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Family is still suffering from complications of RNY
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I have been very angry over the last 3 years. Our lives will never be the same. For those of you that don't know me, I am NOT the one that had the gastric bypass. I am speaking for our family on behalf of my fiance. After much thought and research, my hunny's ultimate decision to have the weight loss surgery was for his daughter. Our story begins with his surgery in November 2010. He had complications from the beginning. We spent more than 3 weeks in the hospital that first month. RNY was laproscopic. He initially spent 3 days in the hospital and was released with 1 JP drain. Our first sign something was wrong after we came home from the hospital- watching yellow medicine he drank reappear in the JP drain 20 seconds later. We were scared to death as he was being readmitted to the hospital thru the ER. The surgeon that performed the initial surgery told us that there was nothing he could do initially. They made us wait a week because it would be like trying to repair "wet tissue paper." When the pain became severe and blood started appearing in the JP drain, they decided to do emergency exploratory surgery laproscopically. After a couple hours, his mother and I were beginning to get worried. A nurse came out to tell us that they had to cut him open, because they didn't see anything laproscopically. After about 6 hours total, the surgeon came out to the waiting area to tell us that he was fine. (The head surgeon of the group had also been present during that second surgery.) When we inquired about what they did, he said they didn't find anything and they didnt' fix anything. Cut open stem to stern for nothing. Wow. That was hard to swallow, but some part of that story, we just couldn't believe. He was fed intravenously after that and on several pain meds 24/7. The hardest part to swallow was thinking all of that was for nothing. No water to drink. It was painful to watch week after week. I stayed by his side at the hospital. In the end, he was finally discharged with 3 JP drains. We were happy to have him home. In the meantime, because he was in independent contractor, he lost his job. I'll try to make a long story short, because a lot has happened over the course of almost 3 years. We left the hospital thinking he was "magically" fixed since the JP drains didn't show anything further. The follow-up visits were interesting when we discovered he had an ulcer a couple months later. The medicines prescribed to help the ulcer didn't help, so the surgeon prescribed the strongest ulcer medicine, which didn't seem to help either. Then came the endoscopic procedures and we see the fistula (HOLE!) for the first time. What more could happen?! We couldn't foresee the disaster ahead. He tried going back to work with patches for pain. 2 years later, those patches have been a part of him 24/7. He worked for about 6 months before he just couldn't do it anymore. That was the hardest thing for him to swallow... not being able to provide for his family like he had always done. We refused to go back to the hospital where the first couple of procedures were initially done. We had an amazing case worker that kept us sane. She had found another surgeon that was supposed to be the best in his field. He arranged for my hunny to have a titanium clip added endoscopically to close the fistula. When we arrived, we didn't realize this was a new procedure with a new device, so there were a lot of people in the room observing. (Can you say guinea pig?) So we came home with the clip and thought everything would be ok. It seemed as if that may have solved the problem. Months later with pain, we go to see the renowned surgeon again. He draws on a piece of paper a procedure he wants to try because the small hole that food should be going thru to the intestine is scarred and closed from the ulcer. The surgery has no name. He basically planned on roto-rootering the new pouch. Maybe we were foolish to get our hopes up. After the laproscopic surgery, we get some bad news in the recovery room. This surgeon tells us that the clip has come lose and that was a good thing because it's the only way my hunny hasn't had to have emergency surgery. We also learn that from his perspective, the original laproscopic RNY was never completed. He explains that the tool that is used to make the smaller pouch cuts and staples at the same time. He tells us the fistula is from the first procedure being incomplete. After all this, we find out he wasn't able to help. He said he just removed scar tissue. He said that the surgery needed was going to involve something more than he could do laproscopically. Our hearts sank. The next several months involved speaking to other surgeons in our county, all of them passing on the surgery we thought would be our last hope. At this point, we can't find a surgeon or even a PCP for that matter. No one wants to touch him. Our case worker sends us to another county. We drive an hour-and-a-half for nothing. Everyone is afraid of malpractice. So here we sit. Trips to the emergency room for kidney stones, free air from a perforated ulcer, a surgical hernia the size of a softball... It's to the point now where it isn't even worth going to the ER for help, because they don't know how to help. No one does. Our medical disability was exhausted. We are awaiting our trial for social security disability because he was denied on our initial application and appeal. A judge has ruled that he isn't able to work, but I guess that isn't enough. This man I love is falling apart. Our family is falling apart. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. He thinks this surgery will be the death of him. He tries to hide his pain, both physical and emotional, from his little girl. Our "quality" of life has diminished. Even though he was morbidly overweight, we had a life. We would go to Disneyland, play in drum corps, ride our bikes, go out to eat or to the movies... Now, he is nauseous all the time. He hurts really bad. He runs to the bathroom. One day he can eat soup and the next day it makes him throw-up. No money. No solutions in sight. No more hope. Depressed.