jsd2

Strictures are very common, my favorite PA from the surgeons office told me the average number of EGD with balloon dilation is 4 when patients have them and it can take several months for them to resolve. Durning my first EGD they did dilation but in the second he said a 20cc balloon went through fine so there was no need. It's amazing how f-ing painful those things can be. My first week out I tried a sip of water and felt the first of many punches in the chest, everything seized up, my daughter rubbed then pounded on my back, eventually I threw up but it took a couple more times to learn that a straw would be the only way to get a tiny bit of liquid that wouldn't cause horrible spasms. I am no doctor, this is not medical advice but I can tell you what I learned, Levsin did nothing for me, a combination of valium and a smooth muscle relaxer called Baclofen finally made it possible to drink small amounts of liquid without terrible spasms. The Baclofen was prepared in a gel that they squirted at the back of my throat, IM valium. They tried Roxanol (liquid oral morphine) just once to see if it would help and the nurse decided she didn't care for the stuff being shot back at her with my bile when I gagged and threw it up. While I don't eat or drink normally, I can tell you that eventually the spasms and tight feeling in my throat got better, not fixed, but better. I'm so glad for you that they caught the stricture right away, if theres nothing else to take away, know that I know the desperate feeling of thirst and just wanting to be able to drink one lousy thing and not rely on ice chips and mouth swabs. :-)

Thank God for my primary care doctor, I bet he rues the day I showed up on his doorstep but he has been so kind and caring and offered his best advice then researched some more. He is a DO which I like because they have a holistic way of looking at patients, you have a headache? they can adjust your spine and give you a script, one stop shopping! This has gotten so muddled with the surgeon and his practice and my doctor knows better than to step on anyones toes. I am lucky to have a local University hospital with world renowned specialists and he is making the attempt to get me into a gastroenterologist- different specialty, no reason for there to be an issue with a "second" opinion as theirs would be a first one. Unfortunatley, whether we like to admit it or not, often doctors are unwilling to give a second opinion that differs from a colleaugue, they trust other doctors, not patients, they see the results, look at you and agree all must be well. My doc is smart enough to sidestep and try to help me the ways he can and I am grateful. :-)

You're right, I have started thinking about talking to an attorney and whether they would be able to do anything or just offer advice. It's funny that I didn't really think about the money because insurance covered the majority of the surgery and all of the complications, I maxed out my out of pocket back in March and thank God for a large lifetime cap. I paid a grand up front and bought Vitamins, Protein shakes, meals, bars totalling around $500. When I couldn't eat them I donated them back to the practice where they help self pay patients who cannot afford the expensive protein supplements by giving them out free....my nightmare can indeed be someones blessing and if it helped one person be able to go thru with this I am grateful. Don't be discouraged from your choice, stay informed :-)

"He gives me another pain pill, but it can’t touch this pain, and I’m already over the maximum dose. I desperately want to blow my nose because I’ve been crying, but I can’t move my arms, so Bob has to hold a tissue for me; it’s clumsy and I get goo all over my face, and I just want to die. I’m thirsty, but I’m afraid if I drink I’ll have to use the bathroom, so I don’t. The night stretches ahead, and Bob finally falls asleep nearby, my beacon of light in an ocean of pain." copied from link above. Thank you for this link and the personal story. Remove gastric sleeve, insert another debilitating disease, illness, affliction. The depression, helplessness and sadness must feel the same, we're all human, we can handle only so much before we bend or break, to all the "Bob"s out there, thank God for you!

Wow! To all of you have replied and all who will, I thank you. I have read every response and it comforts me to know you've read my story and it connected with you in some way. For all the well wishes, hugs and encouragements...you helped me get thru another day and night with less despair, less loneliness and less frustration. Thank you for reaching out to me like I did to you. Here is some additional information for those who asked: I live in Southwest Michigan and my surgeon is from a renowned practice here in my town. They pioneered the sleeve and have done more of them than bypasses now, I think. My surgeon is well educated, many of the doctors and PAs have ivy league educations in addition to real world experience that made them the best choice to me. My surgeon was kind, answered my numerous questions and was as honest as he likely could have been about the risks. I asked point blank how many patients had died in their practice and for stats on their particular history of complications, how they resolved them and what my likelihood may be of experiencing any. My concern like many people, was of a potential leg DVT after surgery, leak, stricture, heart attack or stroke during surgery. Like so many of you have said, I was part of the dreaded "1%". Whatever can go wrong, did. At first my docotrs smiled and gave words of encouragement, always the same "it'll get better, I promise" "in a year I can guarentee you won't regret having the surgery done". Wrong, I do, I will. My story isn't one of serious complications caught and handled quickly but of a general breakdown of care resulting in problem after problem that individually might have had lesser impact. My doctor will not admit anything went wrong, was unusual or that there may be symptoms with no known ideation. For those of you preparing to go thru surgery I won't discourage you. This is truly lifesaving for many people, some of us would die from obesity related illnesses sooner or later anyway. For all of us, post-op, pre-op, still considering, take charge of your healthcare, demand answers even if there aren't any, talk back, respond, ask questions, if the answer doesn't make sense ask again and if you still don't get it ask the PA the nurse and even the nurse aid or medical assistant...someone is bound to listen and respond. Do your homework, we all do, we think we know what to expect, we know someone, a friend, sibling, co-worker who went thru surgery and everything was great, they comfort us and tell us that they don;t know of anybody who ever had problems. They're wrong, we're here, the d@*% one percent, the ones who quietly fade, embarressed to go out carrying a TPN bag, tired of the questions from strangers about the PICC dressing that always shows, disgusted by our appearance, hair falling out, sallow skin, too ashamed to walk to the mailbox because people think you're sick, and you are, just not that kind of sick, embarressed that you like a cancer victim and you know thats what you think, and if you were you know you would have some kind of answer and could feel legitimately sick, but instead you're just sick, and tired, and sick, and theres no one to blame but yourself because this was an elective surgery, even tho it wasn't, you know for you it was a necessary removal of what has caused you problems for your whole life, your stomach. You take the psyche exam, talk to the doctors, you know it will hurt to be without one of your best friends, you'll miss your food, the beautifull salads, homemade breads, never ending Pasta and endless shrimp, the chinese buffet, free dessert on your birthday, the giant muffins from costco, poptarts, diet coke, you say goodbye and thank you, thank you for being there on my fortieth birthday, for when I went thru my divorce, comforting me thru fights, bringing my family together every holiday, the chicken Soup when I was sick, ice cream when I was happy, orange juice and coffee. Thank you for being my friend, I don't need you or want you anymore, I'll be good without you, I won't lie to myself anymore that you fill me up. We the 1% with our resolve to never cheat on our new diet and vow to live a healthy lifestyle, join the gym, walk the dog, just like the other 99%, only we're too physically depleted to walk to the bathroom, can't stand in the shower, would kill someone if it meant we could drink enough to quench our terrible thirst, or at least beat someone up if it meant we could keep 8oz down just once. We no longer fantasize about cakes with no calories, we yearn for the decadent 70 calories in a cappacino Protein shake, a scrambled egg, a greek yogurt, but the 6oz looks like a mountain and your throat closes up, the spasms rock your chest and you feel the familiar punch in the chest that is an esophogeal spasm, followed by the sensation of those tiny molecules hitting your stomach and the noises and the rapid decent to the bowel thru 20 ft of intestine in under 3 seconds. Thank you the other 1%ers and the 99% too, we have all lived thru this and can offer eachother comfort, an ear to listen, offer advice- whether it be crazy, medical, legal or desperate. I know an answer will come for me, soon or too late- either way it won't be in vain, someone will gain knowledge and experience from this, maybe a doctor will stumble across here and find an answer for one of their tough cases, regardless, this has done what I needed it to, brought me together with other people so I didn't feel so alone. :-)