Advise for Newbies (or anyone)

I have heard the question asked by new folks to this site 'what advise does anyone have for newly sleeved patients" well the best advise I would give would be to purchase a good thermometer and when you are post surgery, TAKE YOUR TEMPS ON A REGULAR BASIS"  if you temp goes up it is an EARLY sign of leakage.  Your best defense is early detection and treatment, do not ignore what your body is saying.  Leaks happen more often then what you hear.  This is not to scare anyone but to make you aware that leaks do indeed happen even if you do everything by the book but they are also extremely treatable especially when caught early.  Good luck to all!

I am certainly glad I didn't read this post before surgery!  I actually would believe that you were right and there were many leaks occurring post surgery and not to risk it.  I have met at least 100 sleeved  people and not one has ever had a leak.  My surgeon has been performing many sleeves for several years and has a record of zero leaks. Even on these WLS web sites where the worst case scenario is more likely to be seen, leaks are a rare occurrence. 

 But, of course, this is only the doctors, and patients I know.  Where are you getting your information on this high incidence of leaking?  Can you give me a link?  I don't want to be recommending surgery to my friends without being fully informed as to the risks. 

I would also like to see evidence of this high rate of leakage you suggest.  Do you have links to studies?

I asked the same question. I was told it is so rare the my doctor does not do a leak test unless he see something during the surgery.

None of the surgeons in the group my doctor is part of do leak tests anymore.  Most surgeons here in the U.S. and operating in Bariatric Centers of Excellence are doing triple rows of staples and are expert at their jobs. 
I would be more concerned if I had chosen a surgeon with a poor track record in this area or I was too stupid to follow the post-op dietary rules. 

This is great advise and sounds like a voice of experience.

I think it was in my manual to call the surgeon if your temp gets to a certain number.

You mention as a general statement, that leaks happen more often than what you hear which I believe to be true also. They happen and individual surgeon leak rates can range. Never did you say a high incidence.

It is not easy to make a VSG staple line the length of the entire stomach. It is several staple cartridges end to end. Even harder is that the staple cartridges are straight and a proper staple line is curved.

frisco

Thank you Frisco for actually reading and understanding my post.  Yes you are correct, this advise is coming directly from experience and it was advise that saved my life.  Never did I say there was a high incidence. I said that it happens more often than you hear about and it is my opinion that new folks should be aware that it can and does happen and that they they need to be pro-active in their own care and treatment (know and listen to your body).  Also my post was an indirect response to the person who posted their horror story with regards to their revision surgery.  Anyhoo, thank you again for your understanding and intuition into my post, others could take a page from your book:) 

leaks happen but they are most certainly not common , unless dr is unexperienced.

In my program, at the time of my surgery, there had been only one leak in 3 years with 3 doctors doing sleeves regularly.   Yes, they do happen, but I don't want us to scare people. 

It is important to follow the rules in adding new foods back into our diets post-surgery so we don't stress the wound.  I'd suggest being diligent in following the rules, but don't let fear cloud your decision to treat your obesity and find better health.

Carol