My Journey So Far...

I had my RNY on 10/19/2009, and initially lost about 100 Lbs. My surgeon did not set a goal weight for me, and my personal goal was 150 Lbs. I was 10 Lbs shy of my goal, but frankly, I was pleased a*****h. It took me about 18 months to get to 160 Lbs, and the rest of the time I was on maintenance. After about two years I rebounded between 20-25 Lbs, and I was OK with this. I knew why it happened.

In 2011 I had an accident. I was walking my 80 Lb. Lap Dog, when she caught me off guard. She decided to chase a rabbit, but forgot to tell me. I wound up with a torn left MCL and restore an older right rotator cuff repair. Since then it has been hard to get back into my exercise routine. Fortunately, my job employes a lot of walking and activity, and I can easily clock in 3 miles a day of walking on an average day. If I choose get off the commuter bus several stops ahead, I can clock in around 7 plus miles. Be that as it may, I have been doing my best to fit extra exercise in where I am able.

Anyway, one of the other factors I have been dealing with has been recurrent, severe, bleeding anastomotic ulcers. I have had three severe ones since about 2011, no etiology has been determined. This last one started last Nov. 2013, and never resolved with medical intervention and treatment. After discussing alternative treatment options with my GI Doc and my Bariatric surgeon, I decided to have surgery. I chose to reverse my RNY to VSG, and if all went well, do the single loop Duodeno-Ileal bypass. I knew what this type of surgery entailed, and the risk factors involved. I did my own research, and discussed this plan at length with my surgeon. 

Almost 5 years to the day of my original RNY surgery, 10/13/14, I had my surgery. While in the OR, my O2 SATS bottomed out into the sixties & seventies, and my BP dropped into the 50's. The VSG had already been completed, but the bypass component was not completed. Frankly, I'm just as happy about this. My ulcer issues, including the terrible pain, has completely resolved. I have been tolerating PO very well. But complications do tend to rear their ugly heads, and sometimes you realize that you could not have prevented it it.

So after my surgery, I had some intense pain. Most of it was in the abdominal muscle? I also had continual issues with my O2 SATS and BP, and intense SOB. This interfered with my recovery time, and I stayed in the hospital for six days instead of the anticipated 3. I started to also have lower left flank and back pain. At first I didn't think much of any of that. After the surgery I had some adhesion tears all over my abdominal area. This was no surprise, as I have had five prior pelvic/abdominal surgeries over the years. Anyway, as the left flank and back pain continued to increase, I started to bruise very significantly on both flanks, on the lower portion of my abdomen, and portions of mid to lower back. The surgeon was aware, and we kept in contact by phone.

At home, I was tolerating my diet and meal plan progression without any problems. The left flank & back pain were getting worse, and the SOB was getting worse. I really though it would resolve on its own. Well that didn't happen, and on 11/3/14 I was admitted from the ER for emergent hemothorax, atalectisis, and severe pleural effusion. I am still in the hospital, with a large chest tube, as well as a smaller chest tube. I have tubes and wires sticking out of most of my extremities. 

The thing is, this was not directly caused by my surgery. It's one of those risks/complications that can occur during or after any invasive procedure. For me it was not lifestyle, and I am not a smoker. Never had any respiratory problems before. Everyone's best hypothesis is that I had some adhesions on my spleen, and wound up with a tear. This probably occurred on the prior hospitalization when I had so much trouble with moving, changing positions, and transferring. As I said earlier, I felt lots of tearing, but unless it reoccurred or caused a lot of pain, I did not report it.

My journey this time around has been very eventful, and I'm not really sure of what the outcome will be. I do want to clarify that having WLS did not directly cause these complications. Although my meal plan progression has been somewhat set back, I am still doing well. I am back on purée, and progress is fairly slow. Even though I did not have revision surgery to loose weight, I was hoping to take that excess 20 Lbs off. I have no clue what my weight is, but I really don't care. Pretty low on my list of concerns. 

Sorry for the book length post. There really wasn't anyway to explain what's going on. I'll update when I can.

Lisa

It sounds like it's been a stressful and difficult road for you. I am so sorry you've had this to deal with.

I am glad that you are being carefull watched and I will pray that the docs are able to resolve any issues you continue to have. Hopefully the revision to VSG will alleviate some of the ulcer problems.

Sending all the best for a good recovery. Please keep us updated. Many, many hugs.

Thank you for you kind and supportive words, Jiliana. The ulcers have been surgically removed, so that's good. The anastomoses is now in a different place, so the risks of developing more ulcers is drastically reduced. The ulcers with the RNY were on the proximal connection, which is more prone to stomach acid. The VSG does not have that same risk. As a rule with the primary VSG surgery is that the stomach is already in the right place. It's just a matter of the surgeon performing the partial Gastrectomy. For my revision, the surgeon needed to reattach the remnant stomach before performing the Partial Gastrectomy. That is why I have an additional connection. Anyway, thanks for the well wishes. I will keep you all updated. 

Wow, you've really been through the wringer :(  How are things going right now?  Are you still in and out of the hospital?  

Thank you Gwen. I am still in the hospital. Not really sure when I will go home. Right now, I'm holding my own. The chest tubes are still draining, and they will not send me home with them. I can only hope for discharge by midweek, but I do not want to go until I'm really ready. Thanks for the good thoughts.

Lisa

I'm sending you (and your medical team) lots of good thoughts.  I hope that, when you're discharged, you're right as rain.  

Thank for all those good thoughts. Looks like I'm going to the OR in the morning for the thoracic surgeon to clear out as much of the fluid as he can, while assisting the lung to complete reinflation, so I think we will all need the good thoughts. 

I hope everything starts healing for you, you have a lot of people out here sending you positive vibes, prayers and just good thoughts.  Keep being strong and you'll get this !

Thank you. 

Wow, you have had a tough go this time.  I hope you're feeling better soon and can go home soon :(  Best wishes for a speedy recovery.