Sorry to be such a bummer....
But I feel like I should share my experience with the DS.
I had the DS done Lap with Dr. Clark Warden in Covington, LA on May 16th. Stayed in the hospital 3 days and travelled back home to Florida thinking everything is cool.
Wrong-o.
Six days later I was transported back to LA via ambulance with septicemia and peritonitis - and 4 (that's right, count 'em) FOUR leaks. All I remember was arriving in the hospital room, and asking for something for anxiety.
Next thing I knew I woke up in ICU on July 4th weekend. My Mom, sister, hubby, and others were hovering around with extremely worried and tired faces.
I now have a lovely mid-line incision down my entire abdomen (which was used twice) from the revision surgery. I was in a medically induced coma for 30+ days. I was on a ventilator and also had a tracheostomy. My husband was told that there was about a 20% chance I would make it.
I spent a total of 2 more months in the hospital. I was nauseated and threw up daily. I was given Phenergan, which helped a bit, but didn't cure the problem.
I came home the last week of July - it was the car trip from hell, with me puking the entire way. Not to mention the lovely feeding tube that I had to endure.
I had a home health care nurse who showed up when she damn well pleased, and a physical therapist who was a joke. I have neuropathy in my feet and am having to learn to walk again. I began outpatient PT last week and it is TOUGH.
If I had the choice of taking it all back, I would. At least right now. I may feel differently in about 6 months. I certainly hope so. Right now it is a challenge to find things I can eat and drink (water is totally vile!). I've lost 53.5 lbs. as of my Dr. visit 2 weeks ago. While it's nice to wear smaller clothes, I have paid the price by losing the feeling in my feet. My therapist tells me that the feeling may return and it may not. There is no way to tell.
Sorry to be such a downer, but I think that anyone who is considering having this surgery needs to realize that this could happen to them. I wish I were one of the lucky ones who never had a problem at all.
Pat, I'm so sorry to hear that you've gone through so much in the last few months. I pray that things will get easier for you and you will heal quickly now that you are home. It's rare when things like this happen, but that doesn't make it any easier to bear. Alot of post-ops say water doesn't sit well with them. Have you tried crystal lite or watered down fruit juices? Tea or coffee? I made a list on my profile of good newbie post-op foods. Take a look when you have time, there might be something there you can tolerate. Keep us updated on your progress, I will be thinking about you and praying often.
Lee
May God Bless every path you put your feet to
I am so sorry you had such a terrible experience. Thank God you pulled through! I have advanced neuropathy in both of my legs below the knees and I can appreciate how difficult it is to walk, I imagine being in the hospital all that time has caused foot drop which can be a real problem! I hope you've been through the worst of it and you will regain your health. I work for the home care industry and want to tell you to be very vocal about your complaints. Most agencies are competing for business and want your satisfaction. Also advise the doctor who ordered these services of your dissatisfaction, he may think twice about utilizing them in the future. Please keep posting and letting us know how things are going. I will pray for your restored health and protection from any further harm. Good luck!
Oh, Pat! What a journey you have had! I'm glad you are home now and better. Things do happen, and people need to know there are some real risks with any surgery. We have our share right here on the DS board.
I think it was Starr who said something about a few "taking a bullet" for the rest of the posters so they'd have an easier way. I'd say you took a couple.
I hope your recovery is swift and that your surgery brings everything you had hoped it would.
Jeanie
Pat,
Don't apologize - your story SHOULD be here. We can all get a bit carried away with the positive side to WLS, and we need to remember not to take this whole thing lightly. I'm pre-op (21 days from now.... gulp) and I'm scared to death. I'm aware that this is major, life-altering surgery, and sometimes the alterations are not what you expected. I'm hoping that the good will outweigh the bad, as it does for the majority of WLS patients, but I'm realistic enough to know I could be one of the ones who isn't so lucky.
That being said, I'm glad to hear that you realize you may feel differently in 6 months. You've just come through the 'darkest before the dawn' time. Maybe you've gotten all the bad out of the way early on, and it'll be smooth sailing straight to goal for you now. (Like that old stage analogy: lousy dress rehearsal = wonderful opening performance?) Check out Morganna's post about her four month anniversary. It's a few pages back in the older posts, but worth searching out. She had a very rough time to start off with too, but she's a happy camper now. You've had it so much worse than most do, but chances are still very good that you're going to wind up just as happy with the results.
Sending you hugs and good thoughts 
Beth
Beth 
Oh hon, what an ordeal! Did Warden have any explanation for how you could have had FOUR leaks? Did he do something wrong? Did they ever give you anything better than Phenergan for the nausea? I hear Zofran is much better.
I'm SO glad to see you finally posting, and letting everyone know what happened to you. Yes, EVERYONE should know -- if they didn't already -- that this is SERIOUS SURGERY and bad stuff can happen. It doesn't happen that often, but it does happen. Thank goodness you were as strong and healthy as you were going into surgery, and that you have come through to the other side.
I assume you are off the feeding tube and eating-wise you are at about the three-weeks-out-from-surgery stage. Yes, water tasted VILE -- keep experimenting until you find something you can stomach. I normally don't like apple juice at ALL, but in that time frame, it was one of the few things I could sip, with lots of ice. Normally, I like things not so cold, but at that point, it was the colder the better! I disliked fruit yoghurts, but cucumber-yoghurt soup (shredded seeded cuke in plain full fat yoghurt, with dill, chives, salt, pepper and garlic powder) was delish (oddly, it still is!). Cream soups, canned chicken breast mixed up with lots of mayo and pickle relish, cheese blintzes, scrambled eggs with guacamole on it. Bland may not be the best -- try spicy!
Don't be surprised if at some point you suddenly and seemingly for "no" reason, you get teary and depressed -- you've been through a LOT and probably have yet to process the enormity of it. Your family has been too -- don't be surprised if they wig out on you over seemingly nothing. You might want to consider seeing a counselor, both for yourself and your family members.
Nevertheless, with all this more or less behind you, I hope from here on out there is nothing but blue sky and daisies for you!
Thank goodness you're a trooper and pulled through. That's a lot to deal with. And as a pre-op, I do appreciate you sharing your story. Complications happen, and they can be serious. It's something we all need to be reminded of.
What did you doctor tell you about the leaks? Did they do a leak test on you before you left the hospital after the original surgery? (Usually done the day after surgery) I would have thought with four leaks, that at least ONE of them would have shown up on that. If they didn't do one, you might want to contact an attorney to see about having that doctor refund your money & cover your hospital bills for the problems you had.
I hope that one day you are happy you chose this path even if the start of it was especially rough, and that your body heals to better than it was before.
That's one of the reasons I insisted that someone come with me to Brazil - as inconvenient as that is to take someone out of their own life & routines for three weeks, I felt it was essential to have someone there in case of problems.
--BT
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