That's it. After my year appointment I left my surgeons office in tears. Hell I was crying while talking to the S.O,B. It's time for me to write everything down and see an attorney to see if I have a case. First he sent me out of the hospital despite me begging to stay another day because I couldn't keep down the 4 oz of a fluid an hour that he "demands of all his patients" and I was constantly, I mean nonstop heaving. He also did no leak test which I was ok with because his theory made sense: that soon after surgery the tissue is too inflamed to see if there is a hole or not. Second, one week later I went to their ER with moderate chest pain. I told them I was a patient of his one week out from surgery, they called him with the costocondritis diagnosis and he ok'd it without any scans or tests and they sent me home with some tramadol. Third, about one week after that the chest pain had gotten worse, I was miserable, and was starting to vomit again because he wouldn't refill my zofran. That's when they found the "abscess" in my abdomen and scheduled me for emergency exploratory surgery the following morning. They found nothing but an abscess then, they suctioned it out and put in a JP drain. After they went inside they found MRSA and I am now a carrier. There were several small incidents during my month in the hospital that really need to be written down but it's already on another thread here and I really don't feel like typing it all right now. () After several several tests and about a full week later they finally diagnosed me with a leak and I was on TPN strict NPO for the month to let it heal. The only other option was a stent. He would do nothing else. During my entire month stay I was on a pain pump receiving 1 mg of morphine every six minutes. He unplugged me and sent me home cold turkey with a prescription for antibiotics and 2 days worth of tylox. During my DTs I almost ended up returning to the ER but I refused to go back. After that I developed a mass at my drain site that was warm to the touch and very painful, I called him on the phone (as instructed by his nurses) and while talking to him my drain site popped open and began self draining the MRSA filled fluid that was building up. Almost immediately the pressure was gone and he said, "well there we go. Anything else? No? Good. I guess if it becomes too much for you to control with home bandaging you could come in to the ER goodbye" *click* Fourth- my follow up appointment, I didn't see him, I saw his nurse practitioner. Part of me was relieved because at least she's nice but wouldn't you think a surgeon should see his first sleeve leak patient just a couple weeks out of surgery? Fifth strike- he didn't show up at my 6 month check up either. Yesterday was strike six. My year check up. His attitude again was unbearable. He crossed the line beyond fixing. He said the following: "the reason your fibro is bad is because you're still fat." "Your colon is going to stop functioning if you keep taking these narcotics" "your list of medications is ridiculous I think you have an addiction problem and I recommend you seek treatment and get a different doctor" "you're LYING about your pain as an excuse to not lose weight" I have gone from moderate pain to severe post op. I've had to up my meds (including antidepressants) and have been fighting with my doctors the entire way because they want me to sign up for disability and I'm only 26 and refuse to give up yet. I also have severe osteoarthritis in my hips and plans to start my series of trigger point shots so I can cut back the amount of meds I take. But that doesn't matter. He still said what he said. I'm done. My surgeon is a scumbag.

Thank you all for your support. I really wasn't sure about pursuing this but I think I should. Worst case scenario the attorney says there's no case.

I think you have an addiction problem. I'm not saying that to be cruel, but honestly, I recognise your story. That was my story too, after I had both of my knees replaced. The pain was unbearable and getting worse. One year out, I was still on narcotics and arguing with my doctor, who said I had an addiction problem. I did not believe him. I was in PAIN. (I decided i had Fibro too...)

Anyway, one morning I woke up and needed my medication. And I realised I wasn't in pain. Just needed the narcotics. I realised I WAS an addict and went cold turkey right there and then. It was the hardest thing i have ever done. Excruciatingly painful.

Turns out, the pain I was feeling was actually the sensation of "coming down" off the meds. Felt like pain to me, but was actually being CAUSED by the narcotics (Oxynorm). I had to take them more and more frequently to keep on top of the "pain". A self perpetuating issue leading who knows where.

Don't fight with your doctor. He may be a jerk, but your priority is you, and getting off the meds and getting your life back. Get help. Good luck.

I think you have an addiction problem. I'm not saying that to be cruel, but honestly, I recognise your story. That was my story too, after I had both of my knees replaced. The pain was unbearable and getting worse. One year out, I was still on narcotics and arguing with my doctor, who said I had an addiction problem. I did not believe him. I was in PAIN. (I decided i had Fibro too...) Anyway, one morning I woke up and needed my medication. And I realised I wasn't in pain. Just needed the narcotics. I realised I WAS an addict and went cold turkey right there and then. It was the hardest thing i have ever done. Excruciatingly painful. Turns out, the pain I was feeling was actually the sensation of "coming down" off the meds. Felt like pain to me, but was actually being CAUSED by the narcotics (Oxynorm). I had to take them more and more frequently to keep on top of the "pain". A self perpetuating issue leading who knows where. Don't fight with your doctor. He may be a jerk, but your priority is you, and getting off the meds and getting your life back. Get help. Good luck.

I am absolutely not an addict and if my doctor had even taken a moment to listen to my explanation of why I am not an addict he would have retracted his statement.

I'm glad YOU "decided" you had fibro. However I have been DIAGNOSED by 3 different physicians who had no knowledge of my previous diagnoses because I was in denial about accepting the truth.

So you most certainly do not recognize my story. You don't know all the medications, various treatments, and everything else under the sun I tried to AVOID the use narcotic medication.

Your pain was withdrawal symptoms but mine absolutely is not. My butrans patch is an opiate agonist so without my pain meds I do not have any withdrawal symptoms. I take my medication when I'm in pain. Not daily and not out of habit.

My life is fibromyalgia. Not addiction. I know the difference very well. Not once have taken my meds to get high. The doctor that handles my pain management for now is also an addiction specialist. I do believe she knows more than a Bariatric surgeon and a person who thinks they know me and my story.

I haven't lost my life to addiction and being judgmental like you did, not to be mean. Get help. Good luck.

I'm shocked at what u have been through . My 1st consultation was very bad . The surgeon was disrespectful . I immediately left n never returned . That's a sure sign that he wasn't the doc for anyone . I found the best doc who was the best in my city . Do what your heart tells you Liv. Sorry for all you've been through.

Did he put you on Prilosec to prevent an abscess or ulcer? A leak test is mandatory in my opinion. Thank God I had one and if you had a leak you would not go home like you did. Did the leak cause the abscess? Hmmm. Every State has a website where you can make complaints about doctors, but I would seek legal advice before doing anything. Not one lawyer, but THREE consults and do not tell any of them about the other lawyers. Make sure you do not pick a lawyer from the phone book or Internet. Ever!

We had 10 meetings with our doctor's group of nutritionist, office, support staff, schedulers, that included 20-30 other sleevers congregated each time. I probably live in a larger city than you though.

Best wishes, and I am so sorry.

Did he put you on Prilosec to prevent an abscess or ulcer? A leak test is mandatory in my opinion. Thank God I had one and if you had a leak you would not go home like you did. Did the leak cause the abscess? Hmmm. Every State has a website where you can make complaints about doctors, but I would seek legal advice before doing anything. Not one lawyer, but THREE consults and do not tell any of them about the other lawyers. Make sure you do not pick a lawyer from the phone book or Internet. Ever! We had 10 meetings with our doctor's group of nutritionist, office, support staff, schedulers, that included 20-30 other sleevers congregated each time. I probably live in a larger city than you though. Best wishes, and I am so sorry.

Yes he put me on Prilosec immediately after surgery. He was amazing pre-op. Kind, understanding, very reasonable and answered any and all questions clearly and well mannered. I was thinking of seeing more than one attorney to make sure if they say yes, it's a solid yes.

The fact that you can call your city large is a big indication that it's bigger than mine lol. The population if my town is somewhere between 15-20 thousand. Southern Indiana (my area in particular) is veeeeery rural

Document every detail. Get your family to document what they remember. Get it together. Warning, if you sue someone and a jury finds him not guilty of malpractice, you could be liable for his lawuer fees and court costs. You mist make sure you get excellent legal advice from an experienced lawyer, not some hotshot young lawyer who gushes words to make you happy.

It's terrible that you've had these complications, and such a difficult recovery, however leaks are a risk, infection is a risk that we are informed of prior to giving consent for surgery. It sucks that it happened to you but it sounds like you had appropriate treatment and the complications are resolved?

It also sounds like your surgeon is as frustrated with you as you are with him. He was nice and kind post op and now he is rude. Maybe a new physician is a good step to take? Yes, he's a professional, but also human and some people just don't work well together. It might help you take a step back and hear what your doctor is saying to you. Long term use of narcotics is bad for your physical and mental health. They are addicting and people do develop a tolerance, needing more and more to get the same effect. They are hard on your now altered GI system. That isn't a judgement just a fact. Getting off them ASAP is always advisable and most people on long term narcotics need help to do it. Also, it is common for those of us with food issues to develop other not so healthy coping methods. Your doctor knows you, and he says you have a problem. You owe it to yourself to at least explore the possibility and get help.

I do agree with what SueRN has posted. Sounds like the doctor at this point is using a little bit of tough love. You did mention that you are only 26, too young to be on pain meds the rest of your life. How much weight have you lost? Maybe he feels that you have not done well based on how much you have lost. I don't think suing will get you anywhere but a long drawn out process and well for what? Poor bedside manner and how can you prove he really did not send you for the correct procedure to make you better; sounds like he did.

Move on and put this in the past and focus on making you better! You have the rest of your fantastic life to live not dwell on what happened or didn't. As they say life is too short for this to be eating at you. Good Luck.

Good posts Sue and Amazon. Lawyering up is not something to do lightly. But a good lawyer will tell you if there is malpractice in their opinion. There is too much unknown here by us about your situation Liz. Best wishes, as you do step back and think about your role in this situation. Hugs and happiness,

Going beyond the OP's specific situation, I've been doing my research very, very hard (like everyone here) regarding the selection of a surgeon so as to maximize my chances of success with VSG surgery.

It seems to me that the only ways patients can try to control our outcomes are to (1) find the MOST experienced surgeons possible (who have the most experience with OUR type of surgery) at the hospital where THE MOST numbers of our surgeries have been done and 2) be 100% compliant with our doctors' pre- and post-op instructions.

What I think I'm seeing are fewer complications in larger medical markets (big cities) and more complications in smaller markets. This seems to align with (1) above.

And yes, complications CAN occur anywhere and are caused by other factors.

I appreciate all the stories about complications that members post here. They really are helpful to me. Thanks to the OP.

It's terrible that you've had these complications, and such a difficult recovery, however leaks are a risk, infection is a risk that we are informed of prior to giving consent for surgery. It sucks that it happened to you but it sounds like you had appropriate treatment and the complications are resolved? It also sounds like your surgeon is as frustrated with you as you are with him. He was nice and kind post op and now he is rude. Maybe a new physician is a good step to take? Yes, he's a professional, but also human and some people just don't work well together. It might help you take a step back and hear what your doctor is saying to you. Long term use of narcotics is bad for your physical and mental health. They are addicting and people do develop a tolerance, needing more and more to get the same effect. They are hard on your now altered GI system. That isn't a judgement just a fact. Getting off them ASAP is always advisable and most people on long term narcotics need help to do it. Also, it is common for those of us with food issues to develop other not so healthy coping methods. Your doctor knows you, and he says you have a problem. You owe it to yourself to at least explore the possibility and get help.

I do agree with most of this post entirely. He was only kind PRE-op. As soon as he preformed the surgery he turned into a jerk. The entire time I was in the hospital with my leak he made an ass of himself, annoyed by his own mistakes and the fact he had to own up to a leak and tarnish his reputation.

As for the narcotic situation, again, I'm well aware of all the comes with taking them. I live in a town where prescription abuse is overwhelming. I know what taking them entails and am doing everything in my power to get away from them and seek alternate treatments like seeing a specialist for trigger point shots.

And again, the physician treating my pain is an addiction specialist. She's also handled my mental health for 11 years.

I'm fully aware of my circumstances. Thank you though, for your input.

Apart from the surgeon I am happy for you that you have a team of doctors that you can trust to get you through this. I've witnessed the impact of the complications you had in practice and can't imagine the pain and fear you went through. I know it's a risk we take but we all think it won't happen to us.

You may be on to something when you say he is having difficulty accepting responsibility for a mistake and taking it out on you. Whatever is going on it is a toxic relationship. Whatever you decide to do legally, I hope you find a surgeon for follow up that can be supportive instead of causing you this pain. We all have our issues, if we didn't there would be no need for bariatric surgeons. I do think it would be irresponsible of any physician to not point out how the issues we have impact our health but nothing is gained by being cruel.

Apart from the surgeon I am happy for you that you have a team of doctors that you can trust to get you through this. I've witnessed the impact of the complications you had in practice and can't imagine the pain and fear you went through. I know it's a risk we take but we all think it won't happen to us. You may be on to something when you say he is having difficulty accepting responsibility for a mistake and taking it out on you. Whatever is going on it is a toxic relationship. Whatever you decide to do legally, I hope you find a surgeon for follow up that can be supportive instead of causing you this pain. We all have our issues, if we didn't there would be no need for bariatric surgeons. I do think it would be irresponsible of any physician to not point out how the issues we have impact our health but nothing is gained by being cruel.

I was his first sleeve leak. I think that has a lot to do with it. He flat out told us in the hospital he didn't know what to do. What he didn't tell us was following that statement he consulted with other surgeons. He let us keep thinking for several days that he was clueless.

You're in the field, you know how some surgeons are arrogant anyway, or experienced it with various surgeries in my life first hand and the people around me, but this guy takes the cake lol

At this point I'm completely lost. I have compiled and documented everything I went through and what my mother, father, stepmother, and fiancé witnessed the first week or two when I was in and out of consciousness (thank you morphine!)

But I am CLUELESS as to finding an attorney. I've never had any issues with anything legal aside from jury duty. I'm well aware of the slim chance I have a case, and I know if I do it will be settled to avoid totally trashing his reputation. I hate that this is happening. My mother had a DS done by him one month after my complications and she has since lost around 120+lbs. I just say she's lost both Olsen twins. So far her surgery is going perfectly but she is developing a concern. She isn't watching her caloric intake, she gets her Protein, but she also consumes a lot of calories and is still rapidly losing weight. Whereas I have done everything by the book (diet and supplement wise) and in around 16 months have only lost around 50-60lbs. (I no longer look at the scale because it just depresses me.)

I'm STILL dealing with complications from the surgery. A VERY elevated SED rate, a higher tolerance to all medications (please save the narcotics speech, I cry almost every time I have to take a pill because I know the damage and the consequences.)

I strongly believe he didn't remove enough of the fundus. When I started puréed, 8 oz wasn't a problem. I have been sick once from drinking too much Water too fast, but never from overeating. I did my own cottage cheese pouch test...12 ounces before I even started feeling full! But I still always measure my meals 4-6oz as my "surgery bible" recommends for sleeve patients.

As much as I hate that I'm even thinking of this, maybe I need to get the lapband or look into a sleeve revision (different surgeon of course!)

I'm 5'4" and weigh 220ish give or take a few pounds. That's after a surgery that almost killed me. After a surgery I was promised by my surgeon that would get me to a healthy BMI as long as I complied. Well I've complied for over a year and nothing. I've tried boot camp, I've tried raising and lowering calories...anything an everything I've been advised to do by my nutritionist and the vets on this board and NADA. Something is not right.

I digress...how on earth do I go about finding good attorneys? Not the ones with PowerPoint commercials on local channels or faces on the sides of a bus. I need help finding a handful of lawyers to present my case to, to see if it's even worth pursuing. The statute of limitation in Indiana is 2 years. So time's a wastin'!

Any advice?