jackyblue72

I had sleeve a week ago. My surgery lasted 3-4 hours instead of 1-2. My surgeon says I had some adhesions, but there were no problems. However, my family knew there were problems within an hour of seeing me. Long story short, I wretched all evening and the entire next day. The first time I vomited a bit of pink fluid, followed by thick green, followed by dried blood. I also had severe sweats,a rattle in my chest, blue lips, low grade fever, chills, severe pain in spite of morphine and phenegren. I have never felt pain this intense. I progressively got worse by the hour, but my surgeon did not want to move me to a bigger hospital(to save me money he said). Finally, after 30 hours of getting worse, my family insisted I be moved. At that point, I had all the above mentioned symptoms with low blood pressure, a heart rate between 134-140, and would look jaundice off/on. Still, my surgeon did not want to move me. My family figured out the nurses had let my IV inflitrate and I had not been getting fluids for a few hours on top of everything else. My surgeon finally transfered me to a large hospital were they immediately started running Vancymycin(a strong antibiotic) through me bag after bag for 48 hours. I also got fluids. I perked up once the antibiotics got in me, but even after I perked up a bit, when my kidneys would move, I was peeing coffee grounds as if my kidneys had been close to shutting down. I was diagnosed with a left side pneumonia, which I still have now at home. At first they claimed it was community acquired, later changed to hsopital acquired. I don't believe either is the case. The whole ordeal was horrific! I had one of the most respected surgeons in the southeast, and I couldn't have felt saferwith him. However, we now know something went very wrong. The surgeon will not say. He now admits I must have aspirated, BUT he says I was fine when he left me. The hospital won't say anything either. I went to a local internist to get a full check up only to be run out of his office. YES, IT SEEMS I MUST BE EITHER CRAZY OR LOOKING FOR MONEY IF I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH,AM SCARED ABOUT MY HEALTH, ETC. No one in this state will cross this surgeon. No other bariatric surgeon will look at me either(they all claim they don't see other surgeon's patients no matter what). I just want to know the truth about what happened to me. I paid 20,000 cash for something that almost killed me. I think I should at least know the truth for health reasons. I'm at home weezing, vomiting with phenegren, and not doing well. If anyone out there can advise me or maybe you yourself are a bariatric surgeon willing to help me(with full cash payment of course), please contact me. I need someone unbiased to help me. Also is there anyone with complications like these out there? Thanks.....

I had sleeve a week ago. My surgery lasted 3-4 hours instead of 1-2. My surgeon says I had some adhesions, but there were no problems. However, my family knew there were problems within an hour of seeing me. Long story short, I wretched all evening and the entire next day. The first time I vomited a bit of pink fluid, followed by thick green, followed by dried blood. I also had severe sweats,a rattle in my chest, blue lips, low grade fever, chills, severe pain in spite of morphine and phenegren. I have never felt pain this intense. I progressively got worse by the hour, but my surgeon did not want to move me to a bigger hospital(to save me money he said). Finally, after 30 hours of getting worse, my family insisted I be moved. At that point, I had all the above mentioned symptoms with low blood pressure, a heart rate between 134-140, and would look jaundice off/on. Still, my surgeon did not want to move me. My family figured out the nurses had let my IV inflitrate and I had not been getting fluids for a few hours on top of everything else. My surgeon finally transfered me to a large hospital were they immediately started running Vancymycin(a strong antibiotic) through me bag after bag for 48 hours. I also got fluids. I perked up once the antibiotics got in me, but even after I perked up a bit, when my kidneys would move, I was peeing coffee grounds as if my kidneys had been close to shutting down. I was diagnosed with a left side pneumonia, which I still have now at home. At first they claimed it was community acquired, later changed to hsopital acquired. I don't believe either is the case. The whole ordeal was horrific! I had one of the most respected surgeons in the southeast, and I couldn't have felt saferwith him. However, we now know something went very wrong. The surgeon will not say. He now admits I must have aspirated, BUT he says I was fine when he left me. The hospital won't say anything either. I went to a local internist to get a full check up only to be run out of his office. YES, IT SEEMS I MUST BE EITHER CRAZY OR LOOKING FOR MONEY IF I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH,AM SCARED ABOUT MY HEALTH, ETC. No one in this state will cross this surgeon. No other bariatric surgeon will look at me either(they all claim they don't see other surgeon's patients no matter what). I just want to know the truth about what happened to me. I paid 20,000 cash for something that almost killed me. I think I should at least know the truth for health reasons. I'm at home weezing, vomiting with phenegren, and not doing well. If anyone out there can advise me or maybe you yourself are a bariatric surgeon willing to help me(with full cash payment of course), please contact me. I need someone unbiased to help me. Also is there anyone with complications like these out there? Thanks.....

Thanks everyone..for an update on my situation you can read please help.. under the post op forum. I have updated everyone there. Again,please, if anyone knows a doc who will take CASH to treat me, please let me know. No one will touch me in my area for fear of getting involved or stepping on my well known surgeon's toes per se. I am not getting better. I have fever, left sided pneumonia, chills, vomiting even with phenegren liquid, pain even with roxicet(someone who normally won't even take tylenol), and now I'm having a cough like spasm with xevere sore throat. I just need a doc who will treat me and get me on the path to recovery. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Thanks everyone...

Thanks everyone. I made it through the night,but I'm still feeling bad today. After my family's extensive research, I'm beginning to have 2 scenarios. One..I got aspiration pneumonia that quickly turned to sepsis. Two...the spleen was either repaired or taken out..leading to sepsis and pneumonia. I'm having a lot of problems swollowing today. My throat is sore and swollen. I also get a cough when I try to yawn or swallow. At first I thought it was from thepneumonia but now I think it could be another issue. All of my problems/symptoms are in with my scenarios above, but I still need a doc to put it all togetherand treat me. In reponse to you guys, I do live in a large city. I was treated by one of the best and most experienced surgeons in the country. I was literally at one of Us and World Reports best hospitals. Yes, these things can happen anywhere. I realize ER's have to treat me, but you must understand HOW they treat me. I have tried to see several docs, and I get a quick look over, a quick nervousness, and a release(had one tell me my examine was benign and never come back after he heard my story). These hospitals and docs don't want to be involved or cross this surgeon. I need a ct of my abdomen, spleen, and liver. I need blood work and a chest x-ray as well. I need someone to help me, but so far, I cannot find someone willing to help. All I get is a quick listen to the lungs and a push out the door with advice to follow up with the surgeon who did the surgery. Everyone thinks when things like this happen, we live in America, and we will get help with our healthcare system. Unfortunately, I'm sick, scared, and alone. I still have left sidepneumonia, swollowing issues, coughing, lots of pain, vomiting,low grade fever, pain on the left side,etc. I'm drinking Roxicet and phenegren every 4 hours with not much improvement. I am the type that typically doesn't even take a tylenol. So, that's how sick I am. In fact, I am too weak for typing, and my family member has been typing all this for me. Again, thanks to everyone for your support. I will certainly file a complaint with the JCAHO, but more than a complaint, I need medical help as soon as possible. My symptoms aren't getting better, and I cannot trust anyone in the Atlanta area to give me a "real" work-up. Again, if anyone out there is willing to treat me, I WILL PAY CASH. Surely, there's a doc with a heart out there who still believes in helping sick people above all else. If anyone can help please let me know. Thanks to everyone

Thanks..surgeon supposedly checked twice for leaks(once the minute after surgery, second time the next day). However, I did wretch for days, and he hasn't checked since the first 24 hours. I'm inclined to think maybe this had something to do with my liver, spleen, pancreas???? Who knows.. At the least I do think I aspirated, got penumonia, and it seemed to be turning to sepsis when my family made the surgeon move me. The surgeon said I was "uncomfortable" not dying, but uncomfortable people aren't wretching, feverish, soaked in sweat, pulse rate of 134-140, low blood pressure, somewhat jaundice, with pneumonia from out of the blue(I've never been sick and I'm young/healthy). However, no medical professional has said anything other than you somehow got pneumonia. It's such a scary thing to think what would happen if I get any worse than I am now. Like I said, where can one turn when no medical professional or hospital will touch another doc's patient? I'm just praying I get better soon and won't get any worse tonight/tomorrow. There's got to be a doc out there with a heart that still believes in patient care above all. Thanks so much for your reply...thanks all...

Thanks, both of you, for your advice. I did post on the doc's board, but I haven't found one doctor willing to examine me here in Atlanta. They are all scared of liability, and they just don't want to get involved. I'm not the type to sue someone. Frankly, all I want is the truth, and even without the truth, I just want to feel better. I feel terrible, even now at home. I NEVER dreamed my procedure would turn into pneumonia, pain, vomiting, etc. Without knowing what happened, I don't know how to help myself. Not to mention, if I get worse tonight, where do I go for help if no one will even look at another doc's work??? It's a very scary feeling! Thanks for answering, though, thanks a lot. It helps to know I'm not alone. If anyone else out there can help,please let me know, especially if you have a medical background. Thanks so much everyone...