melmssc

I was one of the unlucky few that developed a leak. They are life threatening! I want to tell my story to be a resource for anyone who has this type of complication. My surgery date was 5/1/18. Non- smoker, good health, surgery went smooth. 3-4 weeks post surgery, something was definitely off. I had rigor, trouble regulating my body temp, foul smelling burps. I called my surgeon's office daily that Memorial week. I took myself to the ER thinking I was dehydrated. They ran a CBC and my WBC count was 30,000. They sent me home to follow up with my surgeon. Next day, took results in and according to the nurse, my surgeon wasn't concerned. Next day 6/2, had trouble urinating and pain under my diaphragm. So at 9pm, my husband took me back to the ER. They thought it was kidney stones, but the CT scan revealed a leak. They transferred me via ambulance to a larger hospital. My surgeon was out of town (I refused to be seen by him again- so it didn't matter), and I got blessed with the on-call surgeon. I was in the hospital 9 days. He did exploratory surgery 6/7due to the location of the leak. Mine high up like 85-90% are. Thank goodness, I did not have an abscess like the CT showed, but I did have inflammation that he cleared out. All of the samples they took were negative. He also installed a drain that remained in line 7/10.They did an upper GI on 6/8 that showed the leak was still there. Up until this point, I was NPO and on round the clock antibiotics, Saline bag, and potassium bag via IV. On 6/8 picc line was installed and began TPN. They sent me home on 6/12 with TPN, antibiotics and Home health. On 6/20 back into the hospital with surgery to place a stent. Discharged next day. I could have clear liquids, but had to remain on TPN for 1 more week until X-ray showed it had not migrated. 6/27 X-ray showed it hadn't so off TPN and allowed food. Living with the stent was tolerable. Your esophagus is open, so acid reflux is a big issue. I never took a pain pill and found heating pad helped with the upper back pain. I could drive, do small outings with my kids, etc... I even went on a girls trip to see Smashing Pumpkins. This made it easier on my kids mental health, because mom didn't look sick and could do little things with them. I took everything really easy. On 7/19- stent came out and leak healed!!! I'm now on liquids for 1 week and then can advance my diet slowly as tolerated. My new surgeon was with me every step of the way and family and friends were very supportive. They even took my kids out of town on fun adventures. My faith in God strengthened. Luckily my Insurance covers bariatric surgery and complications. I would easily be out $120,000 or more for the hospital stays, home health, 3 additional surgeries, TPN - $1000 a bag, etc...Thank goodness I'm a teacher- so I didn't miss any work. I'm down 50 pounds and regaining my energy daily. If you are diagnosed with a leak, please reach out to me and remain positive. This is a very isolating time, but they do heal. Be assertive, listen to your body, and switch surgeons if necessary. I messaged a recent leak survivor on here and she was a great resource. Everyone's story and experience is different, but knowledge is power. I would love to be a support for you.

I’m doing really good now. I feel great. I have my energy back and am within 15 pounds of goal weight. I’m dealing with hair loss, but that won’t last forever. I read your story many times while I searched for leak and stent stories. We each had our stent for a month. This is a traumatic experience and someone who hasn’t gone through it, can’t really empathize. Thank you so much for sharing your story!!!! It really helped me. How are you doing?

They don't know, but it was in the most common spot. It was also very small. They couldn't find it during surgery (twice). They also had to roll me side to side before any liquid came out to show area where leak was occurring.

I'm happy you got the all clear. My doctor at 3 weeks- said no way. Until I'm able to consume enough calories that support regular activity that any extra workouts were out of the question and not safe. I have not updated my stats, but I'm currently 30 pounds down from my pre-hospital weight on May 1st. I am doing really good to get 500 calories in a day most of the time it's 400 or less. What is your caloric intake?

it took it until Day 10-11 until I found relief from gas and bloat. I was doing gas-x strips and then extra strength gas-x from the beginning, but it was still not good. Here is what I ended up doing- peppermint oil rubbed on my stomach, drank peppermint tea, and started using maximum strength Maalox. It is a thin liquid that worked! Between that and time, it slowly got better.

I am a lucky one who is just plain not hungry. It is tough to get all of my liquids and proteins in. This is my second day of soft foods and I barely got 3/4 of 1 scrambled egg down. I think I somewhat pushed it to get that down. When was your surgery?

I hear you on the gas and bloat. It does get better. For me it was around day 10-11. It was uncomfortable like I was pregnant. The struggle is real. My surgeon's nurse said it was probably due to constipation and recommended Miralax. Yours is a bit different. Peppermint oil on my belly helped, peppermint tea helped and so did Maximum Strength Maalox or a generic version of that (it is a thin liquid that worked better than GasX for me). I to highly recommend Premier Protein Clear. I would have that over the other shakes any day of the week.

I prefer the clear over the protein shakes too! I don't have a film,but it takes a while for me to get it down and the ice i put in it thins it out as it starts to melt- maybe that helps?? I am traveling right now and at the airport I tried a Fairlife shake. 26G protein, 20 carbs and, 150 calories. I know most people would go crazy over that number of carbs- but didn't have a better option. OMG that strawberry and banana protein shake was good!!! It was the best one that I have tasted hands down.

I hope that you made it home safely and and are continuing to make progress during your recovery. I took pain meds 4 days home and then didn't need them anymore. I didn't sleep on anything, but my back for the first week. This is Day 11 post op and I have started to lose the bloat. I was bloated and my lower abdomen was sticking out like I was pregnant from all of the gas. It is nice to have only 4 incision though. Hope your back is doing better!

6 pounds, but it went away within that first week post op plus some. It's hard not to feel frustrated- we've all been there. Common Sense- You know that nothing you ate in the hospital would sabotage your progress and that it is water and inflammation. This is a marathon not a sprint. This is not a quick fix!!!! Once a week passes by, hop on that scale and see how much it changes. I'm sure that you will be pleasantly surprised. Congrats on a successful surgery!

Literally 3 days for insurance approval. 2 weeks should be plenty of time to take off. Good luck!

So happy it went well. You are doing great!!! I only got 4 incisions too. Maybe that's why I had so much gas pain and pressure. Did they tell you that? Happy Healing.

That is great! So happy that your Humira got the bill down for you. I am ending up paying $3300, because that is my OPM. I don't think that I would have done this if my insurance didn't cover it. My family would not have been okay with Mexico and $18,000 is a new car for my 16 year old. It would have been a hard sell. They have seen me drop 40 pounds as recently as a year ago, but of course I couldn't keep it off. Good luck!!! 2 sleeps and its your turn.

I am doing okay at 1 week post op. I can say that the gas pain/pressure is no joke! I woke up in recovery in pain. He does allow the use of good drugs while you are in the hospital to control it. Toradol worked better than oxycotin and hydrocodone in my case. I was walking and using the restroom within 10min of being wheeled into my room. I have had a few rough days, but overall feel better each day. I'm just gassy and bloated still. I think it takes a while for it to subside. I feel like I have 50% of my energy. I am working every day to get my protein in and my hydration levels up. That is the number one cause for readmittance. I took 2 weeks off and I think I will be ready to go back to work when the time comes.

You are in good hands!!! He is a trained trauma surgeon with a really good reputation. He really is very good at what he does. I had started to doubt myself, because I couldn't find anyone who used him at Bailey and then I went to a support group in April and everyone had used him including the director of the program for both himself and his wife. No one had anything but praise for him. I liked Bailey and it had to be done at their facility for my insurance or I probably would have looked at a more streamlined program. Bailey hospital is a hidden gem. I have told my husband if I have any other scheduled procedures, I would choose them hands down. In an emergency situation, I would still go to St. Francis.

Are you using Dr. Katsis??? He is mine and I love him. Can't say enough great things about him. He is at surgical associates and went to ORU.

It will get better!!! I would just say spread it out a bit with your drink and then dinner and in no time you will be able to eat more and only having 2 bites in a long dinner will be a non-issue.

Tulsa area and used Bailey in Owasso. I'm one week out today and have had a few rough days, but overall minor compared to having a major surgery. What made you decide on the bypass vs sleeve.

My hospital bills the insurance $36,000 and if you are self-pay the bill is $18,000. Crazy compared to some of the advertised prices. Yes, thank goodness for insurance!!! My plan just started covering it last year.

Hey -fellow Okie, I know of 2 people with PCOS that got pregnant after having the sleeve. The bypass would be a great tool to restore your hormones to balance. They were told to wait at least 1 year before trying. I have PCOS, and my first child came naturally, but due to secondary infertility (yeah PCOS sucks) I did IVF to conceive my second and then had a hysterectomy. I am anxious to see if it helps other symptoms of PCOS besides fertility in my case. Good luck!!!

I was watching Dr. Alvarez on youtube today and he said that the procedure you had has mixed results and is not reliable, not permanent, has to be readjusted and is more costly than going to Mexico. Granted, he is selling his services, but it made a lot of sense. I say go for it! I am a mother of of 2 under 16 and I just had to take the risk in hopes that I can be there for them for many years to come in an active way. FYI: I didn't use Dr. Alvarez nor did I travel to Mexico, but I know 2 people personally that did and love him. You will not know until you try. I really didn't look back once I had my first appointment. It was full steam ahead and i had a really good feeling about it. Of course, my husband loves me just the way I am and questioned my desire to take the risk. He is not in my shoes and like everyone here I have dieted and had some great results, but they were short lived. At some point, my health might be compromised due to obesity related issues and it would be just an uphill struggle no matter what weightloss road I would try to get the weight off again . In many ways - time and health are on on your side. It might not always be like that. If you are committed to doing it- go for it!

My surgeon said that it is rare and is usually performed if you weren't able to rid yourself of diabetic medication or had bad GERD. In an extreme case, if you weren't able to get lose the weight, but he didn't see the need for it and felt like it is more about underlying psychological conditions were the factor vs the sleeve not doing its job.

From what I hear, once you are further out you can explore more or maybe just order an appetizer. Were you still hungry, but only could eat the small portion of refried beans? If I'm full, I'm satisfied. Maybe you could space your meal out. Have your drink, wait 30 min and then eat. As a side note, if I want to try something that I see someone with that I could have, I might get a to go order of it? You can divide it up into different meals. I think of a dinner out as a social event. I would space my meal out to the best of may ability and as you get further out you can hold up to 8oz. If the meal is just to get quick food for my kids, I usually task my husband with it. I am only 1 week post op, but am getting ready for graduation parties and am trying to get a game plan going.

I'm feeling it too!!! I had my surgery May 1st and am still on pourable liquids. I am also not up to my normal energy level to go get the freebies for my kids. I just ordered a pizza. Normally we would have leftovers for a week. This time next year I can have my free Chipotle!!!

I am taking 2 weeks off. If I could I would try to swing 3 weeks, but due to wanting to finish out the school year I will go back after 2.