Scary surgery complications ??

Hello,
Does anyone have a story to share about a WLS complications ? If so, what happend? Would you do it all over again or would you decline the surgery due to the complications ?

I developed very severe pneumonia after my WLS.  So bad I ended up in the hospital for 21 days, in ICU on a respirator for almost a week.

I would have surgery again because I understand that pneumonia is not a common complication (about 1% of RNY patients get pneumonia after surgery) and that most of those that do get pneumonia don't get it as bad as I did.  The ICU nurses said repeatedly that it was the worst case of pneumonia that they'd ever seen.  So I would have the surgery all over again because I feel pretty confident that I would not experience that complication again.

However, if I knew I would get pneumonia and go through all that again, I might decline to have the surgery.  It was a very difficult, stressful experience.

Thank you for your story, I'm glad to hear everything worked out for you !

At three years after surgery, I developed severe blood sugar problems.  They think I have nesidioblastosis, which is insulin-producing tumors of the pancreas.  They are no cancerous, but it means that, instead of just dumping if I eat sugar, I produce so much insulin that I can't even eat whole grain bread or any semi-refinded carbohydrate.  My carbs consist of vegetables and some lower sugar fruits.  But, given the knowledge that this would happen, yes, I would do it all again in a heartbeat and twice on Thursdays.  There is nothing like being smaller and not having my own body get in my way when I want to move. 

I was a band to VSG revision.

The initial revision went great. Lots of scar tissues, adhesions on my stomach tissue, and in my abdomen from the band which was ONLY in my body for 8 months before I had to revise.

2 days post-revision, my staple line popped a leak due to the severe damage the band had caused. I was still in the hospital, but was on my last leak test about 2 hours before discharge.

I was rushed back into surgery to repair the leak. My stomach was sewn back together from 2 separate pieces.

I had horrific anesthesia complications which landed me on life support and a ventilator for 4-5 days, I did NOT eat, drink or have anything, not even ice chips cross my lips for the first 25-30 days after the leak repair. I had a home health care nurse come in and see me 3-4 times a week to pull labs, clean wounds, change dressing, help me bathe all at the ripe age of 32. I was fed TPN via a picc line in my arm which fed my body1800 calories a day of nutrients, meds, vitamins, protein for those days. My recovery was an extensive, exhausting 3.5 months process. I endured drain placements, not once, but twice, a second hospitalization for abscesses, and infection.

HOWEVER, I will tell you or anyone else, that at over 3 years post- revision, I would endure every single obstacle, hurdle, and complication to live the life I have today. Last October, we welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Tatum into our world, pregnancy was beautiful, uneventful, and then 2 months later we conceived baby Ashton, who will arrive into our world next Wednesday due to other medical issues I have, he is coming early.

I can't express how grateful I am that not only was I able to revise, but that I survived, and live a very normal little life post-VSG. I achieved my weight goal and actually passed them, gained health, fertility and life full of joy due to my surgery. I learned a lot about myself and just what I could survive.

There's not one single morsel of regret or second-guessing. I'm eternally grateful ! ! !

I was also a band to vsg revision
Had the band for four years , vomited constantly for 3 of those years, had nasty acid,bad skin and developed esophageal dismotility.
Had the band removed and my surgeon wanted to wait three months to do my sleeve due to the amount of damage the band had caused, it had slipped and there was a lot of scar tissue.
Went in for my sleeve 10 weeks after band removal, there was a complication with the bougie(?) and at some point it slipped, when they realised what had happened my surgery went from laparoscopic to open , I had roughly 1/3 of my stomach in the middle removed and I was sewn back up.
I was in the hospital for seven days, on morphine for three of those****il I BEGGED to be taken of it)
Due to the scar tissue I'm now unable to be sleeved- the blood flow will never be sufficent enough so my only choice now is resectional Rny.
I'm booked in to have Rny with the remenant stomach removed next month,

The thing with complications is you NEVER know...... That being said..when I had my first surgery I didn't have any..pain was tolerable. Later on down the road...I did experience dumping which was HORRIBLE...be careful of that..now have no issues.  I did have pain and had my gall bladder taken out.  Then the regain came. And I looked and got a revision done in May this year. Now TALK about complications!!  within several days hospitalized for bowel obstructions, testing done..supposedly everything was better. Week later bowel obstruction again! Had surgery (due to adhesions was kinking my bowel) spent 7 days in the hospital, then my large colon stopped working or barely working..spend 5 days in the hospital.  In addition long term affect has been having neurocardiogenic syncope...9 faintings at work, 8 ER visits, 4 ambulances and tons of money I owe the hospital where I work. With the revision the syncope started again. And they can't say definately what it is or how to treat it except drinking tons of water and taking Thermotabs. The w/l with the revision has been horribly slow. I lost 18lbs initially and 4months now..I'm still there..what can I do but continue to follow drs order. I PRAY that with only 150cm of small bowel things will get moving again...and I will lose the 40lbs I want to lose..but I really wonder!! Because I don't know if I can have another complication other than the one I already have ongoing right now....STILL...I wouldn't change the decision to have this life saving surgery.