Emergency Surgery 1 month after being sleeved

[KaitlynnHughes 9]

I don't usually post on here but I thought i'd share my story with everyone:

I was sleeved on June 27th 2011. I was doing great...only a few mild/normal complications like mild dehydration in week 1-2, and chest pain when swallowing soft foods. I contacted my doc every time something seemed weird to me and they told me that was to be expected and eventually i was able to take in fluids like a champ but still had problems with food. After two weeks of taking it easy i started light house keeping and taking more responsibilities with our two young boys and running errands and i felt fine doing all of that. By week three i was back to doing everything in my home that i had before surgery and by week four i had joined a gym. Things were looking pretty good. I still had trouble swallowing food...it was like it was stuck in my chest...no matter what i ate....pudding, chicken anything after 1 bite felt awful. They said it could be due to swelling and that I would be fine. I took four weeks off of work because of the type of job i have requires a TON of heavy lifting. I got cleared by my surgeon and the hospital i work for to go back finally last week. My first night back was rough but i expected that, i work 11p-7a as a CNA, so after work i went home monday a.m. and passed out. While i was sleeping i rolled over in bed and felt this sharp stabbing pain under my big incision....i sat straight up and almost screamed it hurt so bad. I tried to walk it off around the house thinking it was a cramp but it still hurt. I relaxed and took it easy monday night but by tuesday a.m. i was still in pain so i called the surgeon. They said it was most likely my internal sutures healing...that they might pinch and burn a little as they healed.....umm...ok....i felt like my pain was being ignored but they're the experts. Back to work Tuesday night....can barely get in any food or fluids because of pain but it was a busy night so i ignored it. By Wed at dinner i was throwing up everything i tried to eat or drink and work was awful...i could barely walk, i was snapping at patients because of my pain...things were no good!!! Thursday i woke up and had to run to the store with my kids bcz hubby works evenings on Thursdays. while i was driving i started getting this dizzy feeling almost like i was buzzed....so we came home right away....as the night progressed my dizziness did too!!!! I was laying with the boys reading a book and my younger son ask for a drink. I got up to get him a drink and collasped to the ground. I actually at that point crawled downstairs to get my husband to come home. He had his parents rush over so one could stay with the kids while the other took me to the ER where my surgeon was gonna have his team meet me. But he couldn't think of anything that could cause this one month post op so i was preparing myself to get sent home with no answers.

At the hospital they did all kinds of tests and decided they would keep me over night for observation. They sent me for a swallow study before i got settled in a room so they could see if i had a leak anywhere but they were very doubtful of that!! After just dozing off around 4am, my room an hour later was full with 3 docs, 2 nurses, and my tech all preping me for what the resident was explaining as emergency exploratory surgery because my swallow study showed a leak somewhere. They had a long list of things that could "possibly" happen including: cutting my open fully, removing bowel, reverting my sleeve to a roux en y.....a horrible list of maybe's that i was prepared for!!!

When i woke from the operation I had tubes and drains coming out of every body part they could. They had so much trouble finding veins for IV's bcz i was so dehydrated my arms were black and blue. When my husband came in to see me for the first time he got the look of terror on his face. They told us that they found a tear in my stomach and they luckily fixed it laparascopically but they said i threw a curve ball at them. They told us that only 1% of sleeve patients past one month post op have ever had this happen and that i was the first patient of theirs to ever have this. So they kept me for 6 days bcz they wanted to take things really slow!!

But i am home now after lots of medications, tubes, needles and PAIN. I still have one drain that they are keeping in until i see the doc next week but for the most part things are going a lot better. I can drink fluids fine and i had some tuna with mayo last night and no chest pain when i swallowed!!! So for the next few weeks i'll be sticking to soft foods and liquids!!!

I just thought i'd share....please don't let the docs ignore even the smallest concerns you may have....it could be life or death!!!

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sending positive vibes your way for a speedy recovery and speedy weight loss.

Sometimes we have to nudge our doctors even when they try to brush us off. I hate that they treat us all the same. My symptoms arent always the same as your symptoms, and if a patient has a concern or a pain, a doctor should definitely pay attention and not chalk it up to being a "usual" response to surgery.

[smkeller 3]

Kathy, you are one of the nightmare stories of WLS. I don't know what caused your leak, maybe too much too soon or just bad luck, but I am glad that you survived, and I hope that you will make a speedy recovery and fully heal. I will try and learn from this and not attempt too much too soon. I am only 5 days out now.

One thing that I do NOT understand is why you are not sharing the name of your Doctor. Why do you feel that you need to protect his reputation? What if this is not the first, or even the second time this has happened or WILL happened with this team. This doctor did not take care of you in fact, and you almost died. If this happens with my Doctor - Aceves, much as I respect him, I would tell every one. He needs the embarrassment if nothing else to be more careful. This is a BIG money business. We are the little guys. I hope to see that you have added his name to your profile.

I don't usually post on here but I thought i'd share my story with everyone:

I was sleeved on June 27th 2011. I was doing great...only a few mild/normal complications like mild dehydration in week 1-2, and chest pain when swallowing soft foods. I contacted my doc every time something seemed weird to me and they told me that was to be expected and eventually i was able to take in fluids like a champ but still had problems with food. After two weeks of taking it easy i started light house keeping and taking more responsibilities with our two young boys and running errands and i felt fine doing all of that. By week three i was back to doing everything in my home that i had before surgery and by week four i had joined a gym. Things were looking pretty good. I still had trouble swallowing food...it was like it was stuck in my chest...no matter what i ate....pudding, chicken anything after 1 bite felt awful. They said it could be due to swelling and that I would be fine. I took four weeks off of work because of the type of job i have requires a TON of heavy lifting. I got cleared by my surgeon and the hospital i work for to go back finally last week. My first night back was rough but i expected that, i work 11p-7a as a CNA, so after work i went home monday a.m. and passed out. While i was sleeping i rolled over in bed and felt this sharp stabbing pain under my big incision....i sat straight up and almost screamed it hurt so bad. I tried to walk it off around the house thinking it was a cramp but it still hurt. I relaxed and took it easy monday night but by tuesday a.m. i was still in pain so i called the surgeon. They said it was most likely my internal sutures healing...that they might pinch and burn a little as they healed.....umm...ok....i felt like my pain was being ignored but they're the experts. Back to work Tuesday night....can barely get in any food or fluids because of pain but it was a busy night so i ignored it. By Wed at dinner i was throwing up everything i tried to eat or drink and work was awful...i could barely walk, i was snapping at patients because of my pain...things were no good!!! Thursday i woke up and had to run to the store with my kids bcz hubby works evenings on Thursdays. while i was driving i started getting this dizzy feeling almost like i was buzzed....so we came home right away....as the night progressed my dizziness did too!!!! I was laying with the boys reading a book and my younger son ask for a drink. I got up to get him a drink and collasped to the ground. I actually at that point crawled downstairs to get my husband to come home. He had his parents rush over so one could stay with the kids while the other took me to the ER where my surgeon was gonna have his team meet me. But he couldn't think of anything that could cause this one month post op so i was preparing myself to get sent home with no answers.

At the hospital they did all kinds of tests and decided they would keep me over night for observation. They sent me for a swallow study before i got settled in a room so they could see if i had a leak anywhere but they were very doubtful of that!! After just dozing off around 4am, my room an hour later was full with 3 docs, 2 nurses, and my tech all preping me for what the resident was explaining as emergency exploratory surgery because my swallow study showed a leak somewhere. They had a long list of things that could "possibly" happen including: cutting my open fully, removing bowel, reverting my sleeve to a roux en y.....a horrible list of maybe's that i was prepared for!!!

When i woke from the operation I had tubes and drains coming out of every body part they could. They had so much trouble finding veins for IV's bcz i was so dehydrated my arms were black and blue. When my husband came in to see me for the first time he got the look of terror on his face. They told us that they found a tear in my stomach and they luckily fixed it laparascopically but they said i threw a curve ball at them. They told us that only 1% of sleeve patients past one month post op have ever had this happen and that i was the first patient of theirs to ever have this. So they kept me for 6 days bcz they wanted to take things really slow!!

But i am home now after lots of medications, tubes, needles and PAIN. I still have one drain that they are keeping in until i see the doc next week but for the most part things are going a lot better. I can drink fluids fine and i had some tuna with mayo last night and no chest pain when i swallowed!!! So for the next few weeks i'll be sticking to soft foods and liquids!!!

I just thought i'd share....please don't let the docs ignore even the smallest concerns you may have....it could be life or death!!!

[heartonmysleevey 133]

My prayers are with you! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

*Hugs*

[mnbsleeve 87]

Oh Kaitlynn, I'm so sorry for everything you have been through. I cannot begin to imagine how scary this must have been and especially with two young children. Thank you for taking the time to post your story so that others may learn to push thier doctors and not be easily swayed. They are not God, afterall. I am glad you are finally on the road to recovery. It sounds like you are starting to eat more and feel better. I wish you all the best and sending positive thoughts your way for a super speedy recovery!!!!!!!

[TwoStepsBack 15]

You poor thing! That must have been so scary for both you and your family. I am so glad that they finally found the problem.

I'm also sending positive vibes your way for a super speedy recovery. Look after yourself! xx

[ChunkyAndFluffy75 9]

WOW!! Is all I can say. Thank you for sharing. What I got from your post is that not all pain is normal and we need to be in tone with our bodies.

[KellyL 173]

Oh my, what an ordeal for you!!! So sorry it all happened and glad you are on the mend now, take it easy and I hope you have a speedy recovery!

[KaitlynnHughes 9]

Thank you for all of the positive vibes and prayers. All i wanted to gain from this post is for others to know to be in tune with your bodies! And if you feel something is wrong push until you get answers!

[kemo46 82]

I don't usually post on here but I thought i'd share my story with everyone:

I was sleeved on June 27th 2011. I was doing great...only a few mild/normal complications like mild dehydration in week 1-2, and chest pain when swallowing soft foods. I contacted my doc every time something seemed weird to me and they told me that was to be expected and eventually i was able to take in fluids like a champ but still had problems with food. After two weeks of taking it easy i started light house keeping and taking more responsibilities with our two young boys and running errands and i felt fine doing all of that. By week three i was back to doing everything in my home that i had before surgery and by week four i had joined a gym. Things were looking pretty good. I still had trouble swallowing food...it was like it was stuck in my chest...no matter what i ate....pudding, chicken anything after 1 bite felt awful. They said it could be due to swelling and that I would be fine. I took four weeks off of work because of the type of job i have requires a TON of heavy lifting. I got cleared by my surgeon and the hospital i work for to go back finally last week. My first night back was rough but i expected that, i work 11p-7a as a CNA, so after work i went home monday a.m. and passed out. While i was sleeping i rolled over in bed and felt this sharp stabbing pain under my big incision....i sat straight up and almost screamed it hurt so bad. I tried to walk it off around the house thinking it was a cramp but it still hurt. I relaxed and took it easy monday night but by tuesday a.m. i was still in pain so i called the surgeon. They said it was most likely my internal sutures healing...that they might pinch and burn a little as they healed.....umm...ok....i felt like my pain was being ignored but they're the experts. Back to work Tuesday night....can barely get in any food or fluids because of pain but it was a busy night so i ignored it. By Wed at dinner i was throwing up everything i tried to eat or drink and work was awful...i could barely walk, i was snapping at patients because of my pain...things were no good!!! Thursday i woke up and had to run to the store with my kids bcz hubby works evenings on Thursdays. while i was driving i started getting this dizzy feeling almost like i was buzzed....so we came home right away....as the night progressed my dizziness did too!!!! I was laying with the boys reading a book and my younger son ask for a drink. I got up to get him a drink and collasped to the ground. I actually at that point crawled downstairs to get my husband to come home. He had his parents rush over so one could stay with the kids while the other took me to the ER where my surgeon was gonna have his team meet me. But he couldn't think of anything that could cause this one month post op so i was preparing myself to get sent home with no answers.

At the hospital they did all kinds of tests and decided they would keep me over night for observation. They sent me for a swallow study before i got settled in a room so they could see if i had a leak anywhere but they were very doubtful of that!! After just dozing off around 4am, my room an hour later was full with 3 docs, 2 nurses, and my tech all preping me for what the resident was explaining as emergency exploratory surgery because my swallow study showed a leak somewhere. They had a long list of things that could "possibly" happen including: cutting my open fully, removing bowel, reverting my sleeve to a roux en y.....a horrible list of maybe's that i was prepared for!!!

When i woke from the operation I had tubes and drains coming out of every body part they could. They had so much trouble finding veins for IV's bcz i was so dehydrated my arms were black and blue. When my husband came in to see me for the first time he got the look of terror on his face. They told us that they found a tear in my stomach and they luckily fixed it laparascopically but they said i threw a curve ball at them. They told us that only 1% of sleeve patients past one month post op have ever had this happen and that i was the first patient of theirs to ever have this. So they kept me for 6 days bcz they wanted to take things really slow!!

But i am home now after lots of medications, tubes, needles and PAIN. I still have one drain that they are keeping in until i see the doc next week but for the most part things are going a lot better. I can drink fluids fine and i had some tuna with mayo last night and no chest pain when i swallowed!!! So for the next few weeks i'll be sticking to soft foods and liquids!!!

I just thought i'd share....please don't let the docs ignore even the smallest concerns you may have....it could be life or death!!!

I feel so bad for you and I hope for a speedy recovery. I was surprised to hear you were released so fast to go to the gym or lifting. That was a no no for me until after 6 weeks. I could not do any exercise besides walking until after 6 weeks. You mentioned your job requires heavy lifting, I cannot imagine your doctor releasing you to do any heavy lifting until after 2 months. I would revisit that with your Doctor, it sounds too much too soon. We will be praying for you.

[Tiffykins 672]

What a horrible story, and best wishes on your continued recovery ! ! ! I would venture to guess that since leaks occur pretty soon that all the symptoms you were experiencing were little tale tell signs, and the leak could have been tiny, and as the swelling subsided, the leak opened up. Leaks just don't happen a month or several months out, they're typically misdiagnosed, and often so small that the swelling keeps them from being detected. BUT, what matters now is that you are on your way to full recovery ! ! !

[KaitlynnHughes 9]

Kathy, you are one of the nightmare stories of WLS. I don't know what caused your leak, maybe too much too soon or just bad luck, but I am glad that you survived, and I hope that you will make a speedy recovery and fully heal. I will try and learn from this and not attempt too much too soon. I am only 5 days out now.

One thing that I do NOT understand is why you are not sharing the name of your Doctor. Why do you feel that you need to protect his reputation? What if this is not the first, or even the second time this has happened or WILL happened with this team. This doctor did not take care of you in fact, and you almost died. If this happens with my Doctor - Aceves, much as I respect him, I would tell every one. He needs the embarrassment if nothing else to be more careful. This is a BIG money business. We are the little guys. I hope to see that you have added his name to your profile.

smkeller: I do not blame my doctors nor am i protecting them...i just didn't think to mention them!! They are a fantastic team who took very good care of me both times i was in the hospital! Most doctors these days try and write little things off as no big deal...the symptoms i was having were perfectly normal for my surgery!!! They were just following protocol!! When things didn't seem normal to me anymore is when I pushed that something else could be wrong and they agreed and sent me to the hospital where they took AMAZING care of me! I did mention in my first post that i was their FIRST patient that this has EVER happened too!!! This was just a case of bad luck and i think that it would be almost immature to embarrass such an amazing team, who SAVED MY LIFE, over bad luck!!! I actually have every intention of sending the office a very large expensive gift basket for everything that they have done for me!!! I did not go to Mexico, i went to a private surgical team at a very high rating health network in Pennsylvania!!! They are the General Surgical Associates with Dr. Boorse and Dr. Harrison who perform the bariatric surgeries and they are AWESOME....i HIGHLY reccomend the team for this procedure!!! They are part of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania....you can look up the network....its pretty impressive!!!!

[KaitlynnHughes 9]

What a horrible story, and best wishes on your continued recovery ! ! ! I would venture to guess that since leaks occur pretty soon that all the symptoms you were experiencing were little tale tell signs, and the leak could have been tiny, and as the swelling subsided, the leak opened up. Leaks just don't happen a month or several months out, they're typically misdiagnosed, and often so small that the swelling keeps them from being detected. BUT, what matters now is that you are on your way to full recovery ! ! !

I agree TOTALLY!!! and I think my docs feel the same way!!!

[KaitlynnHughes 9]

I feel so bad for you and I hope for a speedy recovery. I was surprised to hear you were released so fast to go to the gym or lifting. That was a no no for me until after 6 weeks. I could not do any exercise besides walking until after 6 weeks. You mentioned your job requires heavy lifting, I cannot imagine your doctor releasing you to do any heavy lifting until after 2 months. I would revisit that with your Doctor, it sounds too much too soon. We will be praying for you.

I don't know how i was released either....they know what i do for a living we work for the same hospital...lol!!! I was just doing the treadmill and stair climber but after reading other posts it seems like i was advanced pretty fast!!! I have 4 more weeks off of work and during that time i'm looking for a lighter job!!! Thanks for the prayers!!!

[Janese58 11]

I was told walking only for 6 weeks until the staple line has completely healed.