Roux-en-Y gone very bad. Please read and help if you can..........

My son-in-law had his second procedure done 2 weeks ago. He went back to Dr Marshall for removal of the drain tube. Within 24 hours of that removal he was back in emergency with severe stomach cramps and vomiting. After examination, the hospital ED decided he had to be admitted. 2 days after being admitted he was put on a ventilator for problems with his beathing. To date, more than a week now since he was put on the vent, he is in critical condition in the CCU of the hospital where he had his surgery done. He is full of infection and has numerous doctors who can't seem to fix the problem. His white blood count keeps going up and down. His fever fluctuates as well. He is only breathing at 30% capacity. His peep is at 10. They were trying to get him of the vent but, after dropping it to 50%, he started having difficulty breathing and they had to turn it back up again. He is on 3 different antibiotics and ativan to keep him calm. His surgeon, Dr Marshall has finally said that there is a leak somewhere but they aren't sure where. He currently has 4 drain tubes in his abdominal area but none seem to be working to combat the infection. Now they are going to infuse him with blood because his hemoglobin is down as well. I am fit to be tied and so is my daughter (this is her husband) and don't know really what to do about this. She is seriously considering moving him to another hospital and trying to find another doctor as well. I am well aware of the fact that Henry Ford Health System is supposed to be excellent in this field but feel like this doctor has permanently hurt my son-in-law as a result of not getting this infection under control more quickly. Can anyone on here help me out with this? My daughter and I would greatly appreciate any advice.

I am so sorry about your son-law problems when I had my complications I ran into the problem that other surgeons do not want to take on other surgeons complicated cases. It took me over two years to find a new surgeon to fix my surgery. I will be praying for him and I hope that they can find the source of the infection. Tricia

Hi Susan I am so sorry to hear of your sons troubles. I know all the pain and fright of being hooked up to a vent, and the scare when they can't get you off of it. I was so scared of dying. My complications weren't my surgeons fault, they were due to my undiagnosed sleep apnea and asthma. My surgeon is wonderful and even teaches out of wayne state, give him a call and see if he could help, i think he will. his name is John Webber and works out of huron valley and harper hospital. Go to michiganobesity.com and contact him a.s.a.p. The best of luck to your son, i'll be praying for him. Hugs Linda

Susan, I am so sorry that your son-in-law is going through such a tough time. It is hard to give you any insight without knowing anything about your son-in-law. What was his BMI? What was his co-mortalities? I hope other Dr. Marshall Patients respond to your concerns as I am not familiar with Dr. Marshall, I do know that Henrey Ford Hospital is a great bariatric hospital. A friend of mine had Dr. Pesto for her surgeon and she also had a leak and needed a much longe recovery time and she was on an IV for 8 weeks after surgery. I will keep you and your family in my prayers and please keep us posted on his recovery. Take care, Janice

Gosh, Susan, that is sooo terrible. I'll be praying as well.....for his speedy recovery and that you find the answers you need.

I'm also sorry to hear about your son-in-law. I will keep him and all of you in my prayers. I had Dr. Carlin from Henry Ford and thankfuly all went well. I know there is risk in all surgeries, and we pray that we won't be one of the bad statistics from this surgery, but you never know. HF is a good hospital and I hope they find the source of the infection soon! God Bless, Theresa

I am so very sorry for the troubles facing your family and your son-in law. I hate to hear stories of complications. We all know the risks are very high going in, but we still go in willingly. I am not a praying person, but will certainly keep good thoughts going for him. I do have to say that in my personal experience, Dr. Marshall is one of the best around. He performed my WLS, my husbands, and two of my cousins. Last year he did my TT and he did a great job. My husband is approved for October for his TT with Marshall as well. I literally trust him with my life. I am sorry this happened. I do not think I would ever believe he was ever negligent or uncaring. I hope he is able to find the problem and restore your SIL to perfect health. Please keep us updated. Terri

I am sorry to hear that your s-i-l has had so many problems. Henry Ford is a teaching hospital, and that is where I went for my surgery. I had Dr. Genaw. You might want to call and see if you can set up a consultation with either Dr. Carlin or Dr. Genaw in regards to the situation. Prayers to your s-i-l and your family!

The doctors truly want your sil to come out of this as much as you do. They probably are very frustrated also. I think moving him could actually be more harmful in some cases too. I would say trust God and pray alot. I will pray for your family also and please keep us updated. Wendy

Hi Susan, So sorry to hear of the complications your son in law is having. Hopefully they will get this under control. Just wanted you to know my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Take care, Carey