Regular Post-Op Leak Tests?

Thank you!!! I've been trying to find info on why a doctor would not do a leak test. I know the percentage of leaks is low, but very good info and thanks for putting it into perspective!!!
#excited
Everyone PLEASE follow the post op diet. Do not eat regular food until it is allowed and you have had time to heal. The only fatality that my doctor reported to me was a woman that ate regular food 1 week post op.

I thought the leak test was pretty cool.  I do think the xray exposure is alot more than a typical xray - at least for mine it was "live" for a fair amount of time so the swallow could be filmed in action.  Seeing that tiny sleeve was pretty enlightening and really showed my how tiny my capacity was.

That said, my surgeon did that after 2 days post-op and I'm pretty sure a leak would be very rare after that point.

It was suggested to maybe have a follow up barium swallow at 6 months, but when i asked about it at the six month mark they said if I wasn't having any issues to not do it.

Ha No!! I am still in the process of choosing a surgeon

And I too feel that the regular day 2 leak test is fudgy because of the swelling; that's why I was talking about having them further out.

I do agree with what's been stated above about going to a Center of Excellence if you can afford it and just have a great surgeon in the first place

my surgeon doesnt do a post-op leak test and does not recommend one unless they suspect a stricture or some other problem.  they do some kind of leak test inside after they are done.  he and the nurse said that if i have a leak .. i'll know it, get the shakes, fever, etc.  taking that many xrays is silly and dangerous, imo

watch some of the videos out there on the procedure if it doesnt freak you out too much.  it's a really good suture.

Your staple line is healed by 2-3 weeks out. Just how long and often do you want to have tests just in case you have a problem that less than 1% of your doctor's patients should be having? 

Medical tests aren't "free". There are costs and not just in $$ to everything they do to you. Possible side effects such as radiation exposure, stress to the staple line, reaction to the barium, etc. In fact, my program found they stopped having leaks at all when they stopped doing certain tests -- apparently certain tests put pressure on the staple line and were CAUSING leaks. I don't think they've had a leak in something like 8 years since they changed their protocol to do LESS testing.

That story reminds me of when shoe stores used to x-ray kids' feet in order to size them. It was considered harmless and it was so convenient and shoes fit so much better! But of course later on they figured out the dangers well outweighed the benefits. This is one reason why in medicine they aren't supposed to just do tests for the sake of them but only when there is a clear benefit. Given how rare leaks are and how easily most of them are treated, the benefit to doing a leak test every couple of days just aren't there.