AFoolsParadise

I had WLS to reduce symptoms from multiple medical issues, but mostly to prolong my life. My father died at 57 from a cardiac arrest due to hypertensive heart disease. I turned 50 3 days before my gastric bypass and I have the same heart disease as my dad, along with a few others. I have cardiomegaly also, plus hypertension, aortic and ventricular arythmias, aortic insufficiency and stenosis, tricuspid regurg, and early heart beats (pvc). I am in pain management for multiple spinal issues due to a car wreck 28 years ago. I also have lupus, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and osteopenia, diabetes and pcos. My surgeon told me to discontinue all diabetic medications from my surgery date, as I would no longer be diabetic. True for most yes, but unfortunately not for me. I got the first side effects of ketoacidosis 2 days after the wls. I was admitted to the hospital via ambulance on Christmas day because I was struggling to breathe. I spent a week in the hospital, mostly in the ICU. I almost died. I am very much still an insulin dependent diabetic.

I had to have endoscopic dilation a few weeks later when I became completely blocked. The radiologist stopped the upper gi after only pass because I was unable to keep the barium down.

I do not blame my doctor. He is competent and is hands down the most compassionate doctor I see (I see 6!) Most patients are no longer diabetic, I should have known I would be the exception not the rule. When I went to the ER at my doctor's request, I told the nurse that my surgeon would come to me. She said "I have been an ER nurse for 20+ years and I have never seen a doctor come to a patient in the ER." That day marked her first because my surgeon did come see me in the ER. When I had my upper gi, he asked the staff to do a direct admit so that treatment and scheduling could begin immediately. They didn't know how to do it because it had never happened before. The endo dilation was done by the doctor's partner but my doctor took time out of his weekday to come observe. And the following morning when we discussed me being released, he apologized for me "having been through a lot in the past month.."  Doctors don't apologize! At least not any doctor I have seen. 

If you are still with me, God bless you. I can't believe you took the time to read all that! Anyway, that is my wls journey. I do regret having the surgery, not only because of what I went through, but because of what it put my family through. I hope I change my mind about that someday very soon.