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Surgeon TestimonialSylvain Beausoleil M.D.,F.A.C.S.I'm an ER nurse with 25yrs+ full time work experience. So I have met a LOT of physicians during my career. I have high expectations- and I was not disappointed. From our first meeting to our last meeting the day after my surgery- Dr. Beausoleil showed me nothing but respect, caring, professionalism and competence. I trust him and admire his skill and ability to help people. He is specific and exacting in what he does, and in what he expects from his patients. He does things his way- and expects his patients to do things his way-and it is for the best outcome. I would never have had surgery done if I had ANY doubts at all about my surgeons capabilities. I went under general anaesthetic knowing that Dr. B. and his team would take the BEST care of me. And they did. Simple as that. Now- it's up to me. And I'll do my very best not to disappoint Dr. B. and his team. They are THE BEST! |
I reached my goal approx 14 months post -op. Have gone on to lose an additional 12lbs where I feel healthy and happy at. The real hard part has begun - staying at that weight.
  
Two and a half years post-op. on September 28, 2010 9:26 am
Well - time flies. Here I am and it's been two and a half years. I weigh 173lbs today. I don't weigh often. Once every few weeks or so. I can tell by how I am feeling and by how my clothes feel if I am up or down a few lbs. Funny how 5 lbs makes a difference now - pre-op I would never even notice.
From my lowest weight of 159lbs last fall following my illness/surgery - to a high of 177lbs at my one year post Petersons Hernia Repair appt. - I feel best at around 168 - 170lbs. I has been a struggle - to put back on weight after my bump in the road last fall - but to do it in a good way and remain healthy and not go overboard. I THINK I may have found what works best for me. Head hunger is a *itch - and I just don't keep things in my house that I know I can't resist. Plain and simple. Not to say I don't have treats - I do. I am human.
My Hgb is too low. Last summer it was 136. Then I got sick and had surgery. In June of this year I was feeling VERY fatigued with no energy - sure enough - Hgb was 104. When I saw my surgeon last month - he was concerned. IT was up to 107 then. But - since last fall - I have only been taking my iron twice weekly. Because it is so constipating. And I was taking it with coffee in the AM - and then would have 1/2 a 12 grain bagel an hour after that. Turns out - coffee and iron do not work well together - nor do the whole grains. So - anyway - I am now taking my iron in the evening, with some orange juice and have gradually gotten myself back up to taking it everyday. So I will get my HGB checked in another month or so and see where things are.
Other than that - I'm feeling great and doing great and have no regrets. Life is good.
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2 yr Surgiversary - 24 months post op on April 17, 2010 12:45 pm
Actually - at about this exact moment- I was in the OR waiting area - about to have my RNY. (My case was late.) I'm SO happy to have been able to have my RNY and I can't imagine feeling any better than I do at this moment. I'm healthier, energetic, happier. have a spring in my step, can fly through my 12 hr shifts in ER like I did years ago - and the list of the changes in me goes on and on. I want to say a special THANK YOU to my family and frineds who have been there right from the start. Especially to my Mom who was with me in Moncton two years ago today and last August through my surgery and recovery.To my husband and son who have rooted for me from the start and stuck by me no matter what. To my special friend KC - you know who you are. We met way back before surgery and you have been such a great cheerleader, support and inspiration to me - not to mention ALWAYS having my suite ready in New Brunswick. You rock. To Dr. Beausoleil and Lise and his team at the Georges Dumont - THANKS can't say enough! And - to my wonderful co - workers who have rooted for me, cared for me and accomodated my needs - you have made this journey SO much easier. Also - to two other RNY'er who live near me on the rock - one who I first learned about Dr B. from - you changed my life. And the other who is now 3 yrs out - YOU have given me invaluable support and info along the way - you guys ROCK too! To my OH family both on the main RNY board and here on the New Brunswick board - living here in rural Newfoundland - these boards are my main source of peer support, and are invaluable to me. Thanks so much to you all. I just hope I have been able to give a little back to some of you and "pay it forward" so to speak.
I just can't express how thankful I am and how blessed I feel. It's like being reborn. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome - and never in my wildest dreams thought I would EVER fit in a size 12 and sometimes a size 10. Something I have never done in my adult life.
So - it's off to work for my second of 3 twelve hr nights in ER. In my size Med scrubs that are nice and loose and a spring in my step.
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20 Months post-op (cont'd) on January 26, 2010 5:33 pm
OK - so after 2 weeks of being very sick - I get off the airplane in Halifax and Mom drove me to George Dumont ER. Well that was an experience. The sign in the waiting room said non-emergent patients could expect to be seen in 2 hrs. I was triaged very quickly. I was not considered to be an urgent patient apparently. I made it clear I was a patient of Dr. B.'s and that I had been sick for a few weeks. Being the non-dramatic , stoic type of person I am - sitting quietly and not making any noise - I guess I didn't look too sick. 6 *ucking hours later - I was called in. Had blood work and an x-ray. I was laid down on an exam table while I was examined. I pleaded with the nurse to let me remain lied down while they waited for my lab work and x-ray results. No way - sent back out into the waiting area. I couldn't believe it. I was freezing - asked for a blanket - nope - they gave me a small thin white sheet - we call them a draw sheet where I work. Anyway - got my results back - they saw some dehydration, a UTI and no complete bowel obstruction. No reason to be concerned about me really they said - I was still on antibiotics from the UTI that I had been diagnosed with 5 days before - they said to continue that. They attributed my back pain to the UTI and really seemed not to be concerned about the abdominal pain and bloating. They did tell me Dr. Beausoleil was on call the next day and if I got sicker I was welcome to come back.
So - Mom and I talked it over - we decided to stay in Moncton that night - and I would call Lise in the AM. I was too sick to even think about driving the 250kms back to their place in PEI. We got to our hotel room - I paced and paced - again - just wishing the time away until I finally got this taken care of. Stayed on fluids - I could barely get enough down to keep me hydrated - and the back pain and bloating was 7-8 on a scale of 1 to 10. I slept a bit with the help of some gravol and tylenol. Called Lise in the am and she told me to come in and see Dr. B at 1:30pm that day. Thank god! Went to see him - he looked at the x-rays from the day before - said he suspected I was working on an internal hernia - but at the moment wasn't acute enough to warrant any exploratory surgery. He advised me to stay in the area - and eat. Either I would get better or I would get sicker. I asked him if he suspected a Petersens Hernia and he said most probably. So - Mom and I headed back to PEI. That was on Monday. I tried to eat - lord knows I tried - I ate a bit - but could never get more than 2 or 3 forkfuls of anything down. The back pain, upper abdominal pian and bloating continued and gradually got worse. Dad made special trips to the store to get things I thought I could eat. Like ice cream, cereal. As much as I wanted to eat and get better - it wasn't happening. Thursday night it was getting to the point of not being tolerable anymore. I called Lise Friday AM. She told me to go to George Dumont ER. We got there just after noon. I was good and sick - tachycardic with a pulse of 130/min - low BP - I guess I got someones attention because I only had to wait 2 hrs after being triaged until they brought me back to a stretcher where I had lab work etc done. An IV was put up - I was extremely dehydrated. I finally got something for pain. Dilaudid. What a *ucking wonder drug. Didn't take the pain all away - but sure helped me out. I was seen after the lab work came back - I think I had them puzzled - I really to this day cannot figure out why in the world the ER docs were not more in tune with the possible things that could be going on with post-op bariatric patients. The ER doc looking after me said my urine showed ketones and protein - I was extrememly dehydrated - I could have a pyleonephritis - but why was I so tachycardic - I think she really didn't know what to do with me. So they kept me overnight in ER - at least I got regular pain meds. On a stretcher in the hallway just 6 feet from the ambulance entrance door. What an expereince that was. But not their fault - they do the best they can with what they have. Went for my CT scan around 0900 on Sat. I asked to speak to the doctor who was looking after my care that day and wanted to know what the plan was. He said that the radiologist looks at all the CT scans once they are ALL done and then sends the reports to ER. I asked how long that would be - he said probably by 1pm or so. Great - bring on the dilaudid. Around 11am - the doctor came and told me about my CT and said I had a big blockage and a hugely distended Volvulus - my remnant stomach - about the size of a football - I would need surgery. A Petersens Hernia. My main aim then was to make sure Dr. B. did the surgery. The surgeon on call came to see me and explain the surgery - I asked him over and over would Dr. B. be there. He went to the desk and called him and came back and said yes- Dr. B. and he would do the surgery. I was still a patient in the hallway. Around 2pm they moved me to a cubicle because they wanted to get me ready for the OR and put an NG down. The poor nurse - I said specifically - you know I have had RNY right? She said yes. I said - you know a blind NG tube insertion is not reccomended right. She said the doctor specifically wants an NG tube put down. I was so *ucking sick and really didn't care anymore - so down the NG tube went. I went into the OR around 5pm. Got back to my room around 8:30pm. Had an IV, NG, catheter and a gastrostomy tube. And dilaudid for pain every 3 hrs if I needed it. When I woke - I remembered vaguely seeing Dr.B. somewhere earlier - so I knew he had been there and that was so reassuring. So my surgery was Sat pm. I was discharged Friday pm. Gastrostomy tube went home with me - that was a treat. But let me tell ya - from the time I came to after my surgery - the extreme back pain and bloating was so much less - it was all good. The surgery was so much rougher to recover from than my RNY. The RNY was a walk in the park. Because I was so sick for so long before the hernia repair - it was that much harder and slower to recover. But I did. A month later I was back in Moncton and had the g-tube removed. Ended up with a g-tube site infection and issues with MRSA along the way - but everyday I got a bit better. I went back to work in October. About 8 weeks post-op. But - I have to say - it was December before I really felt well and strong and completely back to my self. I found myself to be very irritable, tense and jittery for along time after my surgery.
So - I was one of the unlucky 10 to 15% of post -ops who get this particular complication. And it could happen to me again. But - I still have no regrets. I just refer to last summer as the summer that never was. And I look forward to this summer.
Would I wait so long to seek medical care if I was in the same boat again? NO WAY! I would moan and groan and scream and complain so I got looked at and taken care of sooner. Lesson learned. That is all.
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20 Months post - op on January 22, 2010 1:24 pm
It's been so long since I posted here. Not because everything has been peachy keen though. 80% of this last year - I have felt AWESOME and life has been great. But - there was a period of time last summer - beginning around mid July that I began to feel unwell. My weight had settled out at about 180lbs. I was feeling good and all was well. I developed SEVERE intermittant colicky abdominal pain - unlike anything I had ever had before. At first I attributed it to constipation - but - I was still having regular normal BM's. It was intermittant - when I was having the episodes of pain - which lasted anywhere from 1-6 to 8 hrs - I was unable to eat - had such a bloated feeling in my upper abdomen- more to the left. I was never nauseated and did not vomit at any point. When the pain settled - I could eat as per normal - no problem. I began to document and keep track of what I ate and how I felt and how long the pain lasted and how bad each episode was. Because - deep down - I KNEW this was not good. I turned to my peeps on OH - posting on both the New Brunswick forum and the main RNY forum about what was going on with me. Someone mentioned Petersen's Hernia to me. I researched it - and with a very sinking feeling - just knew that's what I had. The signs and symptoms were all there. But - as it was intermittant - I still hoped beyond hope that it would go away and never some back. About 2 and a half weeks after the first episode - I had an episode that was the worst yet - lasting 10hrs - pain scale 10 out of 10 - and I prayed to god to let the pain subside enough for me to get in the car so my husband could get me to the hospital. And I am not a religious person - and it's the first time on my life I actually prayed for anything. Around 6am - I managed to get myself in the car - and DH took me to my local ER - where I also work. Let me just say that nurses make the WORST patients. MY co-workers have since told me that the only way they knew it was me - was because they recognized DH. I was that sick. I ended up being admitted under the care of a surgeon I trust implicitly - with a diagnosis of sub acute bowel obstruction. I was extrememly dehydrated, had a urinary tract infection and was in for 2 days. Had x-rays only. No CT scan. I did improve somewhat - of course I did - I didn't have anything to eat or drink - only IV fluid - and I was getting pain meds. I went home on a Thursday. Around noon - still uncomfortable - but much improved. Pain maybe 2-3 out of 10. I started to gradually eat a bit - full fluids - to mushy food such as oatmeal etc - but by Thurday night - knew it wasn't going as it should. Friday morning same feeling that this wasn't going away - it was coming back. Had my trusted surgeon been on call at my local Hospital - I would have went back. But he wasn't - and I was terrified that I would end up on the operating table - cut open by some surgeon who had never seen an RNY re-arranged tummy before. I wasn't going to take that chance. So - I booked a flight to Nova Scotia - had my Mom all set to pick me up at the airport and take me to George Dumont ER. Thankfully - my parents spend each summer in PEI - so they were there for me. How I made it to Sunday to get on that plane and fly to Halifax (90 mins) and get off under my own steam - I still don't know to this day. Fear I think - I just had this feeling I HAD to get to Moncton where Dr. B. was. Mom drove me to George Dumont.
To be continued - gotta get to bed gotta work in the am
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44 weeks post op on February 23, 2009 10:00 am
Holy Crap - the time flies by SO fast. I am now down to 190lbs. Which is 10 lbs away from my INITIAL goal of 180lbs. The 180lb mark is the goal weight which my surgeon felt would be good for me - he told me that at one of my pre-op appts. And I figured it was a realistic goal also - it was what I weighed when I got pregnant with Robert - I was healthy, active and felt great. BUT - when I do get to 180 - my family doc and I will look at it again - because my fasting blood sugar is a bit higher than the high normal amount. And diabetes runs in my family. The main reason I had RNY was to avoid the health problems that I already had and those I was headed towards. SO - maybe 180lbs when I was 27 was ok for me. Maybe not now that I am 47 - so we will see. My weight loss is still slow but steady. I am not getting out walking on a regular basis - the weather is the main reason - it's too cold/miserable and/or slippery out. So as DH needs to get more active also - we bought a good treadmill a few days ago and put a TV in front of it - I actually don't mind it - so until the spring comes with more favorable walking conditions - the treadmill it is. But I do miss the fresh air and getting outdoors part. We have been out on ski doo a bit this winter. I am able to enjoy it again- for the last few years at my heaviest weight - it was not comfortable or fun at all. But - I'm loving it again! I'm also hoping to get skiing (downhill) - at least once this winter. Work is CRAZY - we keep wondering how much more busy our ER can get before something terrible happens - every day it is getting harder and harder to give the care to our patients that they deserve and that we WANT to give. Health Care is in such a terrible mess- the whole system - not just the nursing shortage - there is no easy fix for it - I just hope to finish and retire and done with it, with my nursing license and my mind and body intact! So - that's about it my friends - life is good - and I'm so thankful that I continue to do well and feel great. I don't take it for granted - not one day goes over my head that I don't realize how lucky I am to have had this surgery and been able to reclaim so much of my life. Chow for now!
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My Story
I am a Mom, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend and a Registered Nurse. I was born back in 1961 at The Halifax Infirmary.
You could call me an army brat. Called NS, BC, ONT, and PQ home before landing in NL to go to nursing school.
Since nursing school- I have worked full time in central NL. I have a wonderful son in 2nd year university and a wonderful
supportive husband of almost 25yrs. Oh Ya- not to forget our dog Brindie. have batttled with my weight all my life- I have never
been slim. I have been on every diet going- have initial success up to 15lb wieght loss- but then it ends. My
weight problem has started to become a health concern. Osteoarthritis, hypertension, blood sugars slowly creeping up,
my younger sister had a heart attack last year, also a fractured/dislocated ankle that is healed but not helped by my
weight -things are starting to rear their ugly heads as I get older. I want so much to be healthy and be able to keep
working until a normal retirement age, and then to be able to enjoy the golden years. Perhaps take up golfing- who knows! I
have always been interested in bariatric surgery. I had never considered it a possibility as I knew there were no practicing
bariatric surgeons in my province, and I had no names or contacts elsewhere in Canada. A nurse friend of mine who I hadn't
seen for months- was floated to our ER one night to help out. She had lost so much weight and looked great. Of course
I asked her her secret- never dreaming it was in the form of Dr. Beausoliel. At last! I had a name and an address! That was in
January 2005. Summer of 2006 I went to Moncton for my 1st appt. January 2007- again to Moncton for the one day education
session. August 2007- again to Moncton to sign contracts. I'm headed to Moncton again in 10 days for my one week pre-op
appt. Thanks to a generous friend I met at the education session- she's a bandster and doing great, I'll have a place to call
home for a few nights until my Mom flies down from Ontario to be with me. I have a Grammie in Kentville, NS- so we will spend
a few nights with her- then back to Moncton on the 16th. And my big day is April 17trh. It has been a long wait- but now it seems
the time is just flying by. Am I nervous- yes- probably a nervous excitement feeling. It's been three years since I first had my
family doctor do a consult to Dr. Beausoleil and the ball got rolling. In NL- you have to write the MCP Commission ( our
provincial health care plan) and request that your surgery be covered. They will cover the hospital costs for the surgery. They will
not cover any costs related to the Lab Band. They say it's not an approved procedure in our province. As for all the $$$$ I have
spent going back and forth to Moncton- well- it's an investment in my health- and that's how I look at it. Without this surgery I
won't be able to keep working full time until a normal retirement age, let alone be very active when I am finished work. I want to
be active and feel good and enjoy all the things that go along with that, as well as hopefully prevent myself from developing
diabetes. I want to give my poor osteoarthritic hips and knees a break so they will not wear out so quick. I look forward to getting
in and out of my car with ease. I'm looking forward to lots of things.
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