Unexpected Complication From Plication Surgery

[melanieleigh 1]

I forwarded your post to my surgeon because it scared the shit out of me. My doctor DID talk to me about all the possible complications even the rare ones like this, before my surgery. However he made it sound so rare that I never expected to hear about it happening. Thank you for sharing. Thank you so much for being brave and putting yourself out there. I am two weeks out from plication and a little nervous now. Please, please keep us posted on how you are doing. I have never heard anything bad about Dr. Corvala and my surgeon Dr. Abril worked with him and only had nice things to say about him. Any doctor can have a major complication, they are all human and can make mistakes. I am so sorry. Do you have any legal recourse or is it not like that? Good luck.

Hello Everyone,

I want to start off by saying I had the plication surgery with Dr. Corvala in Tijuana in July 2010. From July to mid December 2010 I had no problems. I had a quick recovery and had managed to lose 60 or so pounds. Then, in mid December, a serious complication occurred. I'm pasting below an email I sent to my patient experience manager, Courtney Talmadge, in response to an email from her asking what happened and how I was doing.

"On December 21 I went to my local emergency room (Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, MO) with abdominal pain, pain in my left shoulder when I breathed in, and dry heaving. They did an xray and ct scan and found what they referred to as free air in my abdominal cavity. They also found that the contrast Fluid I drank for the procedure was leaking from my stomach into my abdominal cavity. At that time the attending physician told me I was being transported to the University Hospital in Columbia. I was transported by ambulance to the University of Missouri Hospital. I was met there by a surgical team from the bariatrics department. I explained the procedure I had received from Dr. Corvala. The surgeons told me that I needed surgery immediately to repair a perforation in my stomach that was allowing air and fluids to pass into my abdominal cavity. After I woke up from the surgery I was told that the perforation occurred because part of my stomach was not receiving adequate blood flow and perforated as a result. The surgeons explained that, in order to attempt to prevent future occurrence, the surgeons had loosened plication stitching. The surgeons put a tissue patch over the hole to prevent leakage and to allow the hole to heal. They told me and my family that the portion of the stomach where the hole had formed was white in color from being cut off from adequate blood flow for so long and that they had almost decided to resect that part of the stomach rather than repair it. They told me and my family that, in their opinion, it's very possible this will happen to me again in the future because of the damage to my stomach and other areas that hadn't been receiving proper blood flow. I was in the hospital from 12/21-12/26, spending my Christmas there. It took 4 days to rehydrate my body, because the hole that had formed in my stomach had let all the fluids I drank into my abdominal cavity. I had a tube coming out of my left side abdomen to drain the fluids for the duration of my stay. I had a tube coming up from my stomach and out of my nose to drain any fluids from my stomach for the first 3 days I was there. It was a horrific and traumatic experience for me and my family. At my follow-up appointment on January 7th I spoke with one of the bariatric surgeons at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, MO about what happened. He explained to me that, due to a technical error that occurred during my plication surgery, the plication stitching had not allowed portions of my stomach to get adequate blood flow. This caused a part of the stomach to start dying and a hole formed. Also on Jan 7 I had another xray with contrast to see if there was any further leakage. The results of this test show no further leakage but that my stomach is very swollen at this time. I am continuing to be monitored through Missouri Bariatric Services, a University of Missouri Hospital Clinic. I believe this to be a dire complication. I was told when I came to the ER that, due to the severity of my condition I was about 24 hours from sepsis and death. It is very important that Dr. Corvala, his team, and potential patients know about this possibility. This was not mentioned to me as a possible complication of the plication surgery. In fact, I had asked about the possibility that that folding and stitching could harm the stomach and had also asked about cutting off blood flow to the folded portion of the stomach. I was told plication procedure was done in such a way as to retain the health of the stomach and that blood continues to flow regularly to the folded part of the stomach. I was also told that the plication procedure was much safer because there was no risk of leaks because no portion of the stomach is cut away and there is no staple line. Potential patients thinking of getting the plication procedure should know the possibilities."

It should be noted that I asked my surgeons here in Missouri if there was anything I did that could have caused this complication. They have informed me that this complication was not at all my fault, but due to an error committed by the surgeon (Dr. Corvala) during my plication surgery. If you decide you're interested in the plication procedure and go through Dr. Corvala I would suggest you ask him about my case.

To be perfectly honest, I'm happy with the results of my surgery. My restriction is great, my weight loss has been what I expected. However, as noted above, I almost lost my life. I wanted to share my story because when the surgery was described to me it was being advertised as a safer alternative to other surgeries and that the risk for complication was very low. As noted above, I even asked Dr. Corvala about blood flow to the stomach with the plication surgery and was told that the blood flow would be retained and the stomach tissue would remain healthy. For me, this was not the case. Please feel free to ask questions.

-Alexa Thompson

[Zanthina 0]

I forwarded your post to my surgeon because it scared the shit out of me. My doctor DID talk to me about all the possible complications even the rare ones like this, before my surgery. However he made it sound so rare that I never expected to hear about it happening. Thank you for sharing. Thank you so much for being brave and putting yourself out there. I am two weeks out from plication and a little nervous now. Please, please keep us posted on how you are doing. I have never heard anything bad about Dr. Corvala and my surgeon Dr. Abril worked with him and only had nice things to say about him. Any doctor can have a major complication, they are all human and can make mistakes. I am so sorry. Do you have any legal recourse or is it not like that? Good luck.

Hi!

Your surgeon discussed this particular complication with you? Because I don't recall ever having been told about this. I remember on the waiver form it discussing the remote possibility of leaks, but not what happened in my particular situation.

[Zanthina 0]

Hello everyone!

I have an update.

I went to see the surgeon who did my repair surgery at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, MO. He basically told me that as long as I was doing well now there was no reason to consider any further treatment. When I asked him if he knew anything about the likelihood of another perforation he said he did not know. What disturbed me was that when I asked about the possibility of revision to another surgery or reversal, he told me that from what he saw when he did my repair surgery any revision or reversal would be extremely dangerous because of all the scar tissue that has formed around the plication.

Now, I expected there to be some scar tissue, that would be natural. However, one of the things that I was told that sold me on the plication procedure was that it could be reversed or revised because the stomach tissue stays in place and stays healthy. From what my repair surgeon is telling me, this is not the case.

He also told me something else that bothered me. He said that in the illustrations and videos he's seen of the plication procedure the suture line is very neat and straight. When he saw my stomach during my repair surgery, he noted that the suture line was jagged and that the upper part of the stomach was very red, swollen and angry. I'm not sure yet what this means for me.

In conclusion, I'm going to try to get a referral to Washington University in St. Louis or maybe the Cleveland Clinic where Dr. Watkins practices. I need a surgeon who has either seen this procedure, worked with someone who has had it, or is willing to consult with someone who knows about this procedure. I'm getting none of that from my current surgeon. All I'm getting from my current surgeon is basically that if I'm doing ok now, then doing nothing from here on out is the best option. I want to know more about my options and risks from this point forward. Let me know if anyone has any advice or feedback for me.

Lexy

[thinoneday 445]

Hello Everyone,

I want to start off by saying I had the plication surgery with Dr. Corvala in Tijuana in July 2010. From July to mid December 2010 I had no problems. I had a quick recovery and had managed to lose 60 or so pounds. Then, in mid December, a serious complication occurred. I'm pasting below an email I sent to my patient experience manager, Courtney Talmadge, in response to an email from her asking what happened and how I was doing.

"On December 21 I went to my local emergency room (Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, MO) with abdominal pain, pain in my left shoulder when I breathed in, and dry heaving. They did an xray and ct scan and found what they referred to as free air in my abdominal cavity. They also found that the contrast Fluid I drank for the procedure was leaking from my stomach into my abdominal cavity. At that time the attending physician told me I was being transported to the University Hospital in Columbia.

I was transported by ambulance to the University of Missouri Hospital. I was met there by a surgical team from the bariatrics department. I explained the procedure I had received from Dr. Corvala. The surgeons told me that I needed surgery immediately to repair a perforation in my stomach that was allowing air and fluids to pass into my abdominal cavity.

After I woke up from the surgery I was told that the perforation occurred because part of my stomach was not receiving adequate blood flow and perforated as a result. The surgeons explained that, in order to attempt to prevent future occurrence, the surgeons had loosened plication stitching. The surgeons put a tissue patch over the hole to prevent leakage and to allow the hole to heal. They told me and my family that the portion of the stomach where the hole had formed was white in color from being cut off from adequate blood flow for so long and that they had almost decided to resect that part of the stomach rather than repair it. They told me and my family that, in their opinion, it's very possible this will happen to me again in the future because of the damage to my stomach and other areas that hadn't been receiving proper blood flow.

I was in the hospital from 12/21-12/26, spending my Christmas there. It took 4 days to rehydrate my body, because the hole that had formed in my stomach had let all the fluids I drank into my abdominal cavity. I had a tube coming out of my left side abdomen to drain the fluids for the duration of my stay. I had a tube coming up from my stomach and out of my nose to drain any fluids from my stomach for the first 3 days I was there. It was a horrific and traumatic experience for me and my family.

At my follow-up appointment on January 7th I spoke with one of the bariatric surgeons at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, MO about what happened. He explained to me that, due to a technical error that occurred during my plication surgery, the plication stitching had not allowed portions of my stomach to get adequate blood flow. This caused a part of the stomach to start dying and a hole formed. Also on Jan 7 I had another xray with contrast to see if there was any further leakage. The results of this test show no further leakage but that my stomach is very swollen at this time.

I am continuing to be monitored through Missouri Bariatric Services, a University of Missouri Hospital Clinic.

I believe this to be a dire complication. I was told when I came to the ER that, due to the severity of my condition I was about 24 hours from sepsis and death. It is very important that Dr. Corvala, his team, and potential patients know about this possibility. This was not mentioned to me as a possible complication of the plication surgery. In fact, I had asked about the possibility that that folding and stitching could harm the stomach and had also asked about cutting off blood flow to the folded portion of the stomach. I was told plication procedure was done in such a way as to retain the health of the stomach and that blood continues to flow regularly to the folded part of the stomach. I was also told that the plication procedure was much safer because there was no risk of leaks because no portion of the stomach is cut away and there is no staple line. Potential patients thinking of getting the plication procedure should know the possibilities."

It should be noted that I asked my surgeons here in Missouri if there was anything I did that could have caused this complication. They have informed me that this complication was not at all my fault, but due to an error committed by the surgeon (Dr. Corvala) during my plication surgery. If you decide you're interested in the plication procedure and go through Dr. Corvala I would suggest you ask him about my case.

To be perfectly honest, I'm happy with the results of my surgery. My restriction is great, my weight loss has been what I expected. However, as noted above, I almost lost my life. I wanted to share my story because when the surgery was described to me it was being advertised as a safer alternative to other surgeries and that the risk for complication was very low. As noted above, I even asked Dr. Corvala about blood flow to the stomach with the plication surgery and was told that the blood flow would be retained and the stomach tissue would remain healthy. For me, this was not the case. Please feel free to ask questions.

-Alexa Thompson

Wow, scary! Glad your ok though, glad you got follow up care here in the USA

[Mw9955 2]

Hello!

OMG - I am glad that you are doing well after that excruciating time! I have to admit, I have not been really scared through this whole process (GPS in August by Dr. Corvala) BUT after reading your post, I am scared shi*less!!! Seriously, I don't know what to think.. I never thought of the blood flow restriction, scar tissue build up, or the stitch holes "eating away." Please keep us updated - it makes me think of scheduling a flight to see Dr. Watkins and have a reversal done!

Get rest and best wishes!

[oliviam 3]

Your story sounds awful and besides feeling terrible for you, I am now freaking about my upcoming surgery in February. A few questions:

How would the surgeon have prevented this from happening to you? Did the bariatric surgeon you consulted discuss what WLS would have been better besides the plication. If you had to do it over would you do something else?

[Tiffykins 672]

Hello everyone!

I have an update.

I went to see the surgeon who did my repair surgery at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, MO. He basically told me that as long as I was doing well now there was no reason to consider any further treatment. When I asked him if he knew anything about the likelihood of another perforation he said he did not know. What disturbed me was that when I asked about the possibility of revision to another surgery or reversal, he told me that from what he saw when he did my repair surgery any revision or reversal would be extremely dangerous because of all the scar tissue that has formed around the plication.

Now, I expected there to be some scar tissue, that would be natural. However, one of the things that I was told that sold me on the plication procedure was that it could be reversed or revised because the stomach tissue stays in place and stays healthy. From what my repair surgeon is telling me, this is not the case.

He also told me something else that bothered me. He said that in the illustrations and videos he's seen of the plication procedure the suture line is very neat and straight. When he saw my stomach during my repair surgery, he noted that the suture line was jagged and that the upper part of the stomach was very red, swollen and angry. I'm not sure yet what this means for me.

In conclusion, I'm going to try to get a referral to Washington University in St. Louis or maybe the Cleveland Clinic where Dr. Watkins practices. I need a surgeon who has either seen this procedure, worked with someone who has had it, or is willing to consult with someone who knows about this procedure. I'm getting none of that from my current surgeon. All I'm getting from my current surgeon is basically that if I'm doing ok now, then doing nothing from here on out is the best option. I want to know more about my options and risks from this point forward. Let me know if anyone has any advice or feedback for me.

Lexy

All the concerns your surgeon here stated have been and continue to be my concerns for this surgery. I had horrific scar tissue from my little bitty band, I can't imagine the amounts of scar tissue that would heal over after heavy suturing that is needed to perform this surgery. Plus, pleating the stomach with other procedures like the ROSE procedure have failed miserably. I hate the marketing of the this surgery, I really hate marketing in general, but after your story, and a few others that are not happy with their results, and lack of restriction and continued ravenous hunger, I just hope that other people really consider the long term issues with this surgery. I know the "sleeve" is new to WLS world, but gastrectomies have been performed for decades upon decades.

I truly hope you get a referral to someone that has experience.

Unfortunately, I have not heard back from the other plication patient that contacted me several months ago. I did send her a link to your OH profile in the event you are contacted. I'm not willing to give out her personal information because she did come to me in confidence, and I would hate for her to feel that was "telling her story" behind her back when she specifically ask that I not share her contact name on there.

[M2G 1,836]

Hello everyone!

I have an update.

I went to see the surgeon who did my repair surgery at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, MO. He basically told me that as long as I was doing well now there was no reason to consider any further treatment. When I asked him if he knew anything about the likelihood of another perforation he said he did not know. What disturbed me was that when I asked about the possibility of revision to another surgery or reversal, he told me that from what he saw when he did my repair surgery any revision or reversal would be extremely dangerous because of all the scar tissue that has formed around the plication.

Now, I expected there to be some scar tissue, that would be natural. However, one of the things that I was told that sold me on the plication procedure was that it could be reversed or revised because the stomach tissue stays in place and stays healthy. From what my repair surgeon is telling me, this is not the case.

He also told me something else that bothered me. He said that in the illustrations and videos he's seen of the plication procedure the suture line is very neat and straight. When he saw my stomach during my repair surgery, he noted that the suture line was jagged and that the upper part of the stomach was very red, swollen and angry. I'm not sure yet what this means for me.

In conclusion, I'm going to try to get a referral to Washington University in St. Louis or maybe the Cleveland Clinic where Dr. Watkins practices. I need a surgeon who has either seen this procedure, worked with someone who has had it, or is willing to consult with someone who knows about this procedure. I'm getting none of that from my current surgeon. All I'm getting from my current surgeon is basically that if I'm doing ok now, then doing nothing from here on out is the best option. I want to know more about my options and risks from this point forward. Let me know if anyone has any advice or feedback for me.

Lexy

Lexy, I think you are wise to consider all the options available going forward. I think probably getting that referral is an excellent idea. I hope it happens soon for you and that you get some clear answers as to the long-term health of your stomach.

I have always been leary of the whole "reversible" claim that comes from lap-band, and plication, and while I know having a VSG is pretty drastic and some view it even as radical, I knew it was not reversible, but I was ready to live life within the limits that the VSG procedure provides.

Thank you for coming back and updating us on your situation. I'm continuing to pray that you feel better each day and that you get some answers on what went wrong and what the future holds for you.

[Starr 0]

Hello Everyone,

I want to start off by saying I had the plication surgery with Dr. Corvala in Tijuana in July 2010. From July to mid December 2010 I had no problems. I had a quick recovery and had managed to lose 60 or so pounds. Then, in mid December, a serious complication occurred. I'm pasting below an email I sent to my patient experience manager, Courtney Talmadge, in response to an email from her asking what happened and how I was doing.

"On December 21 I went to my local emergency room (Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, MO) with abdominal pain, pain in my left shoulder when I breathed in, and dry heaving. They did an xray and ct scan and found what they referred to as free air in my abdominal cavity. They also found that the contrast Fluid I drank for the procedure was leaking from my stomach into my abdominal cavity. At that time the attending physician told me I was being transported to the University Hospital in Columbia.

I was transported by ambulance to the University of Missouri Hospital. I was met there by a surgical team from the bariatrics department. I explained the procedure I had received from Dr. Corvala. The surgeons told me that I needed surgery immediately to repair a perforation in my stomach that was allowing air and fluids to pass into my abdominal cavity.

After I woke up from the surgery I was told that the perforation occurred because part of my stomach was not receiving adequate blood flow and perforated as a result. The surgeons explained that, in order to attempt to prevent future occurrence, the surgeons had loosened plication stitching. The surgeons put a tissue patch over the hole to prevent leakage and to allow the hole to heal. They told me and my family that the portion of the stomach where the hole had formed was white in color from being cut off from adequate blood flow for so long and that they had almost decided to resect that part of the stomach rather than repair it. They told me and my family that, in their opinion, it's very possible this will happen to me again in the future because of the damage to my stomach and other areas that hadn't been receiving proper blood flow.

I was in the hospital from 12/21-12/26, spending my Christmas there. It took 4 days to rehydrate my body, because the hole that had formed in my stomach had let all the fluids I drank into my abdominal cavity. I had a tube coming out of my left side abdomen to drain the fluids for the duration of my stay. I had a tube coming up from my stomach and out of my nose to drain any fluids from my stomach for the first 3 days I was there. It was a horrific and traumatic experience for me and my family.

At my follow-up appointment on January 7th I spoke with one of the bariatric surgeons at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, MO about what happened. He explained to me that, due to a technical error that occurred during my plication surgery, the plication stitching had not allowed portions of my stomach to get adequate blood flow. This caused a part of the stomach to start dying and a hole formed. Also on Jan 7 I had another xray with contrast to see if there was any further leakage. The results of this test show no further leakage but that my stomach is very swollen at this time.

I am continuing to be monitored through Missouri Bariatric Services, a University of Missouri Hospital Clinic.

I believe this to be a dire complication. I was told when I came to the ER that, due to the severity of my condition I was about 24 hours from sepsis and death. It is very important that Dr. Corvala, his team, and potential patients know about this possibility. This was not mentioned to me as a possible complication of the plication surgery. In fact, I had asked about the possibility that that folding and stitching could harm the stomach and had also asked about cutting off blood flow to the folded portion of the stomach. I was told plication procedure was done in such a way as to retain the health of the stomach and that blood continues to flow regularly to the folded part of the stomach. I was also told that the plication procedure was much safer because there was no risk of leaks because no portion of the stomach is cut away and there is no staple line. Potential patients thinking of getting the plication procedure should know the possibilities."

It should be noted that I asked my surgeons here in Missouri if there was anything I did that could have caused this complication. They have informed me that this complication was not at all my fault, but due to an error committed by the surgeon (Dr. Corvala) during my plication surgery. If you decide you're interested in the plication procedure and go through Dr. Corvala I would suggest you ask him about my case.

To be perfectly honest, I'm happy with the results of my surgery. My restriction is great, my weight loss has been what I expected. However, as noted above, I almost lost my life. I wanted to share my story because when the surgery was described to me it was being advertised as a safer alternative to other surgeries and that the risk for complication was very low. As noted above, I even asked Dr. Corvala about blood flow to the stomach with the plication surgery and was told that the blood flow would be retained and the stomach tissue would remain healthy. For me, this was not the case. Please feel free to ask questions.

-Alexa Thompson

Hey Lexy. You sent me a personal message on OH the other day. I did not respond but I want you to know that I am thinking about you - a lot!

I was scheduled to have my plication in NYC with my long-time surgeon on December 20th. As my IV was being hooked up in the OR, I let my surgeon know that I only wanted my Lap Band removed. I battled back and forth with this particular surgery. I had profound concerns about the condition of stomach tissue long term due to scarring and possible circulation issues. Prior to going into the OR, my doc drafted some sort of document for me to sign. We had many, many, many talks over the months - OMG, so many. He said something about not knowing what kind of condition the stomach would be in long-term then said something about "grapes" and I thought . . . you're gonna have to amputate my stomach??? I don't know why I said that, but all the long I had been thinking about those stomach vessells being constricted, the stomach being contricted - and all that scar tissue. Sorry to tell you exactly what I was thinking but it is why I backed out.

Gosh, I am so sorry that you've had this experience and I pray that everything will remain good and stable for you and that you are able to lose all of your excess weight and be healthy for the rest of your life.

(((HUGS)))

Leila

[Starr 0]

Your story sounds awful and besides feeling terrible for you, I am now freaking about my upcoming surgery in February. A few questions:

How would the surgeon have prevented this from happening to you? Did the bariatric surgeon you consulted discuss what WLS would have been better besides the plication. If you had to do it over would you do something else?

You should go for the regular Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I wasted time and chance focusing on the Plication. I don't believe that it will be safe long-term. I was too scared to cut my stomach and silly me, now I am empty handed. I am glad, so glad that I did not have the plication.

All the Best to you,

Leila

[Cknorte 7]

Oh my goodness!!!! Alexa I'm so sorry to hear about this complication. Thank you for posting your story......hope you are recovering well from this ordeal.....

keep us posted.....

Hello Everyone,

I want to start off by saying I had the plication surgery with Dr. Corvala in Tijuana in July 2010. From July to mid December 2010 I had no problems. I had a quick recovery and had managed to lose 60 or so pounds. Then, in mid December, a serious complication occurred. I'm pasting below an email I sent to my patient experience manager, Courtney Talmadge, in response to an email from her asking what happened and how I was doing.

"On December 21 I went to my local emergency room (Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, MO) with abdominal pain, pain in my left shoulder when I breathed in, and dry heaving. They did an xray and ct scan and found what they referred to as free air in my abdominal cavity. They also found that the contrast Fluid I drank for the procedure was leaking from my stomach into my abdominal cavity. At that time the attending physician told me I was being transported to the University Hospital in Columbia.

I was transported by ambulance to the University of Missouri Hospital. I was met there by a surgical team from the bariatrics department. I explained the procedure I had received from Dr. Corvala. The surgeons told me that I needed surgery immediately to repair a perforation in my stomach that was allowing air and fluids to pass into my abdominal cavity.

After I woke up from the surgery I was told that the perforation occurred because part of my stomach was not receiving adequate blood flow and perforated as a result. The surgeons explained that, in order to attempt to prevent future occurrence, the surgeons had loosened plication stitching. The surgeons put a tissue patch over the hole to prevent leakage and to allow the hole to heal. They told me and my family that the portion of the stomach where the hole had formed was white in color from being cut off from adequate blood flow for so long and that they had almost decided to resect that part of the stomach rather than repair it. They told me and my family that, in their opinion, it's very possible this will happen to me again in the future because of the damage to my stomach and other areas that hadn't been receiving proper blood flow.

I was in the hospital from 12/21-12/26, spending my Christmas there. It took 4 days to rehydrate my body, because the hole that had formed in my stomach had let all the fluids I drank into my abdominal cavity. I had a tube coming out of my left side abdomen to drain the fluids for the duration of my stay. I had a tube coming up from my stomach and out of my nose to drain any fluids from my stomach for the first 3 days I was there. It was a horrific and traumatic experience for me and my family.

At my follow-up appointment on January 7th I spoke with one of the bariatric surgeons at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, MO about what happened. He explained to me that, due to a technical error that occurred during my plication surgery, the plication stitching had not allowed portions of my stomach to get adequate blood flow. This caused a part of the stomach to start dying and a hole formed. Also on Jan 7 I had another xray with contrast to see if there was any further leakage. The results of this test show no further leakage but that my stomach is very swollen at this time.

I am continuing to be monitored through Missouri Bariatric Services, a University of Missouri Hospital Clinic.

I believe this to be a dire complication. I was told when I came to the ER that, due to the severity of my condition I was about 24 hours from sepsis and death. It is very important that Dr. Corvala, his team, and potential patients know about this possibility. This was not mentioned to me as a possible complication of the plication surgery. In fact, I had asked about the possibility that that folding and stitching could harm the stomach and had also asked about cutting off blood flow to the folded portion of the stomach. I was told plication procedure was done in such a way as to retain the health of the stomach and that blood continues to flow regularly to the folded part of the stomach. I was also told that the plication procedure was much safer because there was no risk of leaks because no portion of the stomach is cut away and there is no staple line. Potential patients thinking of getting the plication procedure should know the possibilities."

It should be noted that I asked my surgeons here in Missouri if there was anything I did that could have caused this complication. They have informed me that this complication was not at all my fault, but due to an error committed by the surgeon (Dr. Corvala) during my plication surgery. If you decide you're interested in the plication procedure and go through Dr. Corvala I would suggest you ask him about my case.

To be perfectly honest, I'm happy with the results of my surgery. My restriction is great, my weight loss has been what I expected. However, as noted above, I almost lost my life. I wanted to share my story because when the surgery was described to me it was being advertised as a safer alternative to other surgeries and that the risk for complication was very low. As noted above, I even asked Dr. Corvala about blood flow to the stomach with the plication surgery and was told that the blood flow would be retained and the stomach tissue would remain healthy. For me, this was not the case. Please feel free to ask questions.

-Alexa Thompson

[renniemommie 8]

Have you talked to Watkins yet, he seems to be the expert on Plication in the US and has also done sleeves too. Certainly, I'd go to him even if you don't get a "referral", if nothing else, send records and consult by phone before hopping in the car. I can't imagine at this early juncture not being able to convert to a sleeve, but I'm not a Dr. Have you gotten any word from you surgeon in Mexico? I know he's supposed to be the "world expert" and certainly is accountable to you at this point. I'm glad things appear stable right now. This certainly has scared me off of the Plication, although there are risk of every procedure, yada yada. Good luck kiddo!

[Zanthina 0]

I've been emailing back and forth with Dr. Watkins. I may see if he'd like to see my records.