On 13 May 2004, we received the following story from R.V. of Pine Grove, WV:
"In 2002, I had reached a point in my life where I needed help in controlling my weight. I was a paramedic and had many people concerned about the weight I had put on and the medical problems that were starting to set in due to being 310 pounds. I was beginning to become depressed and did want to enjoy myself, my family, or things that I had always enjoyed. My wife and I, both with extensive medical backgrounds, started to investigate RNY--gastric bypass--and found this to be a great option.
The next phase was to find a reputable physician to perform this. Luckily, my wife worked at a hospital that had a physician who had performed many cases. In January 2003, I went into the hospital for the surgery. All went well. My surgery was conducted with an incision from the base of my ribs to my belly button, and, within 4 hours, I was completed, sewn up, and in recovery. Three days later I was sent home.
Within 24 hours, I was back at the hospital with severe pain, nausea, and vomiting bowels. I went through extensive testing and found my blood work was all of of whack. I had my first bowel obstruction. I was pulled into my second surgery. They reopened the same incision and resectioned my bowel. This surgery lasted a few hours and I was back in recovery. I stayed for a number of weeks, living with a nasogastric tube and not eating solid foods. I was then started on a liquid diet. Within a few weeks, all was going well.
I was released after about 3 weeks and sent home to heal. When I got home, I again started experiencing pain, nausea, vomiting, and just not "feeling right." Within 24 hours of coming home, I was in the hospital. This time I had to go back to surgery for another resection, removal of adhesions, removal of my appendix, removal of my gall bladder, and removal of another bowel obstruction. This was the third surgery and it lasted for eight and a half hours. I woke up a week later in ICU on a vent, in renal failure, with numerous infections. My wife was told that they didn't know if I was going to make it. Obviously, I pulled through, but it took everything my wife and I had to do it. I was kept in the hospital for six weeks. I couldn't take any food by mouth. I was on a feeding tube. This was the third time I had been opened up through the same incision.
I was taking numerous prescriptions and pain medications. I was taken off the pain medication and discharged from the hospital to go home to heal. I got home and, within eight hours, I woke from sleep with severe leakage and withdrawal. It turned out that I had developed a fistula that was now spilling gastric contents from my incision. I returned to the hospital for my fourth surgery.
This time, the procedure was quick. Unfortunately, my stay at the hospital wasn't. I had lots of tests and they found my new routing was swelling shut. I experienced more infections, pain, nausea, and vomiting. My doctor decided to send me home for in-home care to avoid the staph infections that I kept getting while in the hospital.
I arrived home and, for six weeks, I lived on my couch. I couldn't take any food by mouth. I was receiving all of my nourishment through a feeding tube. I was kept medicated through a tube in my chest.
The one thing my doctor believed may have been causing my complications was Crone's Disease--something I wasn't tested for before having the first surgery. After I started having problems following the original surgery, I was tested. The first test came back negative, but the second test was positive.
It is now May 2004, one year after things finally seemed to get back on track. So, here's my outlook about this surgery now:
- My attitude is better as I no longer suffer depression due to my weight
- I have lost 112 pounds
- I have severe abdominal pain every day
- I live with nausea and vomiting
- There is no regular diet that I can adhere to
- What I ate without problems yesterday can make me ill today
- I have two hernias
- I have leakage from my belly button that is constantly infected
- No doctors are interested in helping me because of the risk
- I have lost my insurance
- I am a statistic that you won't hear about
- My wife and family have been my constant support and what has kept me going through all of this
When asked now if I would recommend gastric bypass surgery, my answer is NO.
However, if you are considering having the surgery, here are some recommendations:
- Research the doctor and find out how many procedures the doctor has performed. If the doctor has performed 100 or more, your chances are much better for a positive outcome.
- Get extensive pre-surgery testing done. Tell the doctor to test for Crone's Disease and Irritible Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
- Join a support group or talk to people that have had the surgery. This is a life-changing procedure. This could be one of the most difficult things you can have done to your body, both physically and mentally.
- Find out what procedure your doctor intends to perform--laparoscopic or open incision.
- Check out the facilities where the procedure will be performed to make sure that, should you experience any problems, your doctor will be able to get you emergency medical care without transferring you to another facility."
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