Question:
what are the symptoms of a staple line disruption

I am worried I may have a SLD. 10 months after surgery I had lost 140 pounds and started gaining. I have gained 40 lbs back in the last 14 months, and I am now 100lbs over my goal weight. I can eat much more than I thought I should be able to... ie, 2 sandwhiches, or a resaurant sized burger and potato salad... (I know I SHOULD not be eating these... this is an example of what I CAN eat.) Are there typically any other symptoms besides ability to eat increased amounts of food and weight gain? Is is possible to stretch that tiny pouch to accomodate this amount of food?    — Karen O. (posted on January 20, 2004)

January 20, 2004
Yeah that sounds fishy. And no one should attack you for the amount you are eating now, because that's why we all had the surgery in the first place. I'd make an appointment with your Dr.
   — mrsmyranow

January 20, 2004
Karen, your profile is not updated so I don't know what type of surgery you had or what your normal eating habits are (hint, hint) but it does sound like alot of food. How do you feel after eating that much? Full? Overly full? Not full at all? I gather you are 2 years post-op? Let me ask how long it takes you to eat two sandwiches? If your taking an hour to eat them, then any one of us could do that. But if you are taking 15 minutes or so, then something is probably wrong and it may be a SLD. Are you transected? If so then it is not a SLD, and if you are not, ask the doctor to check it out. I believe an uppper GI would let you know.
   — Cindy R.

January 20, 2004
You're smart to considered the possibility of a surgical mechanical failure first, rather than deal with self-blame when it's probably not your fault. If you're not transected, it very well may be a SLD, or possibly a stretched stoma. Some people have no symptoms, other than being able to eat more, and the subsequest weight gain, others may have a return of acid reflux. Just remember, a SLD is NOT your fault, and it is fixable! Good luck!
   — Leslie F.

January 20, 2004
The only symptoms I had were ability to eat about twice as much as my transected twin sister. I was not transected at the time. I could eat for example two tuna casserole Lean Cuisine dinners and truthfully, I could have eaten more. Now, I can't eat one of them all the way. I was transected a year after the original surgery and everything was normal again. The best advice I can offer is have an upper GI and you can plainly see the barium going into the old stomach if there is a disruption. One other thing worth mentioning is that I had a tiny bit of heartburn when I had SLD. Not a lot but enough to know that I had it. Good luck and take care of the mechanical part of your surgery first then if there is no problem there, proceed with more exercise and lots of protein instead of carbs. Good luck!
   — Mylou52