VSG - Complications

Hi all! In this post I will share two complications that happened to me after my vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure.

The first one happened while I was still in the hospital. It was contact dermatitis from the blood pressure cuff that was constantly attached to me while I was in the Intensive Care Unit. The contact dermatitis only developed on December 1st, 2014 or 3 days post op. Red rash appeared on my right arm and on the right side of my chest. It was very, very itchy. The doctor has some medicines via the IV and also orally for the itch. She also gave me calamine lotion to sooth the itch. I went home with the rash still there. The itch last for about one week and now I am itch free!

Calamine lotion I was prescribed.

The second complication was an infection on one of my incisions. I noticed the infection after I went home after the stitches were pulled in the hospital on December 8, 2014.

Infection on incision above my navel.

On the evening of December 8, 2014 I went to my district hospital, Hospital Papar to do something about the infection. The medical officer there gave me a slip for daily dressing for the wound. I ended up going to the hospital for 4 days for daily dressing until the infection cleared up. It was just a minor infection so it cleared up pretty quickly.

So to anyone considering the procedure, make sure after the surgery you keep the incisions dry. Try to avoid them when you take a shower. The incisions healed up pretty quickly and I felt no pain at all when I went home from the hospital. So don't worry so much okay! 

I am among the lucky ones that never get sick from eating and drinking after the surgery. To date nearing 6 months post op I never vomited once. Only once I felt very, very uncomfortable when I suddenly have a hiccup while eating. I have to stop eating and let the food went down slowly. After that experience, I dread having another hiccup while eating. Hopefully that day won't come.