Hello all. I've posted on here before about my nightmare after surgery, I thought it was time for an update. I was sleeved 12/27/12 in Tijuana, things didn't feel right from the beginning, I was hospitalized over there 4 times in the 3 months that followed and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, dr thought I wasn't trying hard enough but I just couldn't get or keep anything in. I'm from San Diego, btw, so it was easy to come back and forth, finally on 3/23/13 Since I could no longer walk because I was so weak and absolutely nothing was staying down, my parents took me to the er at scripps mercy hospital. After a bunch of tests and less than a day later they found the leak. They put me on tpn, I was hospitalized for 5.5 weeks, the nurses told me later I was very very sick and they weren't sure I was gonna make it but I did. After that hospitalization I was sent home early may on tpn and with a pjs drain hanging out of my back, and obviously not having anything by mouth. I was fine for about 2 months then the first blood infection came, my picc line got infected, so i went back to the er with a really high fever, I was septic, that happened 4 more times the remainder of the year. The dr was hoping it'll heal on it's own since it would be best for me, that didn't happen, they tried outing a powder on the leak that helps scar twice and that didn't help, finally they tried a stent and of course that didn't help either. Btw having a stent is the most miserable I felt the whole time, never ending nausea is no joke. The whole time I was going through this I had a chronic cough, it got so bad, sometimes I couldn't talk, I now know that since my case is "peculiar" I also have damage to my left lung and might need some of it removed after my main issue is fixed, that is also one of the reasons drs have been so careful with my case. Anyway on my last hospital stay in December, they put a j tube in (feeding tube) since they could no longer put in picc lines to feed me because they kept getting infected. It has made a big difference, I feel healthier and I can do a lot more things now, except I still can't eat and have a j tube and pjs drain hanging out of my body for over a year now. I haven't been back to the hospital since December, so that's good, bit I'm emotionally drained, I want this to be over so bad, I just can't take it anymore. Right now we're waiting for my insurance to approve a cat scan to see if there's any improvement on my lung and my dr can decide what the next step is, it's surgery for sure but they don't know whether it'd be converting to a bypass or removing my stomach completely, if that's the case they have to see how far up the damage is on my body to see if a dr here I'm San Diego can do it or if it's more complex and they have to send me to USC to see another dr. They might need to bring part of my colon up to attach to my esophagus and intestine and no one here in San Diego does that. I hope I made sense. I just want to get it all out there. After over a year of this I feel like people around me don't wanna hear it anymore but this is my life right now, I need to vent. The only thing I have going on for me is the weight loss but I'm not sure if it was worth it some days. Not being aw to drink or eat anything is driving me crazy and I'm not a happy person at all. If you made it this far, thanks for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm an open book. I think that complications are not talked about enough and I don't want to scare anyone from getting surgery because I've seen awesome results on many people but complications are real and sometimes downplayed.

Ana..how many times have I encouraged you to drink G2 Gatorade. It helps keep your electrolytes up and will make your trips to the ER disappear. 17 months later and I still drink 1/2 of a bottle diluted with water and I can feel it if I don't drink it..Oh yes I get my 64 oz of water in as well. But that really makes a difference.

G2 is fantastic! It will get you right out of dehydration. I use it every week. I'm good with my fluid intake most days, but then I'll get extra busy and forget for a day. I start getting dizzy and lightheaded. I drink my G2 for a day or 2 and start my cycle over again. It really does help.

i cant drink yet. until i get the all clear that the hole in my stomach has closed.

How far out from being sleeved do most complications occur? I am 17 days post op & still am very worried about complications. So far I have had no issues. I feel so bad for everyone who has had them. My prayers are with you.

You can get complications at any time. Most are in the beginning. Anything after tends to be nutrition related.

So appreciate the prayers and thoughts.

Hi my name is Teri- I too had complications from my sleeve surgery I was sleeved in August 2012, I was hospitalized for probably five weeks and i never went back to work for about five months I understand totally what you're going through I did have two stents put in. It was very complicated. I do know the only way you heal us by tpn. but all know that you do get better and life does get better so please keep the spirits up it will be worth it in the end

I went to the doctors yesterday and I am doing well tomorrow I go for an upper GI and they are clamping my Jtube....and if all goes well in 3 weeks it will be removed and so will my PICC line....I hope all goes well when my stomach is not draining...just wanted to share that there is a light at the end of the tunnel

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I am TICKLED for you. Oh my ... I had a PICC line and it really stunk so having been in that position, I can say that I know what that feeling is like. I actually had to force mine to take it out since he left it in for the last week because he said they may need to use it when I had an EGD. I went they can put in a IV you aren't supposed to leave those in for convienence.

Been gone for a while, sorry. Picc line infections are super scary, I hope I never have to go through that again. I got my cat scan today, hopefully I get the results tomorrow. I think someone previously asked how I managed to get another dr, my original surgeon was in Tijuana so when I went of the er here in San Diego I was lucky my current dr, dr. Zorn was there. He really is amazing. I'm so thankful for him,

I envy you! No other care is in the area, once lose your surgeon. Its something I talk about and tell others to look and ask questions about.

Oh wow, I can't imagine not being able to find another surgeon in my area, I would've died! I've been very lucky. My home health nurse told me about a patient she had with a leak who her dr wouldn't see her anymore because she had no money to put up front for a surgery, she was already in debt from previous surgeries. I can't imagine how frustrating that would be.

That's why I post in my blog about what I believe to be a retaliation (which by law is illegal) for filing a HIPAA complaint against my doctor. I simply want others to hear of what the facts are, because what is said and done are two different things at time. No one should have to suffer because a doctor just wasn't what he appeared to be and didn't appear "doctor" professional at all times. In my case, I've gone downhill because docs dont know about PICC lines, nutrition, etc. The ones I have are trying their best, believe me, but I get questions because they expected that office to follow the bariatric surgery complications.

Here is an email I sent to their risk manager (because I got stuck with her, I didn't ask for her). Sad because the surgery was fine, its just everything with it being the problem, and that other docs in the hospital group aren't like this. I've got several great ones that are just over the top fabulous.

its hard because I compare how he acted compared to them.

Ma'am,

A question I have for you, that is really the main cause of all this.

I had a Sentara doc long before the MyChart came up. He was great. I trusted him because if he made a mistake or there was a problem, we fixed it as a team. I trusted him more because I knew he put my health first, and that even to a minor issue or whatever, he had the self respect and decency and courage to be honest about it. I raved about him to everyone. People thought more of him not because he was perfect, but because of his character when he wasn't.

When Dr. Fontana misdiagnosed the gallbladder issue last year, I just wanted him to apologize and fix the problem. I didn't think I would have to jump through hoops and go through all sorts of misery for it. The church I go to, we understand mistakes. We're all human, it is our belief we're all sinners. We expect, and understand, apologies and working to make things better. I know not all are like that, but we Christians are. Forgiveness is something we're familiar with, and we believe Christ forgives us when we sin, make mistakes, and when we try to do better.

Yet when that couldn't be done by the Sentara docs, we'd get blamed for the error. I have no care now, and most of that stems from the fact I had someone who blamed me for the problem, who wouldn't deal honestly with me on it, and then "shuffled" around a few other things. Rather than Sentara simply saying 'hey there's an issue, lets address it, or maybe the original doc you wanted might be a better fit for you', I've gotten nothing but comments I'm mental, my care is dumped, it gives me a history, and I've had to spend time trying to correct records that aren't as accurate as they could be.

Is Sentara no longer in the business of hiring people who don't have the respect, honesty and courage to recognize a mistake and just work with a patient to make it better, its just dump them, who cares, move on? If not all Sentara docs are like Dr. Fontana, then maybe we patients are not all sue happy people either, you know? Trust is a two way street. Time and again, I've seen we'll dump our care, leave you high and dry, because fixing mistakes, apologizing, working with us, isn't something Sentara is about - or the question that there's one doctor or practice that maybe isn't. As a person looks at a Christian and sees their mistakes, and judges all Christians by it, don't you think that when my family, friends, coworkers, etc. see this, they judge Sentara for it? As a Christian I represent Christ, and its hard for non Christians to separate my actions as me and not for all Christians. Don't you think its hard for us patients to separate one doctors' (and maybe a practice or administration, don't know) actions from Sentara?

I'll tell you this, when Dr. Fontana in Jan 2012 said that he didn't know the cause of something, its something we bragged on. Because at that point, I thought I had someone who was like my old Sentara doc who did have some integrity, had some Christian values. My church agreed. Looking back now, I'd say we misjudged. Christ has told us that he will repay, He will judge, and I've asked people to pray more for my former doc than me.

The answer to this shouldn't be one that takes forever to give, because I'm using this issue to find out what Sentara stands for.

I'm so sorry that you've not only had to deal with complications with your health but also with drs. I don't know what I would do in the position on without a dr I felt very happy with.

Thanks. Appreciate it. Happens. We learn and move on, that is what I'm about. I want others to see, learn and then take it so they don't have the same experience. The group in question is not interested in any changes, from what I can tell, nor in a dialogue, so why not let patients know what they might expect and allow them to take up the issue to get a better experience than I had?

Sort of parents are for. LOL my parents though didn't seem to mind us making a few mistakes so we learned. Fortunately being the last child of 4, it was a touch easier for me although my sisters didn't really care for it. I made out a bit better doing so at their expense.

Plus since some docs dont know about after care, and complications, we should know and be prepared to move on them. Waiting only makes things worse.

Well that was a big bust...I still have a leak...it is the size of a pin hole going in for tests Monday probably going to get a stent ...very depressed today

Ouch! eLet us know how you get on. Wow ... I would have been screaming after a day, I don't know how you do it.