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Surgery complications
SelfApril 25, 2004
Submitted by Gar W.
Hi everyone. I had a lap RNY in May of 2002. From the day after the surgery, I couldn't tolerate even the thought of eating or drinking anything. I could barely sip the broth that was brought to me at meal time. I was released from the hospital 6 days after my surgery. That morning I had told the nurse that something was not right. Between then and early July, I was back in the hospital at least twice and had several trips to the ER to get fluids and potassium. In early July I was hospitalized for the fourth time. Gastro doctors there ran several tests and discovered that anything I took in went down about so far and then started coming back up. I was transferred back to the hospital where I had my original surgery. I had a second open procedure to correct an apparent mistake in my original surgery. Even after that, I couldn't keep much of anything down. However, I was again released from the hospital. I went downhill again rather quickly. On a visit to the surgeon a week after my release, he took one look at me and said 'We need to put you back in the hospital, don't we?'. This time it was discovered that I had an ulcer. I started getting Prevacid and was finally able to eat and drink and keep it all down. Unfortunately, at that point, I had been down so long, I needed to go to a step down unit where I could still get nursing care, but also get both physical and occupational therapy to get me back on my feet. While I was there I woke up one morning with my lower back in extreme pain. After a series of x-rays it was determined that my lumbar disks were all herniated. This was certainly a condition that had been coming on for several years, but the months of inactivity also contributed. I left the step down unit for a skilled nursing facility, where I spent another 4 weeks. I was finally released from there in October. When I first got home, I was using a walker and needed to have my brother move in with me to help take care of me. I went back to work part time in November and full time in December. I am pretty much back to normal now, but I didn't bargain on being out of work for 6 months. I consider myself lucky, because I have been able to get bck to normal. I just wanted people to know that it doesn't always go smoothly.