After surgery care? Need your input!

[Meghabyte 4]

First of all, I am sorry for the probably long rant about to happen.

So I'm having some issues about the after care I am receiving from my surgeons office (AND the hospital I went to). I'm not sure if these happened to others and would love your feedback.

So first off, I had my surgery exactly two weeks ago. The bariatric place I went to (I won't name names at this time) were amazing for the 6 months leading up to my surgery. Always answering questions and keeping up closely with my process.

After my surgery, everything changed. The hospital experience was fantastic but I soon as I went home I had problems. Three two days after being home I got very bad diarrhea and tried to contact them. They closed early that day so I called both locations triages and left messages. I was worried that if no one called then I would have to go to the emergency room that weekend. I was unaware that my mother called as well (she was really scared). I get a call back from my surgeon saying that I can't call that much. That if I keep calling to cry wolf I wouldn't get the care I needed. That 3 times in an hour was excessive (two from me, one from my mother) and that he had other people to take care of. He then told me I was fine and to call back on Monday if I was still feeling bad. He said you can always call out number because there is a nurse on call 24/7. This was something I was NEVER informed about. It wasn't just what he said that made me upset, but his angry tone as well. He knows I suffer from anxiety and agoraphobia and was worried. I also suffer from depression and PTSD.

I literally cried for two days with no sleep. I didn't trust them anymore. Any weird pains I had or sickness I would not report. I do not trust him anymore. I also never received another call from him to check to see if I had gotten better.

Furthermore, I only received my first follow up call TODAY. It was from the bariatric coordinator with the hospital. It was maybe a five minute conversation about fluids and Protein. I feel like they, and the hospital, should have called a few days after to check up. Am I crazy? This transformation ( at least for me) was half physical half psychological. I feel like they didn't address any of it.

What were your experiences with your doctor after surgery?

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

My first f/u was at 2 weeks. However my doctor schedules an actual f/u appointment. Not calling you for 2 weeks as a follow up is not uncommon. Especially since they actually had updates with the sick calls about the diarrhea.

I don't know what your pre-op experience was. What types of handouts if any you were given, if your program has a support group, did you take notes at your doctor's appointments, what plans did you make for aftercare. I spoke with my nurse while in the hospital. Once it was discovered that I lived alone, arrangements were made for a visiting nurse to check on me. Turns out I really didn't need it, but it was a nice thing to have in place.

I am a planner by nature. I researched the types of Protein drinks/powders that were available before my surgery. I read that some can give people diarrhea. I bought a few and tested them before my surgery.

Some of this sounds like it may be due to you other issues. Are you seeing anyone for that? Your hormones may be out of whack due to the surgery. If you are on medication it may need to be adjusted.

So what are you plans now for aftercare now?

[ladycook9713 442]

I got a call from the surgery center nurse the day after my surgery to check in on me, and I have my first follow up appointment tomorrow at a week out. Then one more at 2 weeks with the dietician. All of these appointments were scheduled prior to my surgery so I knew about them. And when you checked in at the surgery center they had you fill out paperwork saying that a nurse was going to call the next day.

[Meghabyte 4]

I took notes as well and asked any questions I could think of at each appointment. I also went to a support group and a pre-op class bringing someone with me each time who also took notes. I am seeing a therapist at the moment but I also felt like they should have addressed my care better. Not say they wouldn't take care of me if I kept calling. They kept up with me on a regular basis before but not now.

I also talked with someone I graduated with (who went to the same place) and she said the first two weeks were psychologically bad for her as well. Luckily she had a big support group at home. So I feel like I can't be the only one in this. And shouldn't both aspects be important?

[Meghabyte 4]

Yeah I never got a call the day after. I got my first call today.

[TammyDTM 391]

I'm sorry you are going through this with your weight loss clinic. I understand your anxiety. You had a good team before your surgery so why would you expect anything less after your surgery. I hope that you get a better understanding with them about what procedure is for patients with concerns about their health after surgery.

My weight loss clinic has an extension for the nurse if we have questions/concerns. There is also an after hours number for emergencies. Perhaps your clinic can give you the proper chain of command with phone numbers and also let you know protocol for diarrhea and Constipation.

[Stevehud 1,790]

umm sounds to me like you went way over the deep end. diarrhea after surgery is not uncommon and usually subsides within a few days 3 to 5 usually. Surgeon do not follow up a few days later they expect you to follow up with them if needed and only if needed. two days after my surgery i was on the floor of my living room crying like a baby because i had a Migraine so bad i would've done anything to make it stop, but i didn't call the surgeon because there is nothing surgical about it. So my wife emailed the nutritionist who had the nurse practitioner call my wife to have her go and get some liquid Tylenol, and she did and i got better after cold compresses and liquid Tylenol. ( btw works amazingly well, tastes like ass, but works so much faster than pills or gels etc.) The point here is, that you have to not freak out over something so mundane as diarrhea. good luck, keep moving forward in your journey.

[ladycook9713 442]

Yeah I never got a call the day after. I got my first call today.

Every place is different. There is no "standard". This is just how my surgeon's office and this particular surgery center worked. If they didn't tell you it was going to happen then it shouldn't have been expected. I was told before hand. At your next appointment you need to ask at what intervals post op that you should expect to be seen. And then also make sure you know how after hours care works.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I took notes as well and asked any questions I could think of at each appointment. I also went to a support group and a pre-op class bringing someone with me each time who also took notes.

You took notes, but no one asked about what follow up care would be like? I agree with @ladycook9713 at your next f/u appointment someone needs to ask at what intervals you will be seen and what the process is for after hours emergent care. My practice also has an email/electronic system. I am mailed copies of all my test results an bloodwork. I spent most of yesterday emailing back and forth with the NP because my Vitamin D level remains low despite taking supplements.

[Meghabyte 4]

My surgeon told me it was not common for me to have diarrhea. He told me there are two important things you need to know about when you go home : stay hydrated, and also that you will be very constipated. So naturally when the opposite happened I called. No one answered. I also think it was unprofessional for him to say " If you cry wolf no one will call you back, I mean someone will eventually but you won't get good care."

It also hurts that you would call it mundane. This is my only body. My only life. Taking care of it is important to me. It's scary when things are happening that you don't understand and you get yelled at for asking questions.

I understand that I should have been more informed about aftercare. They told me I would be in little to no pain and be fine when I got home. I just figured I would have to go to the hospital if anything urgent happened.

I just don't feel like anyone takes mental health into consideration. Like it's a joke. I'm on medication and go to to a therapist. I do think though that a bariatric team of nurses, PA's, my personal liaison, nutritionalists, exercise coaches, etc. should have shown more care after the fact.

[Meghabyte 4]

I took notes as well and asked any questions I could think of at each appointment. I also went to a support group and a pre-op class bringing someone with me each time who also took notes.

You took notes, but no one asked about what follow up care would be like? I agree with @ladycook9713 at your next f/u appointment someone needs to ask at what intervals you will be seen and what the process is for after hours emergent care. My practice also has an email/electronic system. I am mailed copies of all my test results an bloodwork. I spent most of yesterday emailing back and forth with the NP because my Vitamin D level remains low despite taking supplements.

We have an email/message system as well and I was not getting anything from them.

[gal friday 176]

Any surgeon who uses the term 'crying wolf' sends up a HUGE red flag for me. I have extensive mental health problems and my post-surgical team was there to help anytime I had a question. My surgeon was an ass about the treatment of an unrelated kidney disorder that became apparent during my recovery (I had to stay an extra week to sort that out), but for bariatric stuff he was fine. His head nurse was a little histrionic, but she's been caring for me for 10 years (I used to have a lap band), so I know she tends to be dramatic, she just worries.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Some of your concerns sound like they may be a result of your mental health issues. The bariatric program is not a mental health program. I have also noticed that the surgery can sometimes throw people out of whack for a bit. Perhaps the correct people to speak with would be those who manage your MH care. When I use out email system it states that it may be 2 -3 days before I get a response so I take that into consideration. What happened to me yesterday was that once she replied back we were able to coordinate when I could chat and that's how the emailing back and forth occurred.

No one is trying to downplay your concerns. Diarrhea is not uncommon and therefore was not a red flag for the program. Perhaps your next step needs to be who can help get your MH issues back on an even keel and what you plan to do for the rest of your follow up care. Just please keep in mind the bariatric center is not a MH facility. They may not be equipped for that. If that is not something you can deal with then perhaps you should speak with your PCP about taking over follow care.

[Meghabyte 4]

Any surgeon who uses the term 'crying wolf' sends up a HUGE red flag for me. I have extensive mental health problems and my post-surgical team was there to help anytime I had a question. My surgeon was an ass about the treatment of an unrelated kidney disorder that became apparent during my recovery (I had to stay an extra week to sort that out), but for bariatric stuff he was fine. His head nurse was a little histrionic, but she's been caring for me for 10 years (I used to have a lap band), so I know she tends to be dramatic, she just worries.

This makes me feel better that I am not being too over dramatic. I have my two week post op tomorrow and I think I will talk to them about it. I just feel was easily dismissed.

[Meghabyte 4]

It just seems weird that when I had my EGD where they put the scope down to my stomach, I got a phone call from the hospital about my stay the day after. They wanted to know all about my experience and if I had any complications when coming home. This was major surgery. I got nothing. I know it isn't a Mental Health facility but I do feel there should be some compassion for following up on a major life event. I would just hate for someone else to feel as worthless as I feel.