Anybody want to talk aqbout their complications?

Evelyn, I had my surgery 7/14/03 and I was unable to eat most solid food for 3 months. I had to go back to the hospital for have IV fluids for dehydration many times. I also had an upper GI and an endoscopy. My surgeon kept telling me that it would get better. I am almost 7 mo post op now and I am still limited in the amt of food that I can eat. My iron level is very low and I get severe nausea when I take the iron pills. In Nov I deveolped liver problems which they are not sure if they are surgery related and currently I have a problems with my right lung which is a probably a result of the surgery. You are not alone. Dawn

Dawn, I am fine now. I have no problems with any food. I don't dump on sugar(unfortunatly). so I have to keep away from foods with sugar. I was fed for 2and 1/2 months through a picc line attached to my arm and IV's, I could eat or drink nothing by mouth. I finally started eating a couple of weeks after thanksgiving. The only problem I have now is that the weight is not coming off fast enough for me. I guess I am happy that the scale keeps going down a little at a time. My Dr. said 10# a month is right on schedule, and that is what I am doing. I am sorry for your problems with eating,and with your liver. I hope everything turns out ok for you. Evelyn

I hate that you guys have had such trouble. I guess that is the risk we take. I am still pre-op and I like to hear what "may" happen so I can be prepared. My question is: Do you guys regret the surgery? Thanks and good luck to you recovery. My surgery is 3/2 Wish me luck LaDonna

Hello LaDonna. At first I was blaming myself for being so sick. after all I didn't have to have this surgery(thats what I thought at the time). But now I am glad I had the sugery, just not happy that I had to be one of the very few with complications. I feel better than I have in years. I can do alot of things now that I couldn't before surgery. My blood presure is really good now, I can get on my shoes and tie them in the middle of the shoe not on the side. I can cross my legs, which I haven't done in over 30 yrs. I have more energy now than I had at the ageof 30. most of my health problems are cleared up. Yes I'm glad I had surgery. I wish you a smooth and speedy recovery on your surgery. Evelyn

If you had asked me during the period before January 1st, I might have had a completely different answer, because going through the complications is quite scary (but remember, rare!!). Now that I'm out & about and my wound is mostly healed, I'm pretty glad I had the surgery. For better or worse, I tolerate just about everything -- I just need to eat slower at times! I don't really even think about the changes that have taken place since the surgery -- your abilities come back to you quickly. I can also bend over & tie my shoes without breaking a sweat, my heels don't hurt when walking, I have spurts of energy that I haven't had in years. All in all, I don't regret it. I just regret being one of the people who had complications ... but if you knew me you'd know that if anything's going to happen, it's going to happen to me!! Best of luck in your surgery. Don't sweat the complications -- the chances are not big that you'll have major problems. And I think the good outweighs the bad. Take care! Kathy

Hi, Kathy. Well, I think I have all of the complications I have heard about. I got an infection from a picc line, after having it in for 2 months, I got the staff infection from being in and out of the hospital, I did not eat for 2 months, then 3 weeks, then another 3 weeks, nothing by mouth--even water. My dr was looking for a "leak". My surgery was 8/03. Still, having barium swallows, x-rays, etc., etc., etc. Now, I notice I am vomiting coffee ground looking substance. Can you tell me what that might be? I've asked my doctor, she says she does not know. Right now, the next step is for her to look in my stomach and find out if the opening is too small to allow food to enter. Well, will await your answer about the coffee grounds and will let you know what the outcome of the procedure is next week. God Bless Bert

i just had my surgery 14 days ago and the 4th day i started having diarrhea now it won't stop,dr. has me on imodium and antibotics he says it will go away but i am affraid it won't getting weak because i can't eat.have you heard of anybody with this problem?

Gosh, where do I start...lol. I had WLS 2 1/2 years ago...seems like a lifetime! Had a Lap RNY on a Wed. started eating and drinking the next day...felt wonderful...then it all headed south...by Friday evening they were rushing me to emergancy surgery...they thought...but were not sure if I had a leak. I noticed my left side was getting more and more painful...I was told it was gas. It wasn't ...my body cavity was filling up with the meds, fluids, and food I was taking in. I had a leak....well not a leak...my entire staple line from my colon to my pouch had failed. I developed a all over blood infection...I was septic and had paratinitis on top of that. I couldn't lay down before the 2nd surgery because I couldn't breathe...I begged them to take me to surgery...they took me on that bariatric bed...raised into a sitting position rolling me through the halls of the hospital...I must have look a sight...lol I woke up in ICU on a vent. I saw the crash carts around me and I couldnt move. I could hear the nurse telling the doctor "I need to get her husband in here to tell he goodbye" I could hear the doctor trying to get a pulse in my arms, legs...and they couldn't. I heard doctors saying it does not look good. They called my family at 2 or 3 in the am and told them to get to the hospital as fast as they could (they were 2 and 5 hours away). My surgeon told my brother he prob. wouldn't make it in time to see me alive. I was in a vent. for 3 or 4 days...in ICU for 1 week...developed DVT (blood clots) in both legs. Had to be fed through a central line in my neck...was on TPN...which is like pouring bags of snicker bars into my body...so needless to say with that and all the fluid I had being pumped into my body...I GAINED 60 lbs. I developed fluid in my body cavity that had to be drained...kinda like an amneo. with the long needle in your stomach. Pretty much had to learn to walk again cause my muscles became so week. The 2nd surgery was open...and I was left open with 3 retention stitches to keep my insides inside...lol I had to heal from the inside out...so I couldn't pick up my 1 or 3 year old for over 4 months...had to move into my parents house cause my husband had just started a new job and didn't have the time off...so I took my 1 & 3 year old 31/2 hours away from home...for 3 months or so. With all that being said...I am back in the land of the living! God took care of me and my family. My husband is not happy I had the surgery...he never will be...but he is happy with the new me...I want to say...knowing I would have to go through all that again...I would do it over. As crazy as it sounds. There have been other problems do to all the complications...I just wanted to touch on the major ones...lol It does get better...every day gets just a little easier. Good luck to you all. Michelle

Goodness, I should have looked at these postings much earlier! I, too, had complications. They sound fairly similar to many others that have posted here. I had my surgery 05-02-03 (a Friday)- wow, almost a year ago! I went home on 5-4 (Sunday) and was rushed (by my husband, at 100 mph) back to my hospital on 5-7 (Wednesday). I had developed a hole in my new stomach, probably due to a loss of blood to the tissue during the stapling procedure. A real bummer because I had LAP the first time around and then had to be opened up for the emergency surgery. Everything I had eaten/drank had gone into my stomach cavity and peritonitis had set in. I didn't get better and, after a week and many consultations with a variety of specialists and CAT scans, they discovered an absess between my new and old stomachs. The absess was so big that the drs couldn't believe it. When they drained it, they took out 60 cc's of infection. I stayed in the hospital for 3 weeks - every day had something go wrong with me (unfortunately this is not an exaggeration!). Some days it was a big complication, such as when my j-tube worked its way out of my stomach and a major infection occured, or my IV would have to be restarted and no veins were up to the job. HOWEVER, when I was released, I had 3 drainage tubes (Jackson-Pratt), one G-tube and one packed incision where that infection had been cut out, OH and a catheter going into my vein that goes into my heart (for the antibiotics). Since my husband was working and there was no way that I could care for myself, I went to live with my parents for the next 3 months. I had daily home health care visits and 2-3 hours of care per day. I had nothing orally for all of that time. I went home on August 24, 2003, the day before my birthday. Recovery has been slow and eating has been a challenge. Now, I am nearly 100%. I lost my job due to all of my complications and not being able to work. This is especially bad because where I live the economy is very bad and not many jobs. I've been looking since November and no luck so far. This is a major problem for my spiritual and mental health. Would I do it again, knowing what I do now? YES! Short term pain and hell are small potatoes compared to where I was at before the surgery. My DH would remind me that when it was all over, I would still have my pouch. I've used this pouch well and I have lost over 130 pounds! When I went to my own home in August I had lost only 30 pounds (because of the liquid adult formula-high calories-being pumped into my Gtube 24 hours a day). I'm on the losing side now. I exercise almost every day. I eat fairly healthy at every meal. I indulge from time to time but I try to choose foods that are healthy for me. I'm trying to not focus on weight loss (tho' that is great!!!) but on health. Best of luck to everyone else out there, complications or not.

Sounds like you had a tough go of it. We have the same birthday -- maybe it's something astrological that caused us our complications Glad you're doing so well now. I hope to be well on the losing side soon. I've only lost 55 lbs. so far (had surgery on 11/4/03, starting weight 252) with about 75 more to go to get to my goal. Keep going strong, fellow Virgo!!