Hi everyone I had gastric bypass in Perth WA in 2005. My first few days after surgery were fine but I could only tolerate Water and little bit of orange juice.
I went home 1 week later but started to feel unwell with pain in left shoulder. 3 days after the pain started I was in agony so went back to hospital and was given injection for pain but it did nothing. I was sent for a scan and they found that I had abceses internally.
I had student doctors trying to insert a drain but it kept going the wrong way so then I had to have it done under a ct scan. After being readmitted to hospital I was there 1month when I demanded from the surgeon to open me up and see what was going on.I went back into theatre 3 days later and was told that yes they did have to operate to clean up the mess inside. I was on antibiotics but nothing was working. Nurses were telling me that the antibiotics that I was having were so strong that they should have fixed it.
I had to stay another week as I had a very high temp and another infection. When I finally went home I refused to go back to that hospital ever again.
I did have to go back to another hospital as I ended up with a bleeding ulcer.
It has been 9 years and I am sorry that I ever had gastric bypass surgery as there are to many ongoing problems associated with this surgery. I am 63 years old now and have not been able to work full time since this surgery as I keep getting the pain in my left shoulder especially when I eat and I have a continual pain in the left side where the bowel is. The left shoulder pain I think is a nerve that sits on the diaphragm and when you eat that nerve responds.
To anybody thinking of having this operation, think twice, think again, then think again, then find people who have had bad experiences.