always offends people that you don't trust them enough to share. It was easier just to lie. They can speculate all they want. After you start really losing weight, you won't even care what people think about how you lost it.