The Horror Stories *sensitive*

[made4more 3]

so today, my Mom tells me about a news story that was in the paper wednesday. a woman in our state had died- they believe she'd beenin her house a few days, and her 3 year old survived on popsicles int hat time, and thought her mommy was sleeping. come to find out, the woman had just had bariatric surgery (didn't way what kind) and they believe she passed away due to complications. this is scary! I have kids, 6 of them. I don't want to die! I am doing this surgery so I can live! I know there are horror stories, and those are the ones you hear in the news the most. There are a lot of wonderful happy endings to every horror sotry, but darnit. how did you get past that!?

this is major and scary stuff!

basically my answer to myself is this: "Amy, you are not living life now. This is your best option to get healthy and have a happy life.. other wise you are dieing on the inside."

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

I did this so I can live longer and be here for my kids longer than I could if I stayed morbidly obese. Yes, this lady's story is a horror story and is rare, but it can happen. However, you say she died of complications. I don't know the whole story, but she should have tried to seek medical care if she felt there was something wrong. It seems like she didn't if she died at home. Ultimately, we all have to make our own decision and live with what we choose. I'm 11 days out from surgery and I would do it again in a second because I already feel so different and I felt horrible mentally and physically before. I've said before though, if I could have lost weight and kept it off without surgery, I would have done so. However, I truly feel surgery was the right choice for me - but it is not the right choice for everyone.

[made4more 3]

yeah- they were vague. I don't think they know a lot of facts yet. and they "think" she died from complications- who knows. It could be a number of things.. I did some reading though, and I guess they did a study linking sleep apnea to bariatric surgery patients dieing in their sleep after surgery? I guess I should get a sleep study first. or is that something everyone does before suregery? I shall google.

I'm so glad you feel great! I LOVE the wonderful positive stories, and there are SO many more of those than the negative ones.

[made4more 3]

article: http://www.chestnet.org/accp/article/chest-physician/bariatric-surgery-deaths-tied-sleep-apnea

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

Your surgeon should tell you what pre-op tests you need. From what I've seen, most people have a sleep study done if you haven't already had one. I have sleep apnea already, so I didn't need another sleep study. I just had to bring my CPAP machine to the hospital. If someone has undiagnosed sleep apnea, they can die any time with or without surgery, but the surgery probably enhances the apnea, especially while on pain medicine. Many people who have sleep apnea due to obesity are able to come off their machines once they lose weight. If it was because of sleep apnea, that's understandable if she wasn't using a CPAP, but if it was other kinds of complications, like a leak or something she should've felt pain & checked with her doctor.

[made4more 3]

yeah- there wasn't a lot of info. i'm sure they will look more into it.. wether or not we will hear about it is a diff story. i went over it in my head and there are just so many things that could have been going on.

I'm going to call tuesday about a sleep study, again. I had wanted one before and got a "script" for one, but just never went.. didn't wanna be away from my family. I'll def do it before surgery.

[phatdivabbw 86]

I agree. There are a lot of what ifs. The sleeve in my opinion is the safest of all the bariatric surgeries. I honestly stayed away from negative talk because everyone's experience is different. I still had the fear of not surviving but that's normal. I have 2 boys. You have to weigh out the pros and the cons.

When I woke up in recovery (I am 8 days post-op) I thanked God for his grace.

[made4more 3]

oh yeah- i'm definitely glad that the sleeve is less invasive and safer. that makes me feel better.

I'm also going to get bloodwork done to see if I am more likely to have blood clots, so we can do what needs to be done there.

I'm also going to get a sleep study done, to see if I have sleep apnea.

I have faith that everything will go fine, or that i can endure what doesn't. God knows my weigt struggles, and it's really come to this.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Look how few people die from complications due to bariatric surgery, and look how many die from complications due to being overweight.

[Roseib 13]

Unfortunately, every surgery has risks. Data show that risks associated with the sleeve are the lowest of the 3 bariatric surgeries. That is why I chose it. I did really well. No problems. Like others I figured I had more risks being so obese. But I picked the sleeve to minimize risk. It will be interesting to know if this woman had comorbidities. So sad.

[Heatherr 149]

What a sad and tragic story.

[Cherrybomb 54]

I don't know if all surgeons do this, but mine had me getting shots every few hours to prevent blood clots. I also had wraps on my legs whenever I was in bed that massaged to keep circulation going. I was not high risk for clots or anything, these were just standard procedures. The blood thinner shots left bruises all over me that lasted weeks!

In today's lawsuit happy society, surgeons don't take chances. They will do everything possible to make sure you are safe and healthy.

[kayte819 95]

I don't know if all surgeons do this, but mine had me getting shots every few hours to prevent blood clots. I also had wraps on my legs whenever I was in bed that massaged to keep circulation going. I was not high risk for clots or anything, these were just standard procedures. The blood thinner shots left bruises all over me that lasted weeks!

In today's lawsuit happy society, surgeons don't take chances. They will do everything possible to make sure you are safe and healthy.

I had the same aftercare regime. I also had that leg machine sent to my home & used it for an add'l week. I had no history of blood clots...it was just precautionary.

In addition, prior to surgery I had a sleep study, upper gi testing, a panel of tests.by a cardiologist, a ton of bloodwork, and ultrasounds done on my stomach & esophagus. None of these tests were done at my request or due to any health issues...all just precautionary as well. If your surgeon is thorough, you will go into surgery w/ very little risk whatsoever & receive excellent aftercare. Good luck!!

My heart breaks over this story. I feel so sad for the mama, but tear up at the thought of a 3yo thinking her mommy is sleeping for 3 days. I have 3yo twins & cannot imagine them going through something that tragic. I'm curious how many days post-op she was. I would definitely recommend having lots of help & people staying w/ you for a couple weeks if you have 6 kids. My husband took 3 weeks off & waited on me hand & foot the entire time. I have 4 kids (3 of which are toddlers) so I really needed help. Don't be too proud to ask everyone you can for help, even if it's just keeping you company!!!!

[alliegb3 112]

This is the scary reality of things. BUT it's rare. I work in a hospital that does 15 a week (that isn't including lap bands) and it does happen but not often and most is because of a weight related issue prior to surgery

[Lissa 2,631]

I have obstructive sleep apnea, plus I had DVTs and pulmonary embolisms prior to surgery. My doctor took a ton of precautions for me, which irritated me a little pre-op, but proved to be life-saving for me. I had to have a filter installed prior to VSG and removed after my VSG was done. It caught two clots in my vena cava that could have possibly killed me. I also had to take my Bipap machine to the hospital with me and use it whenever I was sleeping. I admit that I had a tough time using it in the hospital because it pushes so much air and I barely got 4 hours on it the night after surgery.

I also took Lovenox shots before and after the surgeries to prevent more blood clots and experienced the horrible bruising.

But, I had to be responsible to use the shots and the bi-pap once I went home. My surgeon was very good about stressing the importance of using those medical tools.

I wonder if this woman was just unlucky that the tools didn't help her or if she didn't use them well because her surgeon didn't stress how important they were for her?

It is tragic that she died. I would never wish that on anyone.