[rlsmommy]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone had any complications after surgery or any issues. What was your experience like. I have towait until February before I can make my first appointment. Hating having to wait and I am doing a lot of research but would love to go talk to a surgeon. Anyway thanks for your input.

[gowheelynn]

Go back through the posts on here & you'll find a lot of good information. Several of us have had multiple complications while others have none. My only advise to anybody who has more than a few complications is GO INTO COUNSELING to help you through it. I felt like I was going to die & almost did on a few occasions. Don't try to go through it alone...that is my only regret, feeling so alone & unable to talk to somebody about what was happening to me.

[complicationsurvivor]

I had major complications and almost died. If it weren't for prayer, my husband and our children I am sure that I would not be here. I don't feel the joy others speak about but I hope it comes. I focus everyday on getting healthy. I readily admit that I have changed as a person due to all I have gone thru but I am not bitter, as I get well I have been getting a little pissy tho. I followed the directions given to me to follow and did what I was supposed to do and then almost died. This is by no means the 'easy' way out and is a very serious surgery. I only recommend it for people who clearly understand what they are doing and have a solid support system of people who will be there for them every step of the way.

[bluedelight]

No complications at all. Experienced expected gas pains and got rid of them by doing what I was supposed to do (walking).

This is a question that won't deliver the proper answer you want without knowing what medical problems people had going into surgery and comparing them to you exactly. People with a heart condition may be more at risk, people whose body mass index is higher than someone else's are more at risk.

The same thing with how much weight you will loose after surgery and how fast. Because we are all different there is no way to compare yourself at least in the short run of how well you are doing in loosing weight or how you might come out of surgery without any complications by looking at others.

You will have a consultation with your surgeon and you need to ask him questions specifically about you. The blood work and other tests you will have before surgery will provide him with the information he needs to determine how you will do and he may make adjustments to what you need to do pre operation to assure greater success with less risk.

You can speak with your pcp as well. One thing I will share with you and I am sure most people here will, the risk of complications and a life of high risk health problems is 100s of times greater in not having this procedure done.

Best of luck!

[judijo]

I didn't have anything worse than I was already warned about via these boards. After about a week or two of reading posts here, I got a huge heads-up on the complications. rlsmommy, please feel free to post your stats (go to "UserCP" tab, above the before/after pix) and stay a while.

[SueZ]

I had surgery in July of 09. No complications...except for a pulled stomach muscle from lifting too much, too soon. My own dumb fault and not a surgery related complication.

That was then, this is now. For the past many months I have been plaqued with Sibo (Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) or perhaps I'm developing IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) Two closely related conditions. Chronic diarrhea, weight loss, hungry all the time. Antibiotics help....but just control it, don't cure it.

Still...I wouldn't change a single thing! I have stamina, wear a size 10, off all meds (well, except for those antibiotics) and generally feel strong and healthy. It's worth it!

[MsVickie]

You know what..... Im one of those who had them. From the start. From the start no it wasn't my fault. Then I had them after wards. Not my doing. Then a little over a year out ....... that time it was all my own doing.

You see ..... when they review what could happen they are serious but we are all so excited about getting this done we tend to over look what could and can happen and get so upset when it does. Even when we go get a minor procedure done we have to sign a wavier saying we are at risk of infection etc and that is a risk we are taking. We sign it and go on. Its not until its over and a complicating arises do we rethink OMG what have I done?

Mine started the day I had surgery. It took allot longer to do mine. When doing mine they did it laproscopic.... and I was warned they might have to do it open because of a old scar from a old gall bladder removal I had done years ago that went wrong and they had to open me all the way up that caused allot of scar tissue. When they did the lap they ran into allot of adhesions. The Dr stated the adhesions were being made as fast as he could cut though them. When counting the surgical instruments like required now they were missing one needle. They had to search for it before I was done This took a hour and a half to find. About 12 hours after surgery I started running a fever. It got very high.

All I know is I wanted to go home and told them I felt fine even though I was under allot of pain meds because my foot of all things was killing me. My husband told me I was sweating allot and my breathing was rapid. My Dr was called in during the middle of the night to check me. I remember him coming in and I said what are you doing here in your PJS? He said if you tell anyone no one will believe ya and then laughed. I said you promised me to go home tomorrow he said rest and we will talk about that later.

The next am he told me I would be going back into surgery and he thought I was bleeding inside and had an infection going and he needed to go back in and check to see what was going on. He wanted me to sign the paper and call my husband to tell him. I refused to sign and told him if he wanted to tell my husband he could call him him self. Because it was an emergecy he had the right to overide the signiture Yes I am a very bad patient. Im a nurse. What can I say I admit this. The nurse called my husband and I woke up 3-4 days later in ICU. He told me he put me in there because my body was so worked up over it he thought I needed to rest and rest my body. He put me in a drug induced coma. I developed PTSD from that instantly. I was in the hospital 17 days after that. I didn't want to know what happened during this whole ordeal. I just wanted out of the hospital. I know I begged the surgeon to be released daily. He would say Look I have you in a nice big room with pleanty of visiting room down the hall we will talk about it later.

I know when they finally moved me to a regular room I must have been really hard on my husband because he left the room one am flusterd with me. He had spent every minute with me after I got out of ICU spending 24hrs a day with me until I got home. A nurse was in the room when that happend and had a little talk with me like I would have if a patient of mine would have treated a spouse like I was. I never realized what I was doing. She was kinda and put in in perspective for me and told me to relax and chill out. She had observed how he watched me sleep and how he would pace the halls when I slept and how he would follow the Dr's out of the room and ask if she OK is she doing any better....... it was touch and go for several days even after I was put in a regular room. It was like being slapped in the face and reality kinda sit in. It took me a good while to ask my husband what happened to me while in the hospital. I didnt wanna know. I just know I was very sick and didnt wanna know to be honest I felt I couldnt handle it at the moment. Just so happened I had a Dr's appointment the next day so he said lets go over it then. We did. I asked the Dr. Then it was gone over with me and I never knew how close I was to death even after going home. You see..... that is why when 3 years ago when I had this done...... our concern was if we was gonna make it off the table and then if we was gonna make it the first 30 days after. Knowing if we did that we where pretty much gonna be fine as long as we did as we where told. Then I went though a bout of not having my stomach not waking up which is very rare. Even taking a sip of water would make me so sick it wasn't funny. I got over that felt better. Then me being stupid I felt better doing well decided I was doing great started not taking my vitamins like I should. However I did eat like I should . Knowing I was told I had to take them for the rest of my life. I thought I could get in enough vitamins though my food. I also took asprin based products for my arthritis which we are told never to do. It will cause ulcers. Well i ended up in the ER and put in ICU for another 3 days being transfused with blood. I had a bleeding ulcer to which the Dr I seen for it stated in his 15 years of tending ulcers had never seen one so bad in his life.... if I didn't follow his instructions to the core I would have to have another surgery taking out part of what was left of a stomach and he just didn't know if I could survive it. Well needless to say I did. The ulcer had eaten down to my suture line. There is nothing under that line. It would have started leaking into my body. Think about what stomach acid does do your throat when it comes up.

The reason I opened up about this is simply this........ some things cannot be helped. They are explained to you ahead of time and need to be taken serious. Some things can. I put my own self in danger and I have paid the price daily. Since not taking my vitamins and having that ulcer I have experienced seizures and cannot work. As for the WLS itself that is just the way it went for me with out any fault placed on anyone. I would do that part again in a heart beat. I signed up for that and the risk for it was well addressed to me before hand. It was my OWN decision. I had told my family that before I went in. I was ready to go if necessary but I wanted that last chance to save my life and I felt that is why I had the surgery because for me if I didnt..... I was gonna eat myself to death. Look at my stats. My before weight was way up there.

So never compare you self to anyone. Research it. When and if you see a surgeon remember you don't have to go with the first one you see. Go with the one you feel with comfortable with. Don't be a number. Many thought after the needle incident I would have ran from my surgeon but I didn't. He called me allot at home and even on the weekends to see how I was doing. He give my husband his cell number to call him if the nurses at the hospital or something wasn't being done right to let him know immediately so he could help. My husband used it once and it was done immediately. It had to do with pain medication. He saw me twice a week for 2 months and then once a week for the following 2 months until he felt I was OK enough to see him once a month. He did take good care of me. Things can and do happen.

For the record more people come out with amazing stories with no complications remember that.

[mistydog29]

Thanks for sharing-I can't imagine going thru all that. I have not had any physical complications at all-but emotional due to meds not absorbing-yes. Keep us posted-I want to hear the rest of the story. take care!

[ANSLEY]

Not really any. Ive dumped quite a bit, and recently found out i was deficient in potassium and magnesium. compared to other stories I have heard, I am very lucky. Remember that any surgery is a risk. This will help you and make you healthy. if you stay obese there is a 100% chance of you dying from it.