Another Question

I have two incisions near my bell button about 5 inches from each other and the area in between the two is totally numb and I have no feeling is this normal and will it go away? My post op is Wed so I will ask Dr Oh then. Ok so I have two questions before you left the hospital did your doctor do the leak test? Dr Oh didn't and I was a little concerned about that and wanted to know if you had a leak how long before you would get ill or know you have one?

Hi Football Mom, Congratulations on your surgery. Welcome to the "losers club". I had an open resectional RNY performed by Dr. Porter in Tacoma on 12/27/2005. It is very normal for the area to be numb. Parts of my incisional area are still numb. It's no big deal and should eventually go away (most of my numbness has). My doctor did do a leak test. The worst part about it was trying to consume the entire amount of contrast that the radilology department required. Thankfully, there were no leaks. I would presume that you would feel sick in some sort of way if you did have a leak. Hi Five!!! Beth

Hi Susan , My roomate had a leak test & was a Dr. Oh pateint . I was worried that he forgot me . He told me "no problem , she was a revision . She had thin tissue & much scar tissue . You sre just fine ". A lot of doctors do a leak test while you are still in the operating room . Temporary numb spots are normal after any surgery . You have lots & lots of nerves in there . Kathy

My surgeon does the leak test right before he closes everything up so it's done during surgery. I imagine Dr Oh does the same thing. After all better to know before sewing you up if there is going to be a leak. And I agree I imagine you would feel sick pretty quickly if your insides were leaking. As for the numbness, I've had laprascopic surgery on my shoulders and several incisions were numb and even the skin in between. Although the incisions are little they are still going all the way through your skin and small nerves are bound to be cut. Nerves do regnerate it just takes longer than you might think. I had one that was numb in the area for almost a year. Of course these are all suppositions and personal experience, I've not had any medical training so if you are truely concerned the best person to ask is your surgeon. Corinna Q