Ok I am getting worried

I just read about Jerrysgirl's death.  I know these things happen but dang, why do I have to have them in my face so close to surgery.  Someone posted that the preliminary autopsy report indicated the probable cause of death to be a blood clot.

Jerrysgirl


She was three weeks out, and had checked with her doctor when she wasn't feeling well.  It just makes be scared.  I have wanted to have this surgery for the past 10 years or more.  I would check with my insurance and when they wouldn't pay I didn't pursue it.  I always just thought oh well it wasn't meant to be.  And the 1/200 death rate was enough to cause me to back out.  I have done my research and I know that Dr. Baker is a great doctor and that he and his staff do everything they possibly can to make sure you are ok.  I know that Dr. Baker's success rate is more like 2/2500 but then I always wonder if I will be the number 3.  I have two small girls 3 and 6 and I am wanting to do this surgery for them, I want to be here for them, not shorten my time with them.  Then I go back on my faith and remember, God answered my prayers for this surgery.  If I had not gotten approved I would have taken that as an answer, but I got approval in less than 2 days and I know that was my answer.  I know that my days on this earth have already been decided and going through with this surgery or not isn't going to make a difference.  If I didn't have the surgery I could have a car wreak and be killed the same day, if my time was up it would just be up. 

Jerrysgirl's story has reminded me of a distance friend's who's wife died a week or so after having a C-section due to a blood clot.  She got up to feed the baby and never returned to bed, he found her in the chair still holding the baby.  I remember this happened right before I gave birth to my daughter and of course scared me to death but there wasn't anything I could do about it, I was still pregnant and that baby had to come out some way!

Ok I am just rambling, just getting nervous.  I start my protein shakes on Tuesday and surgery is Oct 15th. 


Thanks for listening,
Amy R.

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Thanks to both of you.  I know this can happen after any surgery.  Susan I took Lovnox during both of my pregnancies and thought I was finished with all that but I will happily take them again.  When I was pregnant I took mine in my legs instead of the stomach.  I remember the first time I starting taking them my legs looked like some one had been after me Wit a baseball bat.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Oh Amy hang in there!!!  Everything you said, I believe-regarding your when it's your time- we've made a choice to take the chance to get healthy-and put the rest in the Lord's hands!!!  I'm putting you in my prayers!!!!

It is sad when you read about other people dying, no matter what the reason and can be even sadder if you know the person, even if it is only online.  My memory is not so good, so if jerrysgirl was on the ark board, I will have to see her profile to remember her. 

I read the memorial pages before I had my surgery.  Even though I knew I was in good hands, and that any chances of dying were very low, I still wanted to know what could happen.  But I weighed the facts, wrote all the reasons I could die from not having surgery on one side of a paper and all the reasons I could die from the surgery on the other half.  (My therapist made me do this once a long time ago when my depression was bad, made me list all the good things about me on half a page and all the bad things about me on the other half, so I could see all the good qualities about myself). 

You can guess which side had the most things listed, obviously there were more reasons I could die from not having surgery and only one or two on the other side. 

Blood clots are dangerous.  I had a co-worker (back before I was disabled) who was healthy and only a little overweight, and she got a blood clot in her leg.  For no reason, it just happened. 

My aunt got a blood clot after having surgery, she had a hernia pushing on her lungs, and they had to do her surgery through her back to get to it.  She had an allergic reaction to the heparin and had massive blood clots just a few weeks after surgery.  She walked and everything.  She spent months in the hospital with her leg sliced open with tubes sticking out, now she uses a wheelchair, the clot damaged her leg. 

It can happen to anyone, for any reason. 

Whenever you get heparin or any other blood thinning agent after surgery make sure you have your dr or nurses check your blood regularly, to make sure the thinning agent is doing its job. Many hospitals check your blood anyway after any surgery but to be on the safe side, tell them you want them to check your blood to be sure its working.  I don't know what the test is called, but if their checking your blood anyway, an extra test won't hurt and that's their job anyway. 

Post Date: 10/1/08 7:28 pm
Something that you might try is to start a diary/journal and begin to "talk" to your kids about what you are doing and why.  Not to be morbid but think of it as a "just in case" journal.  This does two things...one it really clarifies things for  you - brings into sharp focus just what you are doing and why and it should detail all the research you have done and 2) just in case there are complications your kids are left with a loving letter from you telling them about your love and how you are doing this to be with them - to be able to provide them a great life and to be able to do things with them and how it was riskier (if you believe it) to not do the surgery.  Put your fears, tears and triumphs in there.

I did this when I first started trying to get the surgery many years ago and had the same concerns.  I am a single mom.  It really helped to put things into perspective and let me discover if I was truly ready and doing it for the right reasons.

Also,,,,not everyone dies from a pulmonary embolisum I am living proof of that.  I had one and no surgery was involved.  So it can happen to anyone at anytime. Mine was asthma related.

Pray, pray and pray again.  Then do what you feel is right for you.

Normal. That's all I can say. I can be a bit morbid at times when it comes to medical things so I read quite a bit about death due to surgery prior to mine. Fact is, just as you pointed out, it could very well have been gallbladder surgery for her. It really didn't have anything to do with her bariatric surgery besides the fact that it was the reason for her surgery.

I'll tell you some of the stupid things I did after you have surgery so that you don't repeat my mistakes...lol. You have a good mindset so keep your head clear. Hang out on the board of the surgery you have chosen and read all of the posts about "I'm home" or "I made it"...it'll show you the other side. Actually, you will probably want to poke your eyes out after reading about 5, but that's okay...lol.

HI Amy,

Yes, this is something that can, and is very scary for ANYONE facing ANY type of surgery. You should be concerned, and I think it is healthy that you are. I totally agree with Shawna, this could happen to anyone after any surgery. I'm not trying to diminish Jerrysgirl's death by any means. 

When you consider the number of people who are here on OH, think about how many people have passed away. The actual number is very low, and the number who have died as a direct result of the WLS itself is even lower.

Blood clots are the one risk and complication that all doctors warn their pre-ops about. There are things that you can do to help prevent it and this should keep you mindful of them:  as soon as you're able to get out of that hospital bed WALK. Even if it is from the bed to the door at first, you must do it. The more walking you do the better you'll feel and the chances of a clot lessen. Don't take your compression boots off unless you're getting out of bed to walk, and strive to walk once every hour, again, even if it's just to the door, then try three rooms down the hall, then the nurse's station, then all the way around the floor.
After you get home, keep up the walking. You might not feel like it, but you MUST do it, and keep doing it.
Dr Baker will order Heparin injections for you to thin your blood and lessen the chances of clots as well.  They are given in your abdomen and use teeney-tiny needles that you hardly feel at all.  They'll bruise you belly like crazy, but it's another line of defense against clotting.

Hope this helps you feel better. We're here for ya!

I know you're worried.  It is NORMAL. 

But honestly, it is more dangerous to stay obese than it is to have this surgery.  That's the reality of it. 

Per the Obesity in Action website, if you are eligible for WLS and chose to have it, you are 9 times LESS likely to die within the following 6 years as someone who choses NOT to have WLS.  (I think those numbers are right - I haven't read it in a while.  But it's on their website.)

You are in wonderful hands with Dr. Baker.  He won't let anything happen to you.  You will be fine.