Complications

nilklynn

hi everyone,
I'm scheduled for my vsg on 7/13. I went from excited to completely freaked out by complications. What sort of unpleasant things/complications did you experience? I've read horror stories about leaks and the statistics. But I also believe most are skewed. What did you experience?

joysie1970

First - I'm sure you trust your surgeon, you are good hands and are more likely going to be fine, you have educated yourself and prepared Deep breaths and focus on positive thoughts Now with that here's my complication - my surgeon got in there and found an esphogeal hernia, which he repaired - sounds like no big deal right? I had lots of internal swelling for three days causing me to not be able to swallow anything - here's the worst of it, they kept in the hospital to keep me hydrated. Was it a pain in the butt sure, was it uncomfortable yes, was it frustrating absolutely but was I well cared HECK YES!! And Thank GOODNESS they repaired it, I needed a 3inch piece of mesh in my diaphragm - I am sure there are alot worse things that could happen but that was mine. In the grand scheme of things I am glad it happened, I know now that everything is just as it was supposed to be - and I was kept for my own safety and health. By the time I got home I was feeling great and able to get in and out of bed like a champ You're going to do great!

badhair56

I recommend going with your first reaction, being excited. the percentage of those experiencing complications is only 1-2%, that's not a number to be concerned about. have faith in your surgeon and his abilities, think of it this way, would he still have a practice if he had a record of being inept? it's normal to be a little anxious about having surgery, but I wouldn't start imagining things just because someone's brother's cousin's nephew's mother-in-law supposedly had a problem and posted it on the internet

badhair56

I recommend going with your first reaction, being excited. the percentage of those experiencing complications is only 1-2%, that's not a number to be concerned about. have faith in your surgeon and his abilities, think of it this way, would he still have a practice if he had a record of being inept? it's normal to be a little anxious about having surgery, but I wouldn't start imagining things just because someone's brother's cousin's nephew's mother-in-law supposedly had a problem and posted it on the internet

loriloftness

The complication percentage is the same or lower than if you had your appendix out or a hysterectomy. Very Low. Know that after surgery you may or may not have some nausea. I didn't. There will be pain, but you will have pain meds to keep it in check. For me, the 2nd day was the hardest because I was so tired from them checking on me every 2 hrs through the night. If you have not had any laproscopic surgery before, the ache from the gas they use in the procedure will be a surprise. It tends to settle into your chest/shoulder area and it will ache. The more you walk, the quicker it will disappear. I think you will be surprised that you don't feel as bad as you think you are going to.

garber6th

I know there can be complications, but there are also people who experience no complications at all, like me! Hardly any pain post surgery (I only took prescription pain killer the first day home), recovered and healed very well (I was working from home 3 days after surgery), I didn't have trouble with any foods, minimal hair loss. So yeah you hear horror stories, people love to tell you the bad news, but the good news is out there too!

A bit of advice about groups/boards on MFP - if it isn't a specific group about WLS, you will get a lot of uninformed opinions. A lot of people are, like badhair said, someone's brother's cousin's nephew's mother-in-law. They really don't know what they are talking about. I am so glad I found THIS group, because the people here have been through the same process as I have.

heathergshea

If worrying changed the outcome then I would go on worrying. Lol. I wasted a lot of time worrying about the worst case but honestly it was stupid because the % is so low that it really is a non issue. Just follow the Drs orders after surgery and odds are you will do great! The worst thing for me was the gas in my shoulder.

sinderstorm

My only complication was severe nausea/vomiting from the anesthesia, which we kind of expected as I'd reacted that way with a prior surgery a few years back. They were mostly able to control it (only vomited twice), but it earned me 3 nights in the hospital. My doc was cautious and said he'd rather I stay the 3rd night and know I'm good then discharge me and have me back in the ER for dehydration. I went home after 3 nights and didn't have any issues at home. I haven't vomited since leaving the hospital 2.5 months ago, and overall healed very well.

mycatsnameisbug

I agree with all above! I think it's smart to do your research but please don't be discouraged by random bad experiences on the Internet. My surgeon was wonderful and I had ZERO complications. I do get some acid reflux now but take a nexium once a day and limit coffee and it doesn't bother me at all. I am hoping getting to a lower will resolve it entirely (surgeon thinks it might).

Bottom line, the surgery was not painful (to me) and I have never felt healthier. Best decision I have made other than marrying my husband

bikrchk

I had ZERO complications. Textbook surgery with hernia repair which is very common, never needed pain management after whatever they gave me by IV immediately post op. 1 night in the hospital, advanced my diet on schedule and returned to work the next week. Off all pre-op meds for cholesterol, BP, asthma and take only Omeprazole 2x day now. Probably for life as I had reflux to begin with. 90ish pounds off reaching goal within the first year. 5X per week exercise habit these days. Maintaining a size 4 for a year now. Occasionally when I do something stupid like over eat or over sugar (It has to be a real sugar binge for me to have a problem) I either throw up or dump, but I look at those "side effects" as part of what I paid for when I let them take out 90% of my stomach. They are the deterrent I need not to return to the habits that got me to 235 pounds in the first place. Old habits die hard tho and I tend to "forget my good habits" about once quarterly for an unpleasant reality check before returning to the right track. This is what's SUPPOSED to happen. SO grateful for my good health!

hockey7fan

I didn't have any complications. I was super, super tired for the first two weeks - much more than when I had my lap band surgery. But I have had no problems with eating or drinking. The only thing I had was one of my incisions started bleeding - went to see the surgeon who looked at and stuck a band aid on it and said it was fine.

5BeautifulDays

Complications...hmmm...let me see....I have spent *way* too much money on new clothes, a gym membership and a personal trainer. Also, I hate bariatric vitamins and feel chilly when everyone else is fine.

Other than that, no complications! Down 112 lbs (25-30 to go?) and feeling really good.

In all seriousness, though, the surgery was not difficult. I had a hernia repair at the same time for an undiagnosed hiatal hernia, so there was a little extra swelling. I needed pain meds for a couple of days and then switched to OTC for a couple more. I was living a completely ordinary life by 1.5 weeks out, and was in the gym around 2 months out.

nilklynn

Thank you all so much!! It's great to hear stories of success. Pre op diet starts Monday, and away we go! Thanks for calming some of my fears. Any other tips, tricks or words of advice?

angel073079

I had my surgery 6/4. I'm 3 weeks out. Doing great! I wish I had bought liquid adult tylenol before leaving the hospital. I was off narcotics when I came home and didn't have an OTC option and needed to stop on the way. Only thing I felt like I wish I had known before! No complications.

pawoodhull

I've had a variety of surgeries through the years and my VSG was by far the easiet one to recover from. Yes there can be complications, but you vastly reduce that possibility by following the doctor's orders and program completely. From what I've seen and heard, it's the folks who modify the program restrictions (like adding solid food before they are cleared to for example) That have complications and issues. Now I know that's not always the case, but it is most of the time.

My advise? Trust your team and be excited. Focus on the good results rather than the bad "maybe" things. And know that if you folllow your doctor's and team's expert advise, you should be fine and do well.

JreedyJanelle

pawoodhull wrote: »

I've had a variety of surgeries through the years and my VSG was by far the easiet one to recover from. Yes there can be complications, but you vastly reduce that possibility by following the doctor's orders and program completely. From what I've seen and heard, it's the folks who modify the program restrictions (like adding solid food before they are cleared to for example) That have complications and issues. Now I know that's not always the case, but it is most of the time.

My advise? Trust your team and be excited. Focus on the good results rather than the bad "maybe" things. And know that if you folllow your doctor's and team's expert advise, you should be fine and do well.

This!!! easiest surgery I have had. The support group I belong to there were some folks who had complications, but they were fine. If you experience anything that may be a complication, get to Doctor ASAP. Please note that the majority of folks have no complications.

funfatfriend

No complications, no issues/problems after. I feel awesome wish I would have done this 2 years ago when I first thought about it. I am little over 6 months out down 126 pounds and feel fantastic!

terimorena

I know it is scary if you think about all that COULD happen. But remember that the risk is the same as other surgeries. But walk walk walk and do what you're told by your doc. I'm only 3 weeks out and feel great for the most part.

hockey7fan

Complications? None really. Unpleasant things? The hospital bed was not comfortable. I had 22 bruises and 5 weeks later they're still not all gone from getting blood draws, the IV and heparin shots all the time while I was in the hospital. The surgery itself was really easy. I don't remember going into the actual operating room and I woke up in my room. I had very little pain and didn't even take pain meds once I went home.