Leaks...

 Hi everyone, I am planning on getting vsg in near future.  I am wondering how often leaks happen?  Leaks appear to be the main complication with this surgery and i'd love to know what the odds are.  What causes them to happen? Second complication i have read about is stricture?.. What exactly does that entails and how common is it?  I am posting this here and in vsg forum...
Thanks in advance :)

This is what I've found in tracking complications with the sleeve.

Started May 1, 2011

 

1.       Sandyd – infection from surgery (Reno) (VS Talk)

2.       MeMeMEEE – leak (twice) (VS Talk)
3.       Driver63 – leak

4.       Tiffykins – leak (band revision)

5.       Hansi – stomach ruptured

6.       Dishdiva – leaks (Mexico)

7.       YellowRose – infected incision (Mexico) & drain tube infection 8/5/11

8.       Mommyinneed – seroma turned abscess (Mexico)

9.       Sexypeaches33 – pancreatitis (Mexico) then gastritis

10.   DivaDee84 – Infected incision (Mexico) leak (still @ seven months)

11.   Honeyrubybee – splenic infarction

12.   TKDBlackbelt15 (fiancee) – leak

13.   Rblessed – leak

14.   Jen Jen – leak (Mexico) 

15.   Ladiesassie – nicked liver (didn’t follow pre-op diet)

16.   Moore37042 – leak

17.   Jagator88 – leak & esophagus was destroyed and had to be rebuilt from muscle (Mexico)

18.   Jsfound – leak (VS Talk)

19.   Leisa815 – leak (VS Talk)

20.   Jasleeve – leak 

21.   Joseph – leak Kuwait (VS Talk)

22.   Peachqueen – leak (VS Talk)

23.   Jcarelle – leak (VS Talk)

24.   Jerseygirl74 – leak & spleen infarction (VS Talk)

25.   Happylife – stricture (had a stent like a leak) (VS Talk)

26.   Kookia – leak (VS Talk)

27.   Nanaof5 – spleen infarction (VS Talk)

28.   Jencomenz – spleen infarction (VS Talk)

29.   Honeybunnyslp – spleen infarction (VS Talk)

30.   Neese – spleen infarction (VS Talk)

31.   Bedhead – erosion (ulcer) caused by an infection (VS Talk)

32.   Donniej – leak (band revision) (VS Talk)

33.   DogBone (wife’s cousin) – leak, tracheostomy, induces coma (Brazil) DIED

34.   4ALongerLife – leak

35.   Minaleigh – twisted stomach, needed a stent

36.   Mews – infected incision and blood clot

37.   Laura74 – (husband, OH) stomach started to close up so had a stent (stricture?)

38.   Victoria28 – leak (ThinnerTimes)

39.   Happylife – twisted stricture (VS Talk)

40.   P77tmy – blood clots (VS Talk)

41.   CrazyCatLady – blood clot (VS Talk)

42.   Karlij – leak (Obesity Help)

43.   1maryreigel – swollen

44.   Gigglee – open wound? Vst

45.   Twistedkitten25 – internal bleeding and abscess

46.   Shane5958 – blood abscess

47.   Cookies – blood clot

48.   Wendyr – spleen infarction, leak, pneumonia (punctured lung when placing drain for leak)

49.   Stephwb – leak

50.   Irishgirlparisi – UTI (foley catheter) & MRSA from JP tube

 

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 Very scary! Did you have wls and if so which? Where did you find these stats?

I experienced gastric leak and it is no walk in the park.  I had RNY.  Still don't know why leak happened about 2-3 weeks post surgery.  On RNY the numbers run from 2% to 4% for this complication.  While I was in hospital there was another woman there who had the VSG and also had a leak.  Mystery..

I was in hospital for a month and then home care for a couple of weeks.  Could not consume ANYTHING by mouth for this period of time.  Hey, broke my addition to Mt Dew. 

It was dangerous.  The telling symptom was left shoulder referred pain.  I also had fever, weakness, etc, because I had a massive ab infection called sepsis (I think).  Basically that is bowel fluids in the body.  I saw a 40% fatality rate if have gastric leak with RNY.

Yes, it can happen.  Lots of things can happen.  Then I have had complications from that leak and I am 8+ months post op.  Recently had to have a 3rd surgery to remove infected cyst on ab wall at the leak site.  Hey, better than other problems!  :)

Not quite sure why leaks happen. I have heard that it happens in about 1% of VSG patients. My clinic has been doing VSG for 4-5 years and have never had a patient with a lea****il me. I have lost a lot of weight and broken a lot of bad habits already. I would still recommend the surgery to anyone - even with my complications.

I had a gastric band in 2008.  Three years later it eroded and nearly killed me.  I then started moving toward getting sleeved but have had a couple of set backs.  First, my doctor wanted me to wait a year so that the scare tissue from my erosion could soften.  Second, I was to go through all of the hoops again (6 month supervised diet, psyc appt, etc).  Finally, during my psyc eval, I told them I thought I might be a binge eater so now I am in therapy to try and fix that.  I'm not sure where this will take me. 

Hi I had my surgery done on 9/9/05 and now I just had to go into the hospital again to have a leak fixed that almost killed me.....this surgery was a bad idea I never should have had it in the first place