Leak Symptoms?

[wendyr 8]

Can anyone tell me the symptoms of a leak?

[maddmaxx 8]

Can anyone tell me the symptoms of a leak?

Don't worry there wouldbeno question of a leak you'd know very quickly by being sick as a dog and fever didn't they do an X-ray after surgery

[wendyr 8]

I dont remember an xray but i was in recovery for several hours. I dont think i have a leak. I just tried to research everything and couldnt find those symptoms. I did learn today i have a spleen infartc and fld on my left lung and this is what is causing all the pain!

[MeMeMEEE 206]

Don't be fooled - you may NOT know you have a leak! Symptoms can be passed off as being other things. The only sympton I had was left shoulder pain. I was told for weeks this was acid reflux. When my abscess (caused from the leak) was discovered my Dr was shocked - I was not sick, had no fever, none of the normal symptoms.

I hate the "you will know" - you "might" know, but no guarantee!!

[wendyr 8]

Thanks! I just want to be informed about everything, and although this seems to be the most common problem, I cant find definite answers to my questions about it. I had no idea about a spleen infartc either, so I am learning a lot!

[maddmaxx 8]

After my surgery the next day I was wheeled down to the xray and had to drink contrast and also mri to check for leaks is this not the standar

[CrazyCatLady 130]

Even with checking for leaks at immediate post-op, leaks can still develop due to a multitude of factors: Over eating/drinking (stretching the pouch and causing hairline leaks along suture line), necrosis of stomach tissue along surgery line, failure to properly heal....any time you have a long staple/suture/surgical line, you have these risks.

Be vigilant.

[suzcomptime 17]

......When my abscess (caused from the leak) was discovered my Dr was shocked - I was not sick, had no fever, none of the normal symptoms......

How did it happen to get discovered?

[MeMeMEEE 206]

How did it happen to get discovered?

I had way out of whack ferritin levels (300's) so they sent me to a hematologist - he was thinking lung cancer and did a CT of my chest and it happened to catch the abscess in my abdomen.

Even with checking for leaks at immediate post-op, leaks can still develop due to a multitude of factors: Over eating/drinking (stretching the pouch and causing hairline leaks along suture line), necrosis of stomach tissue along surgery line, failure to properly heal....any time you have a long staple/suture/surgical line, you have these risks.

Be vigilant.

Also the checking immediately post op doesn't account for the swelling that holds any possible present leaks being held closed by it. The swelling doesn't go down until 6-8 weeks post op ...

[suzcomptime 17]

I had way out of whack ferritin levels (300's) so they sent me to a hematologist - he was thinking lung cancer and did a CT of my chest and it happened to catch the abscess in my abdomen.

Also the checking immediately post op doesn't account for the swelling that holds any possible present leaks being held closed by it. The swelling doesn't go down until 6-8 weeks post op ...

Sounds scary...lung cancer That must have been frightening. Thanks for answering all of our questions so that we know what to look for if something is wrong after our surgery.

[MeMeMEEE 206]

happy to report my ferritin was tested a few weeks ago and it is all back to normal. The hematologist himself called me with my CT results in October and said he was sure once my abscess was cleared up my ferritin would go back to normal and it did ))