PiRatFamily

My fiance's PCP is an internal medicine doctor. He also has a pain management doctor. Every month he goes to pick up his prescriptions, the pharmacists treat him like a drug addict. It makes him feel horrible.

Reversion wasn't an option for us. I'm sure he would have done it. Everything was too scrambled inside to reverse anything. The problem is his problem went too long without properly being treated. The best advice I can give is to seek treatment as soon as you think something is wrong.

We have consulted with several lawyers and no one will pursue because it was an elective surgery. We did a lot of research and thought we had one of the best group's in the nation performing the surgery. In the end, the surgeon responsible for the first and second surgery no longer works at the practice or the hospital where it was originally performed. Maybe due in part to other issues? Anyways, we were advised for the longest time not to say anything to anyone until we knew what the ultimate outcome would be. After several years of keeping quiet, I want to tell everyone what happened and to think long and hard about possible complications that weren't even discussed with us.

We have consulted with several lawyers and no one will pursue because it was an elective surgery. We did a lot of research and thought we had one of the best group's in the nation performing the surgery. In the end, the surgeon responsible for the first and second surgery no longer works at the practice or the hospital where it was originally performed. Maybe due in part to other issues? Anyways, we were advised for the longest time not to say anything to anyone until we knew what the ultimate outcome would be. After several years of keeping quiet, I want to tell everyone what happened and to think long and hard about possible complications that weren't even discussed with us.

The other problem with bring a legal suit is that the original surgeons strung him along and kept telling him everything would be fine and simply kept feeding him pain meds until the statute of limitations ran out to file a suit. Almost to the DAY they ran out, the original surgeons basically kicked him to the curb and refused to see him anymore. All the surgeons we've seen since then will start off pumping us full of hope and bragging about how they're the "best in the business" and then the invasive tests begin...(He can't have simple tests done because of his sleep apnea all his scopes have to be done under general anesthesia with a breathing tube in place and the whole 9 yards) After they take a look at how messed up he is inside they sorta just stop interacting with us and ignore us. The one surgeon who actually tried laproscopally had this to say: "I don't know what those guys did to you but I've never seen anything like this" Basically, what happened was this: The original surgeon didn't completely seperate the old stomach from the new pouch. Because of this, the old stomach kept dumping acid into the new surgical area essentially, burning it up and destroying the tissue to the point that it was so damaged, that it was irreparable. Of course, we found all this out long after the statute of limitations for malpractice ran out. If anyone reading this knows of a good malpractice attorney who would be interested in this we're all ears. It's not like he wants to be rich and would much rather be able to work again but it would certainly be nice to go a month or two not having to wonder if we'll be able to scrape enough money together to make rent....

Again I'm happy that I'm not havering the surgery I will battle this on my own

It is a very good tool but society needs to know the dark side of it. No matter now competent the surgeon is things still can go wrong. What scares me is how mainstream this surgery has become. The bariatric community of phsyicians needs to educate their patients more on the serious side effects this surgery can cause.

Sandra and everyone else I am so relieved to know I'm not alone. I too have had several PIC's for TPN, weeks and weeks of hospital stays narcotic pain killers. I am so weak on days all I can do is lay around and of course my family really doesn't get it, but I don't expect them to. I feel alone being this sick. I've had to sit and watch a strangers blood go in my arm several times. I have a fear now so bad that I will fight the propifol (sp) they put me to sleep with for surgery because I'm scared I won't wake up. I'm tired of the pain, the pills etc.
To be blunt IT SUCKS and ur not alone in the boat it seems we're all in there with you.
Lots of love.

Thank you so much. I just tell you life like this is very hard and it infuriates me when people tell me "Oh you went the easy route" no way shape OR form is gastric bypass easy. It messes with you emotionally, physically, spirtually..basically completely! I'm going the 10th to see what is supposed to be a very good bariatric surgeon. My lower half seems fine now, but its the upper I guess where the stint is. My spasims are so severe they feel like a heaart attack. It's horrible. I can truly honestly understand why suicide rates are so high due to this surgery. It's horrible.
I'm probably scaring all these poor people to death, but i'm just trying to be honest and show you all that not everyone wakes up off that table "healed." Obesity is a disease something we all have to figure out ourselves. How why when did we get this way and then comes the hard part accepting you did it yourself...no matter how hard you try to deny it. Trust me I did it.
Advice to those having surgery. Listen to your bodies you hear full, you stop walk away. Learn to eat things you thought you never would. Tofu is my favorite and your going to laugh but dehydrated vegies are also my favorite. I can't drink any milk because I became lactose intolerant afterwards. Be careful and listen to your body please. i have a friend who is the same amount of time out of surgery as I and she's already gained back. I teeter between 124-133 and have since 2011. 5 years post op and saying that I feel is a big thing. I'd like to see the ones having surgery come back wih the same success stories. I wish you luck and if you need me just hollar.
Thanks yall

well I'm five years post op. I've had a total of 7 surgeries with 7 blood transfusions. My favorite assumption ppl say is "your not following the rules" NO I follow them to the tee. My weight leveled off at 124lbs and has been that way for 4 years. Not following protocol would result in weight re-gain. My health issues are so severe that I'm epileptic and now disabled due to it. When I get sick I get sick, ICU, main floor hospital stays and countless pokes and prods. This surgery is the most horrific kind to have. If i could go back I would have put my butt on a treadmill. There is so much more to this surgery than ppl think. SURE you went thru your psych eval but have you thought about the psychological ramifications of when u wake up? NOBODY does, until your lying in bed alone and viola it hits I was a food addict and now what can i do to cope? Some foods you eat work some you vomit, I vomit A LOT. There are days I give up and could careless if I eve eat at all. I can't even pay with my children because most of the time I feel so bad all I can do is lay on a couch and observe. Yeah this is life and yeah I'm a size four but at WHAT cost? Ask yourself that before u get on that table because I'm telling you the first PEG tube I had I hurt so bad I wrirthed the strongest drug available couldn't ease it. I seize now randomly. My life is destroyed I visit the dr almost once a week. My life is destroyed and its all my fault. Now I'm stuck with these spasims that comes and feels as if somebody is punching me in the chest so hard I couldn't breathe. I vomit and that hurts worse. At times I really feel like dying would be a better option than surviving this, but I have three kids that depend on me. sad part is I can't do the same things I did before cheerleading gamess etc. Now I'm stuck in a house sitting on a couch and getting energy to clean for 30 minutes and sit back down. I've been to a oncologist and give Iron supp;iments which made me violently ill. I've had blood from countless strangers. My body is truly no longer mine. Im tired to be honest i just want my normal life back and I'd take being a size 16 over a size 4 any day, Truly you all I am speaking from the heart this surgery isn't all what its cracked up to be, its dangerous and completely life changing in a lot of ways. Maybe somebody here can have suggestions on this spasm stuff and help me because I'm at my ropes in in pain,

Did they say why theirs started?? Mine was due to severe emaciation and mineral imbalances. That began in Oct 2010. I was admitted to the hospital because a part of my intestine had rotated and I needed surgery. While there I wound up having severe granmaw seizures. They placed a PIC line into my arm and began feeding me TPN that way so that I wouldn't starve to death. I laid for two weeks unconscious, seizing and unresponsive. Finally I became stable enough for them to do the surgery and it nearly took 6 hours. Once in there he had to repair several places and re anchor a lot of things that had worked lose. He also fitted me with a PEG tube into my old stapled stomach. I wore that from March 2009 til May 2010. The tube came out and the seizures continued. November of 2010 I had became emaciated again and developed what was called blind loop syndrome. They took me to surgery and had to fix a stricture in my pouch/esphogas putting in a stint like thing. I was again refitted for a PEG tube and I wore that one from November 2010 til July 2011. Finally, to be honest I gave up complaining. Doctor after Doctor and specialist after specialist, I give up. I take my Vitamins, I never eat more than I'm supposed to, I'm lactose intolerant and the list goes on and on and on. I have three children under the age of 11. It's hard for me to get up and ride a bike with them. My medication list is longer than it was pre-surgery.
Pre-surgery I took:
Levisin
Lisinopril
Humulin
Nexium
Baby Asprin
Lasix
Post Surgery:
Kepra
Depakote
Sumatriptiphan
Levisin
Zantac
Restoril
Lopermide (sp) rx strength not oc.
Tylenol because I hurt so bad everyday.
Phenegrin to stop me from vomiting
and then when things get bad Marinol to help with hunger.
I've had a total of 3 PIC lines and now I have a port. So they can gain acess to take my blood because even with Vitamins and Iron suppliments I still keep severe anemia. I ask ppl all the time from obesity groups was it really truly worth it. For me, it wasn't and I am living proof that even though this surgery has now became main stream it is NOT to be taken lightly nor to be considered a miracle because it is far from it. I worked as a paramedic many years and now I'm disabled. All because I was told by a Dr it would make my life better. Has it? Is it better that my kids has watched me hit the floor and seize? No, what would have been fair is taking myself to a gym and doing it the proper way. This way, has left me completely broken and I wonder every day of my life how many more years do I have to live this way.