Help

[rbedinghaus 4]

Was looking forward to surgery and got a call from my Dr. Said they had team meeting and the anesthesiologist is worried about the success of my surgery. They think they might not be able to get tube down my throat and my heart may not take the anesthesia and I may wake up and find out they couldnt do the procedure. Now I dont know what to do.

Dr wants to continue and thinks he can get me through.

Any help or comments are appreciated.

[BeagleLover 1,020]

Sounds like high risk to me... I wouldn't do it unless every member of the team felt comfortable. Any way to strengthen your heart beforehand?

[BryBro63 410]

Unfortunately, I agree with BeagleLover...if all parties aren't on board and comfortable, then it may not be worth the risk. Maybe at a later time you can try, perhaps?

[rbedinghaus 4]

never had trouble with my heart just couldnt do the tests they wanted me to do. no stress test because of weight.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

This is just my opinion but the anesthesiologist is the person who is going to keep you alive while you are under his care. If he doesn't think it's a good idea, I would hold off to find out why and if there is any way to correct it. Please don't feel so desperate that you are willing to risk your life for it. It's risky enough already.

Best wishes,

[I will what I want 271]

I agree that you want your whole team confident in success. Although I don't quite understand why they are so worried about you being disappointed. Were they trying to manage your expectations? Some thing to consider:

Sounds like you need more information and some problem solving: You could not do the tests they want because of your weight? Okay...what do you need to do to be able to do the test?

Also, if you are not at a major medical center, I'd suggest having a conversation with a team at one. They are equipped, trained and have experience with medical situations that most teams are not able to handle and they will take on patients that no one else will...usually with great results. The downside is they are usually big teaching/research hospitals, have more hoops to jump through, and can be impersonal....but if it is the difference between getting life saving WLS or not, it would be worth it in my book.

I have a personal experience that is not from WLS, but life saving nonetheless less. When I got pregnant I started with a local run of the mill ob-gyn. As I progressed I discovered I was having twins and I could tell my doc was not quite up to speed on current thinking around twin pregnancies, especially with my medical history, so I switched to a doc at Stanford that does high risk pregnancy. Good thing too as I got sicker and sicker as my pregnancy wore on and it was clear that my original doc had not ordered the right tests or been concerned enough. I switched early enough that we all survived and are thriving now...and I'm pretty sure one or all of us would be dead now if I hadn't gone to a specialist. I think it is great, although disappointing, that your team voiced their concerns. My first OB-GYN was never going to tell me he was out of his depth with me, I had to listen to my instinct. While I don't think your team was concerned about you dying - just about not being able to go forward with the surgery - you may find a team that has experience with your specific challenges and has no reservations.

I know my experience is not exactly the same, and I'm intending to be supportive and give you another avenue - all is not lost if your current team does not work out.

Best of luck to you on your journey!

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

Praying for you!