emma4884

I really, really hate to be treated like I am stupid; one of my "buttons" so to speak. So here I am on Rants and Raves asking for your help. I had gastric sleeve surgery a year ago. I have told no one that I had surgery. So posting this is my way of reaching out to someone besides my husband. After the surgery, my surgeon told my husband that everything went very smoothly. After a few hours my blood pressure was dropping below 70/30, the nurse called "a staff assist." About ten people suddenly yet calmly came into my room, surrounding my bed, attaching equipment etc. I was rushed back into another 2 and 1/2 hours of surgery. My husband and I were told that the surgeon checked and re-checked everything and never could find the cause of my internal bleeding. "It happens," we were told. We accepted that I was one of the few who have complications with gastric sleeve surgery. I was sent home on a step one, liquid diet for three weeks, gradually progressing to full liquids then mushies and so on. I was hospitalized about two weeks after my surgery when I experienced syncope, i.e. I passed out. I was taken off my bp meds. The hospitalist visited me in my room and casually mentioned that he'd been there when I went into surgery the second time. He said that he'd never seen anyone squirt blood like I did and that they used all the factor X coagulant on hand during my surgery. A year passes. I never see the surgeon again. I've been having follow-up visits and lab work at the bariatric center every three months. I recently went to my general practitioner to update my status with her as I haven't seen her since my gastric sleeve surgery. She calls up my surgical records on the computer and there I see what I expect with one big surprise - "Repair Perf Duod/gast ulc- wnd/inj." I was reading the computer screen, over her shoulder, at an angle and it didn't register clearly while I was sitting there. Wait! My duodenum is the beginning third of my small intestine. Gastric sleeve surgery shouldn't involve that part of my body. No wonder I was on a liquid diet for so long. My husband and I had directly asked both the surgeon and the PA why I needed the second surgery. Both told us the same thing, i.e. that I had unexplained internal bleeding. I haven't been back to this bariatric center of excellence since discovering the new information. Now I've poked around and found my online summaries of each follow-up visit. They bear little resemblance to what actually happened at the visits. We did not discuss mal-absorption, nor did I have Vitamin B-12 or Vitamin D deficiencies etc. It looks like "cut and paste" notes to us. So now I know more about what really happened. What should I do with this knowledge? Thank God that the surgeon was able to save my life and just move on? Stay silent, keep up my bariatric exams, while relying on my GP for my real medical care? Call them on it and change doctors? (The PA always responds to my questions with a blank look and then a smile when I have questions. She usually has no answer and never offers to find out anything.) I live in a remote rural part of the state and would have to travel many hours to see another bariatric doctor. This bariatric center of excellence is the life blood of this small hospital as it is nearly empty otherwise. They ran every possible test that insurance would pay for including echo cardiogram and a scan of my gallbladder. There were no babies in the nursery and only a few patients hospitalized. When I was hospitalized with syncope, they sent my nurse home for lack of work when I checked out a day early. She was NOT happy with me and commented that it was a good thing her husband was the primary breadwinner. I know I need to keep up my lab work for the rest of my life. Perhaps my GP cannot order those tests. She seemed really reluctant to be involved in any potential dispute with the bariatric center. Thank you for reading this. Any constructive suggestions?

Thank you to all who took time to respond to my post. My husband thought I should just let it go as I'm alive and seemingly doing just fine. "What's the point of stirring things up?" he said. "You were doped up and might not remember clearly what was said right after the second surgery." Yet he remembers well that they told us both that they couldn't find the cause of the internal bleeding at the follow-up appointments. So your feedback is greatly appreciated, especially input from those members who have medical backgrounds. I've been a member long enough to know that I'm privileged to have received responses from some of the most respected people here at Bariatric Pal. I am going to act on the wise counsel you've imparted to me. First, I am going to get copies of my medical records, before showing my hand or allow them to alter the records. Then I'll schedule an appointment with another bariatric center that can also request my records. I hope I can get in to see another bariatric office soon. I'm thinking that appointment will give me a better idea of the seriousness of my situation. Then I can decide about seeking legal redress. For me, this isn't about money. It's about respect and honesty. I'm already running into problems with the logistics of getting my records. When I call the office that handled my surgery, I get voice mail. I was planning on just asking about the process of getting my records, without providing my name. So that approach isn't going to work. The center is located within the clinic within the hospital. When I went to the front desk of the hospital portion and asked about getting copies of my records, they told me that I can leave my contact information and someone will get back in touch. Again, this will not work if I wish to avoid giving them advance notice of my intentions. It's a very small place and word will spread quickly. Does the law really allow me to just camp out at the front desk of the hospital where the surgeries were performed until they give me my records? I am not naturally a confrontational person on my own behalf. So I need to know I'm on firm footing before I act up in the hospital lobby. It will be hard enough to deal with my husband who is not supportive of these actions. He just doesn't see the point and will not like the long drives to the new bariatric center. After reading of Djmohr's difficulties getting a new insurance to pay for expensive lab work required for our lifetimes after bariatric surgery, I want to proceed wisely. Part of me knows that one of the reasons I became overweight was because I consistently refused to put myself first. No more! Thanks again for your input. Every last one of you was constructive and your sincere concern makes me feel truly part of this community. Family and friends are thousands of miles away and unaware that I had WLS. I've got no one else and you guys came through for me.

Every surgeon has her own pre-op preferences. My surgeon didn't put me on any pre-op diet; just nothing by mouth after midnight.

My two month anniversary is tomorrow. Have lost 26 pounds since surgery. Of course I wish I'd lost more. However let's remember we probably shouldn't compare ourselves to others, even though it's so tempting. If we follow the rules about food, hydration and exercise, we will eventually attain our goals, right? After 6 months of pre-op requirements, it's sometimes difficult to be patient after surgery too. This excess weight has been with me for many years. I just keep telling myself to do this one step at a time although I'd love to find a shortcut!

My experience echoes the posters before me. I didn't know I had a hernia before surgery. Surgeon discovered it and repaired it while performing my sleeve surgery. My subsequent complications had nothing to do with the hernia repair. I am grateful he took care of it and only wish he'd taken my gallbladder too!!

We're thinking of you! See you on the loser's bench.

OP posted her response just as I posted mine. Seems she's less stressed now so let's move on to something else.

Until you have proof that your doctor faked your surgery, I think your thread header should end with a question mark and not be a declarative statement. It appears that you are jumping to conclusions and might want to consider that you could be committing libel. Are you right to wonder? Perhaps. You sound as though you've already convinced yourself. Asking for a copy of your leak test might be a way to get the truth without burning your bridges with your bariatric team. Whatever you decide, don't act from a position of hunger, anger or fatigue. Just my opinion but then you did ask us .

@flipper72. The similarities are remarkable! I am on "mushies" until mid-November. Spent three weeks on Clear liquids, then two weeks on full liquids. The pain does make you afraid to eat anything although you know all this Protein is only increasing the stones in your gallbladder. We got this!! We're headed in the right direction; just on a bumper road than most. Thanks for posting this thread. Once again bariatric pal members are there for each other!

@flipper72. Wow! I had my surgery on August 4th too and was diagnosed with pancreatitis on August 21st. Was also told my gallbladder was "a sack of rocks." Because I had complications requiring emergency surgery hours after my sleeve surgery, my surgeon is reluctant to remove my gallbladder this soon. We are waiting to see if I can live with it for awhile. (They tell me I depleted the hospital's supply of Factor 7, a blood clotter. When I was readmitted to the hospital, the nurses told me I am known as the"spurter," due to the uncontrolled bleeding. OK by me. I am just glad they saved me.) We thought we'd done our homework and knew the risks. Then wham, we get hit with this. I too am very glad that I've had the sleeve surgery. However I'd be lying if I didn't see admit to being very surprised to find myself in the "complications" column of statistics. When I completed my Advanced Health Directive, I truly never thought it would necessary. I thought following all the rules would prevent complications. Now I think it's a crap shoot. So I live day to day hoping I can finish healing from sleeve complications before I need my gallbladder removed. Sometimes it's better not to know what tomorrow will bring. It's out of my hands beyond being a compliant bariatric patient. I do know that my quality of life is already improving, despite these bumps in the road. Roughly paraphrased, someone once said, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," right?

Yes, this is very disappointing. However, as someone who did have complications after surgery, it really is the wisest course of action. My husband and I were very grateful that the same surgeon handled the very serious complications that necessitated additional emergency surgery. ( My surgeon wouldn't have wanted anyone else to mess with his handiwork either.) You have waited this long and will likely have zero difficulties. But why take that chance?

What a beautiful number!! You've worked hard to see that number and deserve congratulations. Your post inspires me. Thank you.

It is very thoughtful of you to share this information. Using information from a member's post, I learned how to find the specific criteria for my insurance. It's really great how people support each other here! Congratulations on your approval. Hope you keep posting.

When the psychologist told me that I should be having gastric bypass instead of the sleeve, I was initially more than annoyed as he is NOT the surgeon. However as the consultation progressed, I realized he was testing my understanding of both procedures. He was openly challenging of many of my feelings which gave me cause for concern. Yet he issued a boiler plate approval letter that could have described almost anyone. I will not seek his help if I decide to seek counseling in the months ahead. He just didn't strike me as very bright or intellectually curious. In short, he failed to earn my respect. If you have serious doubts about the bariatric team, change. I had complete trust in my surgeon. That trust gave me peace of mind when I was one of the few who have complications hours after sleeve surgery. If my husband and I already had doubts, the entire experience would have been even more traumatic. Pardon the expression, but listen to your gut on this important decision.

Case in point: member Thisisntprivate no longer has an account here. Yet his/her words are still here as they were quoted in another member's post. Moral to myself is to follow @@umo's advice as shared earlier and to NEVER post something impulsively, albeit it in anger or despair.

@byebyefat. You are amazing!!! You are an example of true grit and determination. Betting your journey after surgery will be successful! Anyone who has you on their side is lucky indeed.

Your post can serve as a reminder that when you post something on the Internet, it's available to everyone and can never be truly deleted. Makes one wonder why anyone would use their real name here or share personal details that could reveal their identity. We set up a family website when my twin grandsons were born. We were shocked to receive anonymous comments on their bath photos, requesting full frontal nudity!! There are people out there who get their kicks looking at photos of scars and goodness knows what else. John VDB, your post is a good reminder. Sorry you didn't already know. Now all of us know.

Are you still on blood pressure meds? I was sent home from surgery with no change in bp meds. A few weeks later I experienced a real drop in blood pressure and passed out cold. The meds were no longer needed and also contributed to dehydration. I am off the bp meds and doing so much better. Just a thought that might apply to you.

I was sleeved 8/4. Unfortunately I had complications that sent me right back into another 2 1/2 hours of surgery. Surgeon didn't find a leak or anything else as he searched inside me, cleaning clots as he went. I will never know why my blood pressure dropped to 70/30 and my drains were gushing necessitating 2 units of blood. Bottom line is that I am on stage 1 modified for three weeks!! Just Water, milk, Protein drinks and Jello. I can't abide jello anymore and yes, I am having a "pity party!" I don't dare cheat for fear I'll end up back in the operating room. I followed the pre-op rules, seemed low risk and yet here I am. I have really reduced my expectations of when I will be allowed mushies. Maybe late Sept. Yes, I am lucky to be alive but yet the day really drags as I force myself to observe Step 1. Thank you for listening (as only my boyfriend knows about my sleeve and he's still getting over the scare he had when I went back into surgery.)

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Thanks for the link. Don't know how I missed it as HuffPo is one of my favorite sites. They look like mini quiches. I am going to run it by my NUT.

Deleted as in wrong forum