HELP PLEASE GI BLEED CANT FIND SOURCE
Hello all...I I had the DS surgery on 11/2/10. I had a bile leak and was hospitalized for 8 days afterward. I lost approx 30 lbs in the hospital but have not lost since my discharge....On 4/25 I went to ER with vomiting blood and bleeding rectally...I was admitted and ended up getting a blood transfusion because my hemoglobin got so low. The docs ran 2 egd's, cat scan, barium swallow, colonoscopy and dye tests to see if they could find the source of the bleed but every test they performed showed negative. I was released on 4/28/11. On 5/3/11, I was back at the ER again for the same symptoms and was again hospitalized and had 2 transfusions this time. Again multiple tests..I even swallowed the camera...all tests again negative. the docs tell me that they are stumped...I cannot keep going throught this...has anyone else heard of this or experienced this...HELP ME!!!!
BTW- lost 12 pounds since hospitalized...hmmmm????
BTW- lost 12 pounds since hospitalized...hmmmm????
(deactivated member)
on 5/10/11 11:17 am, edited 5/10/11 11:18 am
on 5/10/11 11:17 am, edited 5/10/11 11:18 am
Is Dr. Shumacher your surgeon? I have never heard of him. Is he involved with this problem?
Even if one of us has had a GI bleed, that wouldn't mean that it was the same as yours. This is a problem for the doctors.
I am so sorry you are going through this.
Michele
Even if one of us has had a GI bleed, that wouldn't mean that it was the same as yours. This is a problem for the doctors.
I am so sorry you are going through this.
Michele
you have been hospitilized 2xs: 4/25 and 5/3, both times transfued (I am going to assume it was for PRBCs even though it was not specified in the post) if you are being transfued with rbcs in a time span of less than a week, you are ACTIVELY BLEEDING, while the PRBCs will help they will not fix the issue as your root cause has not been identified. if you are vomiting blood and bleeding rectally there is an issue that has to be identified. start with your surgeon, then a GI specialist and then a hem/onc. you may have to advocate for yourself..hope you feel better soon
What does your DS surgeon say ? Get a copy of your DS OP report from the medical records dept. at the hospital you had surgery at. Maybe the answer is there. Did they have to operate for the bile leak if so get that report too. Get in touch with a vetted DS Surgeon.
RNY 2002 (regained everything) Revised to DS 2007
5'8" SW 246 - GW 150 - LW 143 - CW-148
Follow Your Dreams.... & Hold On To Them !!
Angel to Karen W
Angel to MIssy
5'8" SW 246 - GW 150 - LW 143 - CW-148
Follow Your Dreams.... & Hold On To Them !!
Angel to Karen W
Angel to MIssy
I am in Ohio and never heard of your surgeon. I thought the only place that did the DS in Ohio was Premier Bariatrics in Dayton (I guess I was wrong about that).
If you keep running into a brick wall, I'd suggest you call Premier Bariatrics in Dayton and try to get Dr. Teel or Dr. McGuire to see you about your case.
Hang in there!
Christy
If you keep running into a brick wall, I'd suggest you call Premier Bariatrics in Dayton and try to get Dr. Teel or Dr. McGuire to see you about your case.
Hang in there!
Christy
Ms. Cal Culator
on 5/10/11 11:34 pm - Tuvalu
on 5/10/11 11:34 pm - Tuvalu
What the rest said, especially Diana...that camera only goes where your food goes...the other limb is not involved in that exam.
In any group of a hundred people, there are probably 2 or 3 sociopaths. In a group of a thousand, more like 20-30. They function very well in "affinity groups," where people have things in common and tend to trust strangers. I am NOT saying not to trust anyone. I AM saying that there are probably two dozen sociopaths hanging out here and looking for victims. Most are NOT serial killers.
Read: www.sociopathicstyle.com/traits/classic.htm
But that doesn't matter here. If someone is vomiting blood, it has to come from somewhere other than the BP limb because the contents of the BP limb can't get to the stomach. This isn't like a bowel obstruction, where not being able to visualize the BP limb can be a concern.
And it has to be an upper GI source because blood can't get to the stomach from the colon either. If you have a significant GI bleed from the stomach, or from the proximal small bowel near the stomach, it can flow downhill, so to speak, to the colon, but not the reverse.
Larra
And it has to be an upper GI source because blood can't get to the stomach from the colon either. If you have a significant GI bleed from the stomach, or from the proximal small bowel near the stomach, it can flow downhill, so to speak, to the colon, but not the reverse.
Larra
Sometimes they can do a tagged red blood cell scan to determine the source of the bleed. They treat red blood cells with a marker that shows up on a scan and they can then see the source of the bleed. It only works when there is active bleeding going on, though, so timing is important. Beyond that and the advice above, we're not going to be much help to you.
I'm not sure what you mean by "dye tests".
What I don't see mentioned here is 2 things:
1. nuclear medicine. If a tagged red blood scan is done when you are actively bleeding it might pin down the source. BUT timing is everything here, because you need to be actively bleeding at a minimum rate for anything to show up, and the test can be difficult to interpret. Still, worth a shot.
2. angiogram (maybe that is what you meant by dye test, I don't know) where a substance that shows up on x-rays is injected into the appropriate blood vessel and hopefully they can spot where it leaks out of the bloodstream. But again, it MUST be done when you are actively bleeding to be useful, and the rate of bleeding must be at a certain minimum, which obviously isn't something the docs can control. It doesn't always work, but when it does work it's extremely helpful.
It can be a very challenging and frustrating process to locate the source of a GI bleed. You would think it would be easier, but sometimes it just isn't. There is no perfect test. You are not the only person who has been through this, not that that makes it any easier for you, but at least you are not alone.
Surgery is available as a last resort. It would be much better to find the location of the bleeding before surgery, as it is also surprisingly difficult to find it during surgery. So keep trying!
Larra
What I don't see mentioned here is 2 things:
1. nuclear medicine. If a tagged red blood scan is done when you are actively bleeding it might pin down the source. BUT timing is everything here, because you need to be actively bleeding at a minimum rate for anything to show up, and the test can be difficult to interpret. Still, worth a shot.
2. angiogram (maybe that is what you meant by dye test, I don't know) where a substance that shows up on x-rays is injected into the appropriate blood vessel and hopefully they can spot where it leaks out of the bloodstream. But again, it MUST be done when you are actively bleeding to be useful, and the rate of bleeding must be at a certain minimum, which obviously isn't something the docs can control. It doesn't always work, but when it does work it's extremely helpful.
It can be a very challenging and frustrating process to locate the source of a GI bleed. You would think it would be easier, but sometimes it just isn't. There is no perfect test. You are not the only person who has been through this, not that that makes it any easier for you, but at least you are not alone.
Surgery is available as a last resort. It would be much better to find the location of the bleeding before surgery, as it is also surprisingly difficult to find it during surgery. So keep trying!
Larra
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