Leak Survivors - A Little Help!

[atushee 1]

Hi All

Thanks to all of you for your support and prayers.

Finally my mother is better. Her drain tubes were out after 4 weeks and stent after 7 weeks.

I like to pass this message to every one who is either going through same issue or worried about this.

1. If you are above 60 and/or diabetic, think twice. This is major operation. Even if you are young and healthy, still the risk and severity is a lot. With 1% to 7% chance of mishap, please plan for the worst, arrange for someone who will take care of you for months.

2. May be the doctor should always put a drain tube after gastrectomy. This way if there is leak, they will know right away. In case of my mother, it took three days when they finally admitted that there is a leak possibility and put the drain tube.

3. If you do get the drain, insist your doctor to analyze the Fluid comping out. They were very reluctanct. However, with my own initiative we got pathology report that it had fungus infection. A cheap medicine, flucanazole probably helped in the healing. They were giving Meropenem which is pretty strong antibiotic but does not do anything against fungus, if anything it helps fungus. People who get peretonial dialysis get this infection often. Doctors only worry about baterial infection and do not think about fungus infection. My mothers's drain Fluid was some times milky and sometimes like chocolate milky either due to blood in it or chocolate particles leaking.

4. There are 24 centimeters of stent available. The stent really helped.

5. For people who are considering sleeve G, I think you should really find a person who had gone through leak and speak to them. Ask them how many days they spent in hospital or home being sick. How many injections they got. My mother got so much sick of the injections. Vomiting, Constipation, stomach ache etc are very annoying. Please make up your mind of the worst case scenrio. Choose for less invasive surgary, eg. gastric balloon, careful that fluid does not go to lungs.

6. Please also note that as per our experience, the appetite does not reduce after sleeve G. My mother still has good apettite and private nurse keeps a leash. If that's what we needed then may be I should have got a private nurse. The only things this operation does is to create nausea or cause vomit if eaten more. It is very expensive and painful way of reminding self to eat less.

Wish you all the best. If someone is really desperate and want to reach me they can write me an email at

atul.krishna.gupta (at the rate of ) hotmail account.

Atul