Seven years ago I was morbidly obese. I had a very active little boy and wanted nothing more than to be active with him, and have more children.
In Jan, 2010 I decided to have gastric bypass. I followed every single rule given to be by both my surgeon and nutritionist. Within 6 months I had lost 100 lbs but was suffering with chronic stomach pain, naseua, and vomiting. My surgeon took one look at me and said,"whenever my patients come in with your symptoms looking as good as you do, they're pregnant." I assured her that I was not pregnant, for it wouldn't have been safe for me to become pregnant so soon after my bypass. She took a pregnancy test and I never heard another word from her. As a matter of fact, since the Bypass I've never been able to become pregnant again, despite all of the Reproductive Endricronolohist assuring my husband and myself we were perfectly healthy and he had no idea why we weren't able to conceive. I believe Gastric Bypass robbed me of my fertility and the opportunity to grow my family.
Fast forward six months later and I'm being rushed into emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer and intucception. This started a vicious cycle of hospitalizations and illnesses that went on for 7 years. I suffered many, many episodes of intucception, small bowel obstructions, an appendectomy, narrowing of my esophagus that had to be surgically stretched so food could pass, and more small bowel resections than anyone should ever have.
My original surgery was done in Boston, at St Elizabeth's Hospital, by Dr Nicole Pequix.
My care is now managed my Dr Todd Stafford out of Providence and Miriam Hospitals. Last July I found myself at our local ER with what I knew could be nothing other than intucception. The hospital ran a CT and sent me on my way. My husband and I decided we would drive into Boston first thing the next morning to finally get some answers.
We never made it to Boston. Our local hospital called and frantically claimed they had missed a clear case of intucception and that I would need to come right back to be transported to Providence Hospital. As luck would have it, Dr Stafford was the surgeon on call and he happened to be a bariatric specialist. He performed another small bowel resection.
By September I couldn't keep any food down and even liquid was becoming a problem. So, I was scheduled to have both my anastomosis and esophagus dialated and stretched (requiring another surgery). This worked for about 2 weeks before I was worse off for having the surgery. At his wits end, my surgeon sent me for a very invasive and rarely performed endoscopy. The GI doctor found what he called "a nasty ulcer," and devised me that all we were doing was moving chairs around a sinking ship.
The last two weeks of January were brutal. I can describe the pain only as worse than labor (and I had a 10lb baby). Originally scheduled to go in for my Complete Gastric Bypass Reversal on Feb 6, 2017, I knew something was desperately wrong and that I couldn't wait. I called Dr Stafford and he directed admitted me to the hospital and performed surgery two days later. While he had me open he found yet another perforated ulcer. I got lucky this time, though, because somehow my liver was able to contain the toxic contents for the perforation. My situation could've been far worse; deadly even.
Its been about a month since the Open Reversal and I feel better than I have in seven years. I'm eating well, I'm able to drink beverages not limited diet gingerale (to calm my previously always upset stomach), and my energy is coming back slowly but surely. My surgeons initial goal is 20-25lbs over six months.
Make no mistake, the recovery from this surgery was brutal. I was hospitalized for 10 days, with a PIC line, TPN, and an NG Tube.
Fr me though, I'd do the Reversal all over again in a heartbeat. Little League starts soon and I have one very hopeful little boy that's depending on me to practice and play with him. Thanks to Dr Stafford, I will now have that ability.
