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Showing results for 'Complications'.
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Fear of the unknown is real & an understandable reaction to something like this surgery. Mine went all so quickly, that I really didn’t have time to worry about anything: 6 weeks from initial GP’s appointment to meeting the surgeon, the dietician, doing the pre surgery diet & then the surgery. Though I’m also not a big worrier. If I have questions I’ll ask or research it myself. Knowledge is power. Think I was more concerned about telling my mum. Lol! A friend had recommended her surgeon & on meeting him I was confident about his ability. I was going to a good hospital. I had a supportive GP. And, after years of watching my father suffer with cancer, treatments & complications, I sort of learnt you can’t worry about something that MAY happen. It’s a waste of effort & emotions. Be aware of possibilities but you can’t be certain of what will happen until it does & then you can plan to move forward.
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Like others, not waking up is a concern. I've had many surgeries in my life. My odds are getting worse. I'm a bit anxious about complications. My biggest worries are: Post Bariatric Hypoglycemia, low blood pressure, and heart arrhythmia. Dehydration and bowel obstruction are other concerns, but not the biggest. I also have a weird worry that I am going to lose too much weight. I went to Dr. Google (LOL) and studied up on all the complications and the treatments. That has reassured me and calmed me down, a lot. Pretty much every complication can be treated. Some need to be recognized sooner than others, but with timely intervention they can be taken care of.
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Death. Complications (resulting in extended hospital time). I'm just ready to be on the other side and recovery. I have some worries about it not working so great for me. I have some worries about having horrible heartburn, etc. and feeling terrible regret.
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My only big concern was complications and I have to say there are a few that have come up. Overall though I don't regret having the surgery.
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Feeling defeated 10 months post op
Sunnyway replied to ASteff's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Consider the possibility that you are a sugar/food addict and need to cut out things like sugar, flour, white potatoes, rice, and processed foods. I've been pretty successful at losing (despite frequent stalls) by following this. Due to complications my RNY>RNY revision was not successful so I have no volume restriction. I HAVE to record everything I eat. My clinic wants me to restrict myself to 800 kcal a day, but I struggle with cravings even though my body is getting sufficient sustenance. Cutting out the trigger foods (above), helps with the craving but I'm usually consuming around 1000-1200 kcal a day--and still slowly losing. Here are some books I recommend. -
Need help with husbands post op eating
Tomo replied to HappyCruiser's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Bacon isn't considered soft foods (as you know) and that his stomach isn't fully healed till 6 to 8 week later. As @Shoppgirl said it is about safety. One of the most serious complications of VSG and/or RNY is rupturing your suture line aka anastomosis and if you don't adhere to the post-op diet then you are risking serious complications. If he rips the suture line, like someone close to me did (and she didn't listen), his abdominal contents will spill into his peritoneal cavity and it can kill him. -
BPD-DS 2007 Osteoporosis need easily absorbed Calcium supplement
catwoman7 replied to christawho's topic in Duodenal Switch Surgery Forum
if you're already on tymlos, I'm not sure if calcium supplements are going to help much. Are you working with a specialist? I have osteoporosis, and my PCP referred me to an endocrinologist who specializes in it. If you're not already working with a specialist, I'd see if my PCP could refer me to one. Sounds like you have a complicated case. Maybe they could just try a different drug (??) -
those kinds of complications are pretty rare, so you're not likely to find anyone who's been through that (but then again, who knows...). I'm so sorry you're going through this!!)
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You sure have been through the wringer. While there are some who have had severe complications from their WLS, their cascade of events will likely be different from yours, so won't be directly comparable. The best that I can suggest for second opinions would be a major regional cancer center that has a GI department, as they will usually have a more experience with a broader spectrum of unusual cases than an ordinary bariatric or GI department. Duke has a good bariatric program with a reputation for doing complex revisions, so they may be a place to try as well if they are in your area. Good luck in getting this resolved and getting back to the health that you were aiming for.
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Hi! First time poster here. It's a bit long but I really need help. I had gastric sleeve on 6/22 in Mexico. It went well, passed my leak tests and left feeling good. A week after I got home, I had severe pain and went to the ED where they discovered a leak. They did surgery that night but were unable to reach the leak as it was "too high on my esophagus. " they also discovered 2 abscesses that were between my stomach and spleen. They were unable to remove the abscesses due their location. I spent 28 days on a feeding tube in the hospital. The plan was to wait for the leak to encapsulate/close which it eventually did. I came home on long term antibiotics and 4 days later I ws in severe pain again so back to the ED where I was diagnosed with a complete bowel obstruction. I had a my 3rd surgery in 3 months that night. Went home and a month later (2 weeks ago) I had pain so bad in my left lower side that made breathing/coughing/vomiting extremely painful. Back to the ED where I found out the abscesses had infected my spleen and it is now half dead/ dying. It will be removed but the surgery team is holding off due to the inflammation and scar tissue in my abdomen. I was discharged a week later with a PICC line and I receive IV antibiotics at the hospital daily. My question is has anyone heard of this many/similar complications? I'm considering getting a second opinion at a different hospital but I don't even know where to start! Thanks for reading.
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Hi! Just a little update 4 weeks after my RNY. I'm 43, have lupus and gained a lot of weight after 3 years of steroids. The extra weight adds more complications to my disease and I have really struggled to lose it on my own. I was 309 before surgery, 295 day of and currently at 278. I'm 5'8" and have always been a bigger woman with my lowest weight at 215. But at that weight I was very active, fit and healthy... until I got sick. This has not been an easy process for me and I was really losing my mind at the 3 week mark. But after week 4, I'm finally feeling a little more energy and a little more human. Some things I didn't really expect: I've become lactose intolerant. I sometimes get sick (nausea and crampy) after just sipping water. And I use the restroom much more frequently than I did before, which makes me a little nervous to socialize and even more nervous to travel. I hope this gets better! Other than that, I'm learning that slow progress is still progress! And I've already discontinued 2 of my lupus related meds, so I know I made the right choice! If anyone is having a hard time, I hope this helps.. it WILL get better!
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Midpoint Measurements and Sizes - 5'2" Female
SpartanMaker replied to ja1721's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Please don't take this the wrong way, but if there's one thing you'll here on this site perhaps more than any other it's this: don't compare yourself to others. There's nothing good that can come of it. Even if you found someone that was your exact same starting weight, height, and even had surgery the same day, there are still way too many other variables that could impact your progression. Just some examples: age, physical fitness, %body fat, basal metabolism, diet, bougie size, surgical complications, etc. Honestly, it sounds like you're doing fine. If you're not happy with your loss so far, talk with your bariatric team. They may have suggestions for you such as increasing the amount and type of exercise and/or changes to your diet. Best of luck! -
Does anyone else have a runny nose all the time? My surgery was 18 months ago, and I have had a runny nose ever since. I'm constantly blowing my nose. I had to switch to using a microfiber towel, because it get sore from using tissue. It's more troublesome after I had a very minor surgery on my voice. There were some complications, and I needed a second surgery. Now I can't sing or even speak properly because of constant goop in my voice. I'm always having to clear my throat. Though I wasn't having this problem before the voice surgery, I'm wondering if they're somehow connected. Much of the joy in my life comes from singing, so I really need to get back to it. I'm working with a great voice coach, but it's taking a long, long time.
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Anyone have MS and get sleeve surgery? Any problems and/or complications?
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I was self pay for gastric bypass and it was only $17k. That was for everything, surgeon, anesthesia, hospital stay, and insurance in case I end up with complications that I have to be seen for. It also covered all my pre and post op appointments & consultations. Oregon needs to get their **** together!!
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Severe slime choking me constantly and acid in lungs at night
tx2az replied to Kate207's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I have Sjogren's Syndrome. Mine is moderate, mainly causing a lack of moisture in my mouth, sinuses, throat, and eyes. I take OTC guaifenesin (generic Mucinex) to help thin down the mucus in my throat. I had the sleeve on 9-1 and have had "the foamies" more than I have ever had. Often after I drink a protein shake. "Foamies" is such an accurate description! If I miss even one day of not taking the guaifenesin I get this awful "plug" of slimy mucus in my throat that basically chokes me until I can get it up and get rid of it. I have had this problem for years, finally I went to an ear, nose, and throat dr that correctly diagnosed my problem and put me on guaifenesin. This is not medical advice, just my experience. Maybe finding a different kind of doctor would help, as it did with me. Best wishes to you. Sjögren's is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the entire body. Along with symptoms of extensive dryness, other serious complications include profound fatigue, chronic pain, major organ involvement, neuropathies and lymphomas. -
My tips and why I Don't recommend Sleeve surgery for long term
Arabesque replied to strawberryga's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
A bypass is usually revised to a sleeve if the bypass fails: weight gain, unmanageable vitamin malabsorption issues, excessive dumping complications,... Much like a sleeve can be revised to bypass because of weight gain, GERD, etc, As others have said, any weight loss surgery can fail if you don't make permanent changes to how, what & why you eat. Post surgical benefits like loss of appetite & your restriction don’t last. They should help you to kick start your weight loss & give you time to assess your eating & establish new eating habits. Sounds like you relied on the side effects of your bypass to influence what you ate. I’d expect your bypass would have failed sooner if you didn’t experience dumping (50-60% don’t with bypass). You mentioned your tummy has stretched. It does because it is a muscle & stretches & contracts. Can’t believe any doctor would say it can’t. Consistently eating larger portions will cause it to stretch more & contract less. But is your tummy as large as it was before you had either surgery or about the size of someone who never had a weight issue? The success you have with either surgery is dependent upon you, with consideration of any complications you may have of course. We all have our reasons for choosing the surgery we did & the effort we put in to make changes are reflected in the success we have or didn’t have. Excluding the life changes that can sometimes sabotage our intentions. I chose sleeve because of the lower risk of malabsorption & dumping. I lost all my weight & more. I don’t eat like friends & family who carry weight. I don’t eat exactly like friends & family who never carried weight either. I have to work a little harder & listen more carefully to my body (what it needs, how it reacts, etc.) because it’s easier for me to gain weight. I’m sorry you are unhappy with your revision. -
GERD After Revision to Bypass and Linx
RickM replied to chasingpolaris321's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
When you have an unusual situation such as you have, I have found it useful to get second and even third opinions. A general or general GI surgeon may not have that much experience with bariatric patients, and a strict bariatric surgeon may not have run into this type of problem before (though is more likely to be familiar with such complications. Is this a problem with something that's odd about you, or was there something odd about the way the bypass revision was done - good to get a fresh set of bariatric eyes on that to check. Is it a hiatal hernia - some bariatric surgeons have a hard time dealing with them, (and some don't...) and likewise some general surgeons may have a hard time dealing with that in a bariatric patient. A regional cancer center with a GI department can be a good place to consult, as they tend to have experience with a broader set of unusual cases, and they also usually have an associated bariatric department. I ran into an odd cancer situation a few years ago (thankfully fairly minor and early), such that even a major center might see one or two per year, and was a subject of one of the department's monthly meeting where the doctors all get together and discuss their "interesting" patients and brainstorm different approaches to the problem. You may need that level of "interest" to solve your problem hopefully not,) but it's good to be able to tap into that level of resource if it's needed. Good luck in finding a solution... -
This happened to me. I was self pay, and then got a bill months later for a crazy amount of money. I called my surgeon's office and asked if there were complications I didn't know about because of the insane bill I got. The PA there looked into it and got livid when she realized the hospital was billing me again, and intervened. It basically was a case of the hospital doing one thing, and not being synched up with the surgeon and such. Mine got sorted out pretty quickly when the surgeon's office got involved, but it was still a good month or so like others mentioned. I was really stressed out about it all at the time.
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Hello, I’m 10 days post op. My question is about the cost of the surgery. Are there any self-pay patients out there? I began this process in January of this year. Started with my local hospital and was given a quote of $35,000 which is due to the pre-op requirements such as psych eval, endoscopy, sleep study, etc. I then reached out to a bariatric center about 5 hours away and they quoted me $25,000 and didn’t require the same pre-op items. I went with this program because the doctor has been doing bariatric surgeries for over 25 years. I prepaid the surgeon $4400 and the hospital said I needed to prepay $19,100. A week after getting home, I am now getting billed an additional $31,000. More than double my quote. They told me those quotes are only estimates and that the cost of the surgery can vary greatly based on complications. The thing is, I had no complications and even was released a day early. They are sending it to the higher ups for them to “review”. This whole thing has been stressful and affecting my recovery. I wouldn’t have had the surgery if I knew it was going to cost me over $54,000 because I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Just looking for some prices to compare to. I’m in Oregon Thanks!
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$18K Out of Pocket or wait a year for full insurance coverage or just diet?
blackcatsandbaddecisions replied to SoCalGuy6622's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I ended up waiting almost two years from when I first reached out to my center, because of concerns about complications if I went a self pay route. I could for sure have written a check but I wanted the additional peace of mind. I was really annoyed at first about the waiting period and hoops I had to jump through to get qualified but in retrospect I’m glad I had them. I ended up losing weight prior to surgery, which helped me get ready for the lifestyle change and be more prepared for recovery, and I had enough time to be certain over and over that I was making the right call. I understand once a decision is made that it is frustrating to wait, but honestly if you have the option to get insurance to pay I’d always go that route. Also glad I didn’t fork out the cash for self pay because 2 years post op I ended up using those funds for skin removal, haha. -
Who has done this alone with no support system?
BigSue replied to 18kDays's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I live alone, hundreds of miles from any family, and I didn’t tell anyone about my surgery other than health care professionals. I really didn’t have any issues. I took a taxi to the hospital and hired a home health care aid to take me home. The hospital said they wouldn’t allow me to take a taxi/Uber home but they didn’t check and I totally could have, but the home health care aid didn’t cost much more than a taxi and she picked up my prescriptions and brought my bag in the house, so that was good. Plus, I had no idea how well or poorly I would be feeling when I got discharged, so it was nice to have that peace of mind. I had surgery on a Thursday, took the next week off of work, and went back the following Monday. I could have gone back much sooner, but it was good to have the week off so I could get used to my new situation (like having to sip tiny amounts to stay hydrated and get protein). I didn’t need any help taking care of myself. I didn’t have any pain by the time I got home. I was a little tired but functional. If I recall correctly, I wasn’t allowed to lift more than 20 pounds for the first 6 weeks, but I didn’t have any need to do so. I think my easy recovery was pretty typical of most WLS patients these days, but there’s always a chance you’ll have complications, so it’s a good idea to have a contingency plan in case you do need help. -
September surgery buddies!!
HMM1216 replied to Slwhurst's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Newbie here Gastric Bypass surgery scheduled for Wednesday 9/21. I’m on day 2 of the clear liquid diet and todays been harder then yesterday. I woke up with a migraine and it won’t go away! I can only have plain water, apple juice, protein2O, jello, popsicles and low sodium chicken broth to drink/eat and the chicken broth doesn’t wanna stay down. I also only told certain family members and someone got lose lips decided it was her job to tell everyone and there mother so I have a lot of negative opinions being voiced to me. Someone even contacted my fiancé with a long list of complications and all the stuff that can go wrong and how there uncles wife’s sisters daughters cousin died from the surgery and now he’s even more scared something is going to happen to me! I guess it’s just the pre-surgery craziness 🤦♀️ -
My short story of slow and steady weight loss
bluebellblue posted a topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
Hello all I thought I’d put my first post up to encourage others as I’m definitely a snail not a hare with weight loss, but getting there all the same. I had lapband surely nearly 15 years ago. Lost nothing. Didn’t work for me at all. Felt like a failure. Saved up again and decided to have the lapband removed and a bypass. Wasn’t that hopeful due to my previous experience but was desperate. Weighed 310 pounds and BMI 45. Surgery was fine with no complications. However I only lost a couple of pounds each week for the first few weeks. On about 500-600 calories a day. As food increases to about 800 calories at week 6, the slow but steady weight loss continued of 1 to 2 pounds a week. About six month stage I was light enough to join a gym. This made a huge difference to my mental health and energy. I took it slow but went three times a week. I was now on about 1000 calories a day and losing (you guessed it) 1 to 2 pounds a week. Sometimes I would lose 4 pounds a week but then nothing the week after. I didn’t really stall at all. I saw other people posting phenomenal weekly weight loss numbers. Not me! So here I am a year out and I’m eating about 1200 calories a day and losing 1 to 2 pounds a week. Lost over 100 pounds so far and feel fine plodding on as I am. So my advice is, keep tracking food, when you can try exercising, and don’t worry if your weight loss is steady like mine. You get there just the same. And, I’ve never felt better!- 5 replies
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$18K Out of Pocket or wait a year for full insurance coverage or just diet?
HashiHope121 replied to SoCalGuy6622's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
If you didn’t have an insurance option I would 100% say go pay for it! A year out now and I only wish I did this sooner. It is worth its weight in GOLD. That being said, I did wait for my surgery (& gained a few LBs) so insurance would cover it, mostly because I was terrified of the bills in the event there was a complication. I think it also depends on your timing in life, if there is something pushing you to get it now, that may be another factor in the pay column- I was moving cross country and couldn’t have waited another year. I think you will be happy in the long run either way & either way you will have this for the rest of your life. Good luck!!
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