Hi everyone...I would just like to share what happened to me in hopes that nobody else has to go through it. I am humiliated still.

I started having problems eating and drinking on Thursday, and by Friday, I couldn't eat or drink at all. I was so nauseated. I left work early and called my surgeon, because I didn't know if something was wrong with the band. His nurse was concerned that I might be dehydrated, and she didn't want me throwing up, so she advised me to go to the ER. She said they would probably give me some IV fluids and send me home. I am leery of the ER, so I told her I didn't want to go. I was really weak anyway, and didn't want to drive. I told her I would wait until my husband got home and discuss it with him. She said that I shouldn't wait. I told her that I was going to wait anyway.

When hubby got home, I was basically lying in bed totally lethargic. I felt like my eyeballs were dry. I had no appetite and no interest in drinking. And now, I was in a lot of pain. We decided that I should go to the ER. I went, and they started an IV. They called my surgeon, and he said based on my bloodwork that I should be admitted. He ordered a CAT scan while I was still in the ER. I had the test done, and was given some IV pain meds and nausea meds, which helped me tremendously. I got moved to my room at 3am.

I was unable to sleep through the night. I was still hurting and felt like throwing up. I was moved to radiology where I met my surgeon at 1030am. He was apparently in a bad mood. I was really shocked because he was real abrupt and abrasive with me. He checked the placement of the band, and it was fine. He inserted the syringe to make sure there was no fluid in the band. He had numbed the area so that was okay, and there was no fluid to be found. He just said, "OK, I'm discharging you. Stay on liquids." I told him I couldn't stay on anything because I couldn't eat or drink. I kept trying to ask him what was wrong with me. I started to cry because I was afraid. He just said all of the tests he did were normal and that I should go home. I asked about a GI scan and he said he would not do that. He refused to listen to me cry about being in pain. He said he would prescribe some Protonix, which is like an antacid. I still tried to plead my case...and he just walked out on me while I was talking!! I couldn't believe it. I did a lot of research on doctors because it is important to me to have a doctor with a good bedside manner, and I was completely shocked by his sudden attitude change.

I cried all the way to my room. I begged the nurses to talk with him. They had witnessed that I was in pain. They said that they would talk with him and they left the room. A few minutes later he came back, and he was angry! I was crying a lot now, I told him that I was scared, and he was saying that there was nothing wrong with me. I tried to tell him I couldn't keep anything down. He said he just watched the contrast fluid go all the way into my stomach. I told him I felt sick and it wasn't going to stay down. I started to tell him again how awful I felt, and again, he just walked out of the room! I was sobbing. I didn't have anyone with me so I just sat there alone and cried.

The nurses came back and said they talked with him again and he said I could stay another night, but only with fluids and no meds. I asked how I was supposed to eat or drink? I couldn't put anything in my mouth. I started to feel sick from the contrast. The nurses said they would call him because I was so upset. I also demanded to see another doctor. I told them that I didn't feel well and I was not comfortable and I just wanted to know what was wrong with me. They said they would get their supervisor. I asked them if he didn't want to prescribe a narcotic, I was fine with that. I just needed something like Toradol that would go into the IV. I told them I didn't need Dilaudid or Morphine, just something for the pain that I didn't have to swallow.

This horrible, horrible woman came to my room. She was a supervisor of some sort that was on-call. She immediately started to tell me that I must have done something wrong, or eaten something to get myself sick. She starte to lecture me about the Lap-band. I told her I didn't need a lecture, that I wanted to see another doctor that could help me and I didn't bring her there for a lecture. She started to go on about me having psycho-social matters and that I needed to change my ways. I got VERY mad and told her that I didn't need her insinuation that this was in my head. I told her that I am an educated woman and they were treating me like some thug or junkie off the street looking for drugs. I told her that if I needed drugs that bad that I could ask a few people and get them on the street and it would be a lot cheaper than coming to the hospital. She laughed at me and told me she doubted it, which right there tipped me off that they really thought that I just wanted pain meds! I told her that I wasn't going to accept this type of treatment and I demanded to see a doctor. She told me to call my primary doctor to see what he said. I told her that he wasn't going to do anything since another doctor had me admitted. She said that if I wanted another doctor that's what I had to do and she, also, walked right out. I was distraught. I couldn't believe they were treating me like some drug addict. I called my primary doctor and the answering service said that they wouldn't even put the call through because I was in inpatient. I was just crying my eyes out. The nurses came back and tried to comfort me, then they left again. During the time they were gone, I got very ill. I had to go to the bathroom and throw up in the toilet. It was so painful. I had a lot of dry heaves because there was not much to throw up. I was so weak I couldn't get off of the floor. I called for the nurses and they had to help me up and back into the bed, where I continued throwing up. The nurses left again, and I while I was throwing up, I got a sudden, sharp, terrible pain in my right side. I literally screamed. I was screaming and screaming. I screamed for help and nobody came. I screamed for a doctor and nobody came. I screamed for anybody and nobody came. I thought I would pass out, but the pain was so intense all I could do was scream. Finally my door opened, and it was some techs. I guess it was three or four of them. THEY WERE LAUGHING AT ME. I begged them to get help and they just stood there and giggled. I was hurting, and embarrassed. I heard the intercom turn on in my room a minute later. I could hear whispers and giggles. I was completely mortified. I was asking for help and they were listening in on the intercom to laugh at me! Finally one of my nurses came back and asked me if I was okay?!?! I yelled at the top of my lungs, "GET ME A F***** DOCTOR!!!" She said that she tried and couldn't. I asked her to call my husband and please get me to the ER. I said something was terribly wrong and I needed to go to the ER. She just kind of looked at me and left. I was a mixture of crying, throwing up, and being humiliated and embarrassed.

After about 20 minutes, my nurses both came back. They said I was disturbing the other patients. I was just in disbelief. They had some liquid pain meds the doctor finally ordered. I said I couldn't take it because I couldn't keep anything down. They said if I needed the pain meds that was all the doctor would give and I had better try to take it. They also had some pills. I asked what it was and they told me it was Xanax. It was two pills that didn't look anything like Xanax that I would know. I told them I was not going to take the tranquilizer because I wanted a doctor and I wasn't going to let them drug me. They said I had to calm down and take the Xanax. I told them I didn't want it! They said nothing was going to happen and nobody would help me until I took it. I was finally so beat down and sick that I took it. It was a huge dose because it put me out for twelve hours.

I woke up feeling worse than before. I was so mortified that everyone who heard me suffering. I was embarrassed that I was taken for an addict off the street. I was distressed that I was still sick and not allowed to see a doctor. I said nothing to nobody when I woke up the next day. I was completely defeated. My doctor did not come to see me when I was discharged. The nurse apologized to me. I told her it was not her fault and I know that she did everything she could to get me help. She honestly felt bad for me.

I am still sick today. I have a lot of pain in my side. I don't have a gallbladder there anymore, but it seems to be lower than that, and I have a history of intestinal problems. I cannot believe that they wouldn't even get me checked out!

I talked to an attorney today. One thing that you have to understand about me is that I am a very passive person. I am non-agressive, very shy, and it is not like me to stand up for myself. I normally take the answer I am given and just live with it, even if I know I am right. I am certainly not a litigious person, but I feel very violated at this time.

I am too scared to see a doctor now. I am really afraid of going through this type of thing again. All of my doctors are based out of this particular hospital, so I am going to need to find another GI to have these tests done.

I am also dropping my surgeon. He is a great surgeon and I will not take that from him, but the way he treated me is unacceptable. I almost do not want to pay him, but I am not like that. Also, he works out of this hospital where I was treated so poorly. I have consulted Dr. Carter's office and they said that he would be happy to continue my after-care.

I do not know what the attorney will tell me once he reviews the notes. I do know this: if you are ever in a predicament where you do not feel that you are getting the care you need, tell someone. Get the highest person in the hospital involved. I read my patient rights, and it clearly said that I had the right to proper assessment and pain management! If the supervisor doesn't resolve your issue demand a transfer to the ER, and if they don't give it to you, discharge yourself and go the to ER. That's what I should have done, but instead, I took the tranquilizers they forced on me. I was too weak to get to the ER myself, anyway.

PLEASE don't let this happen to you. If you must be admitted into the hospital, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Read the book they give you, don't just throw it away! If you know that you are going to be admitted in advance, discuss pain management with your doctor, and find out what you should do if an emergency arises and he/she is not available.

I am still reeling from this. Please excuse this long post.

(((((((((80'sChick)))))))))

I'm truly speechless. I mean, what if you had appendicitis or something equally as serious? Would it have taken you to go into a coma before they decided, "Hey, this lady is really ill...".

I'm glad it wasn't something so bad as that, but I do hope you get it checked out. Best wishes and let us know how you are faring.

I really want to express how grateful I am for all of the concern and suggestions you all have given me. I am so glad that I found this community. You are all such wonderful, caring people. I am glad to be here.

I am not sure what is wrong with me. I am still hurting (which is why I haven't been here much) and I continue to have a terrible, awful pain in my shoulder and neck. It became so unbearable that I finally went to Care Now. The doctor there could only prescribe me some Flexeril. To my exasperation, the medicine is not working. It doesn't even put a dent in the pain. I called them back today and the doctor told me to go to the ER. :smile: YEAH, RIGHT! :thumbdown:

So, I am very depressed. I suffer from depression anyway, but this has really done me in. I am tired of being in pain, I am tired of doctors, and I am tired of what I feel is failure to be well. I am sorry if this is not positive, and I really should not be negative, but I feel like I am drowning and it is hard to pull myself out of this. I continue to pray about it, and I guess that's all I can do. My health problems are beginning to take a toll on my marriage. I don't know how much more my husband can take. He literally does almost everything. I wouldn't blame him for leaving. I don't even like to be around me.

Again, sorry for the negativity. Today is not a good day. I even ate some pizza. :sad:

I really want to express how grateful I am for all of the concern and suggestions you all have given me. I am so glad that I found this community. You are all such wonderful, caring people. I am glad to be here.

I am not sure what is wrong with me. I am still hurting (which is why I haven't been here much) and I continue to have a terrible, awful pain in my shoulder and neck. It became so unbearable that I finally went to Care Now. The doctor there could only prescribe me some Flexeril. To my exasperation, the medicine is not working. It doesn't even put a dent in the pain. I called them back today and the doctor told me to go to the ER. :smile: YEAH, RIGHT! :thumbdown:

So, I am very depressed. I suffer from depression anyway, but this has really done me in. I am tired of being in pain, I am tired of doctors, and I am tired of what I feel is failure to be well. I am sorry if this is not positive, and I really should not be negative, but I feel like I am drowning and it is hard to pull myself out of this. I continue to pray about it, and I guess that's all I can do. My health problems are beginning to take a toll on my marriage. I don't know how much more my husband can take. He literally does almost everything. I wouldn't blame him for leaving. I don't even like to be around me.

Again, sorry for the negativity. Today is not a good day. I even ate some pizza. :sad:

I don't know what to say, is this pain something different? Before you had a pain lower, related to the lap band, possibly intestinal? Are you being treated for depression and taking any meds for it? I hope I'm not being too forward about the topic.

We all have times where we feel really bad about almost everything! I think your experience in this hospital was very traumatic for you and can affect you in a lot of ways. It doesn't sound like your husband was there with you at the time and I don't know if that's an issue but maybe you need someone to talk to about it all. Of course I don't know you but you just seem to be in despair and as a person who has been there many times I usually try to get people to be proactive about their mental health as well as their physical health which to me is equally important. Hope things get better, brandyII.

I'm sorry you are having to go through all of this and hope you get some answers soon. Take care and keep us posted on how you are doing!

80'schick: I don't know how to help you feel better. I would certainly suggest that you find another doctor. Even if that means going to the ER for immediate relief. You had mentioned a differrent hospital that was nearby. Maybe you could go to THAT ER instead. You have been in pain for a little while now and as stated before it is changing (was lower, now higher).

Flexeril is a muscle relaxant. If it's not working, than maybe the pain you have is not muscle related after all. What diagnosis did the physician at Care Now give you?

Are you in touch with your surgeon? You are so newly banded that you NEED to be seeing a doctor to manage at least the band/post op part of your health. If what you're experiencing is not band related, than you need to be seeing your Primary Care Physician to establish a plan. Maybe you need to see a specialist. Have you had x-rays? CT scan? Lab work?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to help.

~C

I really want to express how grateful I am for all of the concern and suggestions you all have given me. I am so glad that I found this community. You are all such wonderful, caring people. I am glad to be here.

I am not sure what is wrong with me. I am still hurting (which is why I haven't been here much) and I continue to have a terrible, awful pain in my shoulder and neck. It became so unbearable that I finally went to Care Now. The doctor there could only prescribe me some Flexeril. To my exasperation, the medicine is not working. It doesn't even put a dent in the pain. I called them back today and the doctor told me to go to the ER. :sneaky: YEAH, RIGHT! :leaving:

So, I am very depressed. I suffer from depression anyway, but this has really done me in. I am tired of being in pain, I am tired of doctors, and I am tired of what I feel is failure to be well. I am sorry if this is not positive, and I really should not be negative, but I feel like I am drowning and it is hard to pull myself out of this. I continue to pray about it, and I guess that's all I can do. My health problems are beginning to take a toll on my marriage. I don't know how much more my husband can take. He literally does almost everything. I wouldn't blame him for leaving. I don't even like to be around me.

Again, sorry for the negativity. Today is not a good day. I even ate some pizza. :sad:

I'm so sorry you're feeling so down. Have you gone in to see Dr. Carter, yet? If you have no luck with him, I would recommend Dr. Jayeesilan (?) from Medical City. I went to him when I was having issues and he did a full work-up on me. He also has a great bedside manner. I know it is far from Arlington, but he is well worth it.

Something you might want to look into is that your body might be rejecting the band. You should do a search on the complications section for this. I've read of it happening to a small percentage of people. I hope that this is not the case for you, but it is worth looking into.

One last thing is, steer clear of Care Now. They are great for little things like colds and ear infections, but for things like this, you need a full work up to figure out what is causing the pain.

Please keep us updated on how you are feeling.

What I am missing is the resolution to your pain and suffering. Obviously you are not still dehydrated and unable to get liquids down, so what happened? Did you ever figure out what was wrong? Why was the surgeon telling you that you were able to get liquids down when you weren't? Did you ever figure out what was causing the pain?

80'schick: I don't know how to help you feel better. I would certainly suggest that you find another doctor. Even if that means going to the ER for immediate relief. You had mentioned a differrent hospital that was nearby. Maybe you could go to THAT ER instead. You have been in pain for a little while now and as stated before it is changing (was lower, now higher).

Flexeril is a muscle relaxant. If it's not working, than maybe the pain you have is not muscle related after all. What diagnosis did the physician at Care Now give you?

Are you in touch with your surgeon? You are so newly banded that you NEED to be seeing a doctor to manage at least the band/post op part of your health. If what you're experiencing is not band related, than you need to be seeing your Primary Care Physician to establish a plan. Maybe you need to see a specialist. Have you had x-rays? CT scan? Lab work?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to help.

~C

The doctor at Care Now was not very helpful. I did finally go to a different ER today because when I called to tell them the meds weren't working, they sent me on my way. The doctor I saw listened to me, asked me a lot of questions, and gave me some pain medicine that I didn't ask for because I was too afraid. She said that Flexeril won't work as well without it being taken in combination with steroids and NSAIDs. Of course, I can't take NSAIDs, so she gave me a prescription of some steroids and some Lortab. She actually scoffed at the fact that I have been hurting so bad and the Care Now doctor...AND MY SURGEON...both prescribed Ultracet.

I was treated for a bulging disk four or five years ago. I had some steroid injections at that time, but they didn't help or hurt, and it is a pain in the butt to have to go through all of that. The disk didn't require surgery, and the pain was irritating but I felt that I could deal with it and take some Advil or something when I needed it. Over the years, my neck would get stiff a little, but nothing that I really paid too much attention to. The doctor today told me that it was a huge mistake that I ignored this problem. She thinks the disk probably slipped, and she said it could have happened just when I picked up my baby (who weighs 30 pounds now) or something that seemed relatively minor. She referred me to a neurosurgeon to get an MRI to see what is going on with that disk.

As for my surgeon, no, I haven't called. They have been calling me though. The nurse (who is also the doctors wife) said that he wants to see me in the office. The thing is, I don't want to see him! At first they told me I could have a fill at 4-6 weeks and now he wants to wait three months. I called Dr. Carter's office and they said that as a rule he doesn't do fills for three months post-op. I am sending a letter to Dr. Harrison tomorrow.

My primary doctor is not that awesome, either. I seem to be batting a thousand here. I had to stick with him for my pre-op diet, but now I will find a new one. I had some tests done for my thyroid because my hair is falling out, my nails are breaking, and I am dead tired all the time. He ran the bloodwork twice and told me that the T4 discrepancy was because of artifical hormones, aka the Pill. I talked with my GYN about it, and she said that she never heard of such a thing and she referred me to an endocrinolgist.

UGH! I hate doctors!!!! :leaving:

What I am missing is the resolution to your pain and suffering. Obviously you are not still dehydrated and unable to get liquids down, so what happened? Did you ever figure out what was wrong? Why was the surgeon telling you that you were able to get liquids down when you weren't? Did you ever figure out what was causing the pain?

The pain in my stomach is not near as bad as it was before. It is still there though but not severe. I can't help but wonder if I got a bad, bad stomach bug. It was going around work and sent a few people to the hospital. My boss's husband was actually hospitalized for several days because he had it so bad. I have not been paying too much attention to the pain in my stomach because the pain in my neck (literally) was more painful.

I wish I knew why my surgeon was telling me that I could keep liquids down when I was clearly puking my brains out. He did the scan with the contrast and said that he just saw the contrast go thru the stoma so therefore I was keeping it down. When I got back to my room, it came back up! He did not care and was not listening.

I can't tell you how hard it was for me to go to the ER today. Of course I went to a different hospital. I just told them that I was in pain, explained my symptoms, and they did an examination and Xrays. I did not ask for any pain medicine despite the enormous amount of pain that I am in because I was afraid they would treat me like a junkie. They offered the meds to me and even gave me three shots to make me more comfortable. I thanked them for being so caring.

I really have a sour taste in my mouth regarding doctors. I do not know if I will ever find a doctor that I will be able to trust. I have heard good things about Dr. Carter and I will probably see him for my band aftercare. I just think that it stinks that when someone is hurting and in pain that a great number of doctors ignore it or minimize it and treat the patient as if they are looking for drugs. I guess a few bad apples will cause the suffering of many people. I have heard of some people locally that couldn't even get adequate pain meds due to cancer pain because their doctors didnt want to prescribe. I wouldn't do this of course, but it is easy to see why people resort to looking for drugs on the streets. Doctors won't help.:leaving:

Oh..wow...I wasn't apprehensive before but now I am after reading what happened to 80's chick...My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Oh..wow...I wasn't apprehensive before but now I am after reading what happened to 80's chick...My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Oh, no, please don't take it wrong!! You will be fine. I am sure you have an excellent doctor. It wasn't my intention to scare pre-surgery bandsters!!! Please be reassured that I didn't have any problems with the surgery itself. Don't be afraid! I just had a bad experience at one hospital. Please don't let my bad experience frighten you. Keep in mind that the weight loss is your goal, and that is nothing but good!!!

Please forgive me for scaring you. Mods, if you think my posts are too negative or scary, please delete them. It was never my intention to scare anyone. :leaving:

No...It's ok...I know I will be fine. :leaving: I just want you to get the help you need. How dare those so called professionals treat you that way! Just remember....each of them will have to answer for their dispicable behavior some day!:sneaky:

I just had a bad experience at one hospital. Please don't let my bad experience frighten you. Keep in mind that the weight loss is your goal, and that is nothing but good!!!

YES!!!! You are right! Now it's time to take the good experience you had today and turn things around for yourself! I'm sorry you had to go through all that you did, but it sounds like things are looking up. You'll be getting some tests done to figure out what's going on and it also sounds like you are getting some new doctors.

You should definitely talk to your surgeon. At least to tell him you won't be coming back due to the treatment you received from him at the hospital. Make sure you write that letter you talked about earlier. The hospital CEO needs to know what is going on in his/her hospital. Also, you should find out what school the students were from and write a letter to their director. Would any of us want people like that (laughing at patients in pain) caring for any of us???

Just remember...You can hire or fire any doctor. You are paying for a service. If you don't like their service for ANY reason, you can fire them. We tend to forget that we control which doctor gets our money whether you are self pay or have insurance.

Keep us posted.

~C

I would put a complaint into the Texas board of medical examiners. No patient should be treated that way. I would write a letter to the Hospital board and (cc) several other big wigs there. Even if they thought you were pain seeking your lab work met criteria for you to be admitted, right? Good Luck. PM if you have any questions.

Thank you all for helping me through this hard time. I will get those letters in the mail ASAP and I will let you know what happens.