Sleeve leaks

Anyone here ever have a leak, and if so how serious and how far post op was it?
The only real thing that had me worried was when my surgeon told me one diff between the VSG and RNY is that if you get a leak in the RNY you are in and out of hospital pretty quick with an easy fix most times, but with the VSG it can be quite serious and you can be in the hospital for a month.
I asked how long is the risk he said if one were to happen it would be in the first five days post op. And that I'd know cuz there'd be PAIN.

The leak rate for VSG surgery is less than 1%.

When I was reseaching surgeries I was more concerned with the rerouting of organs, long term effectiveness and malabsorption resulting from the RYN. 

 The leak rate varies according to surgeon.  i'd ask yours what his leak rate for the sleeve is, and how many of these procedures he had done, as practice does tend to make perfect.  I was told to look for a surgeon who had done at least 300 of these and who has a leak rate under 1%.  Your doc is right that a sleeve leak really is a serious complication. On the patient's end, being compliant post-op can minimize leak risks. 

oh trust me I was way more concerned about potential problems with the RNY which is why I'm not getting it. Since I'm getting the VSG I'm now concerned it's possilbe complications. I just like to know what I'm getting into, be prepared for it all .. good and bad.

I can't really ask my surgeon anything now as I only get to meet with him once and that's passed. I don't know what would be considered a lot of VSG surgeries, but he's the high risk doc that deals with the larger BMI's and I think for many of them they do the two part surgeries with the VSG being done first. I know the majority of surgeries done at this clinic are the RNY as that's their preffered one.
He didn't give me a percentage but knocked on wood while saying out of his 200 or so VSG's he's only had 4 leaks.
I did ask if he sutured as well as the staples and he said he did.

I will follow all orders and just hope for the best as that's really all I can do LOL

I had a leak due to damage from my band. For virgin sleeves, the leak risk should be with a good surgeon less than 1% if your surgeon has a higher leak rate, then I would investigate a new surgeon.

The question should be for your surgeon; If I have a leak, how are you going to repair it, and why can't you repair it like you can RNY leaks?

My leak was repaired immediately, and my additional complications were related to anesthesia which extended my hospital stay. I was only hospitalized for 14 days, and then sent home with a home health nurse that came by every couple of days for labs, and to change my dressings. I had a pic line and was fed via TPN with nothing by mouth for a little over 3 weeks.

Again, my leak was directly related to the damage the band had done to my stomach tissue, and I simply refused to have RNY. I'd rather lose my band, and stay fat over have RNY, and my surgeon knew that if he couldn't salvage my stomach and perform VSG, he'd need to remove my band, stitch me up, and I'd stay fat.

I can tell you I'd endure every single struggle, hurdle and complication to live the life I have today with VSG. Zero regrets, seriously, I'd do it all again.


Edit to add: my leak was detected 2 days post revision from band to sleeve, on my last and final leak test. Before I swallowed the contrast fluid, I had zero symptoms, I was up walking, chatting and laughing with the nurses, and was about 2 hours away from being discharged.

The risk is low.  Leaks are usually the result of the surgery and usually show up pretty quickly.  How quickly they heal depends on where they are.  The ones I've heard about have been up around the juncture between the stomach and the esophagus and that seems to be a tricky spot.  Basically, the treatment is to let it close on its own.  You may be NPO for awhile and getting your nutrition via IV, but they don't keep you in the hospital for that!  They hook you up and send you home.

Again, the risk is small.  I was also more concerned about long term effects of malabsorption from either the RNY or DS, not to mention the fact that you can have other complications from those surgeries immediately post-op.  Basically, there's risk with every one of the surgeries.  You have to decide what level of risk you can deal with.

Leaks from VSG are very rare..BUT like any rare complication, they can and do happen. There are a handful out of this bunch who have had them.

I didnt have any complications whatsoever, but from what I have read they are very painful, they require long hospital stays, inability to eat by mouth for months..its a terrible thing.

There is a woman on here who was sleeved the same day as me and is still dealing with issues from her leak. 10 months later.

This is the reason you MUST be confident in the abilities of your surgeon. Ask him about his complication rate. Ask how many sleeves he has done. This is why you must research.

What I can say is..the miniscule possiblity of a complication far outweighs the fact that morbid obesity kills. slowly. period. It shortens our life and makes the quality of that life not so great. That is a definite fact.

Only you know if its something you are willing to face.

For me, I was so tired of being obese I am glad I made this decision. Best decision ever.

I only want to address the not eating for months. That's not necessarily true, it really depends on how the leak is repaired and followed treatment.

I was eating puree and mushy foods by 6 weeks out, even super soft moist meats.

I just don't want to scare anyone when leaks are repaired differently and treatments are vastly different based on surgeon's ability and where the leak is located.



I did stay on super soft foods much longer because I simply didn't have room for a lot of solid foods. But, I was able to get all of my required protein from food sources around 6-7 weeks out.

All the rest of your post is spot on, just wanted to share that the extended no eating is not always the case.

Had a leak, was found 4 months post-op...Was complaining from day one with left shoulder pain. My daughter quoted the other day. You were always puking!..I don't really recall that. I didn't think it was that bad. Had fevers. But, was always on pain meds for the shoulder and stabbing knife pain on my lower left quadrant. Pre-op surgical report stated I had a oozing staple line. After many attempts to the ER...The GOD doctor found my leak, sepsis & accesses. I had 5 surgeries, that didn't work and a 3 month hospital stay. Went home with a wound vac and JP drains because of a surgical infection and 12 hr tube feeds. With a 2 visits a day from the VON.. 3+ years later...Everything seems fine..Would I do it all over again. Hell ya!!...But, hopefully without a leak!!

Hugs and loves on whatever you choose!..

There's only a special percentage that gets to live the hell of a leak

Donna

If I'm reading your docs said the difference between a VSG leak and an RnY leak is that the RnY leak you are in and out the hospital pretty quick...a leak is dangerous no matter what surgery you have.  With an RnY you have the possibility of a leak in your stomach area and also where they disect your intestines, but aside from that.

Please RESEARCH leaks, because they can happen YES within the first few days but MANY aren't detected...there are symptoms to watch for and you have to be vigilant because some doctor's don't listen.

MS Shell