First impressions

Murphy's law or should I say Alan's law anything that can go wrong will go wrong. On Monday I went to St Johns to have a some kind of filter put in me that can be removed at a later date if I no longer need it, to prevent blood clots from getting to my lungs. Well needless to say it was a complete disaster. To make a very long story short when it came time for me to go into the operating room the Doctors and the operating staff had no idea how they were going to place the filter in some one of my weight. It sure isn't very encouraging when you have 10 people standing around your bed all scratching there heads telling you they have no idea how to proceed. Then to make things worse because of my sleep apnea they are not going to put me under just give me med's for pain. So for the next 4 hours I can here everything going on in the operating room, and what I was hearing wasn't good, and was getting me more and more upset. So as it turns out they (without asking me) put in a different kind of filter that can never be removed,and they had to guess where they placed it. So after this experience I am really worried about having my bypass surgery. Can they do this on someone my size and if there are complications can they handle them. I am really starting to wonder if the all was a bad idea. I guess I have until the 14th to make up my mind. Alan

Alan, wht an aweful heart-wrenching experience but it doesn't surprise me either. Some facilities just are NOT set up or "experienced" enough to deal with morbidly obese patients and unfortunately you had to find out first hand. You know how you talked about the need for a BARIATRIC CNETER in our area.....maybe THIS experience is something preparing you for your role in that! : ) I say go with your gut!!! If you are having doubts about their abilities, go somewhere else. There are MANY oter options for you, it just may take a little longer to get your WLS if you choose another option. I'm not saying you should or shouldn't, I do have my own opinion here but I'll try to be nuetral. Bottom line is you've got to have cinfidence that when your life is on the line, you KNOW those in the driver's seat are prepared to deal with issues that may arrise. Are these drs? Given what you went through just for this filter, what do you think? If I were you I'd be on the phone calling around to find out if I have options and what those options are and get some very specifi questions and concerns down on paper to discuss with your dr. If they couldn't put you under due to sleep apnea for this filter, how are they planning to put you under for WLS??? Do you use a cpap? I do know that you MUST use it faithfully pre-op if you have one to be sure your lungs are ready to deal with the issues after surgery. I've heard of folks who never made it off the ventilator because they lied about using their cpap or didn't quit smoking long enough before surgery. Geesh, I know my note here isn't too encouraging but this IS YOUR LIFE HERE AND YOU'VE GOT TO BE SURE OF THE SITUATION. And BTW you are NOT too big for WLS with the right surgeon. BIG hug of support to you!!! Tami

Alan, How awful for you. Get on the phone RIGHT NOW and talk to your surgeon's office and tell them what happened and what your concerns are. If they don't answer to your satisfaction, keep pushing. Many people much heavier than you have WLS so don't let that keep you down. Just make sure you and your surgeon and the anesthisiologist are communicating. You need to feel confident and comfortable and know that you are doing the right thing for yourself. I'll sure be praying for you and will check this site from North Carolina to find out what you're doing. Hugs. Lana

My opinion, is you got the wrong surgeon. Find you a different one and fast. If you have to go out of state than do it. I did because my insurance wont pay for any place around here. But now I know that there is at least one doctor in this state that my insurane takes. I have heard about this doctor that you have listed for surgery, he is NO GOOD! Just my opinion and everyone has them. Like everyone else is saying you must be comfortable with your decision. And you can DEFINATELY have WLS. I hope you have good luck. Kathleen

Alan, I am so sorry that you had such an awful experience right before your surgery. Was this Dr. Hodges that put this filter in? I would definately talk to him either way. Dr. Hodges was my surgeon and I never had one bit of trouble....and he also had a tricky hernia to repair for me at the same time as the bypass. I agree that you need to have confidence in the doctor that is going to be doing any kind of surgery for you, and I know you have a big decision to make between now and the 14th. I wil be praying for you. Glenna

"Murphy's law or should I say Alan's law anything that can go wrong will go wrong. On Monday I went to St Johns to have a some kind of filter put in me that can be removed at a later date if I no longer need it, to prevent blood clots from getting to my lungs. Well needless to say it was a complete disaster. To make a very long story short when it came time for me to go into the operating room the Doctors and the operating staff had no idea how they were going to place the filter in some one of my weight. It sure isn't very encouraging when you have 10 people standing around your bed all scratching there heads telling you they have no idea how to proceed. Then to make things worse because of my sleep apnea they are not going to put me under just give me med's for pain. So for the next 4 hours I can here everything going on in the operating room, and what I was hearing wasn't good, and was getting me more and more upset. So as it turns out they (without asking me) put in a different kind of filter that can never be removed,and they had to guess where they placed it. So after this experience I am really worried about having my bypass surgery. Can they do this on someone my size and if there are complications can they handle them. I am really starting to wonder if the all was a bad idea. I guess I have until the 14th to make up my mind. Alan" Alan... You mentioned that the drs. didn't know about your weight and medical condition prior to you entering the O.R.??? Didn't the anesthetist come and talk to you prior to you going back? They normally do their interview and check out your airway before seeing you in the O.R..... you also have to sign a release for the medical procedure which is incredibly specific to what they are doing and what they might be introducing into your body (like your filter for example) I.E. the brand name/type etc. Honey I can understand your apprehension especially in light of what you went through. You place your health/life in their hands as they are the medical professionals and you end up feeling like you are in a Groucho Marx movie... ((hugs)) I would sit down with your surgeon and have a heart to heart and just tell them how YOU feel. Bottom line -- it is YOUR life, YOUR body and YOUR decision. I know that you are a very smart man and you need to do some soul searching and sit down with your dr. Only then will you gain the answers to those troubling questions in your mind right now. I wish you NOTHING but the best my dear. Again I am so sorry that you had to endure that ... noone should have to go through that babes.. noone. HUGS Pixielf~

Alan, I am sorry to hear of yopur negative experience. I am a nurse of almost 30 years and I would have questions too. 1. did Dr Hodges perform this or another Dr.? ether way talk with your WLS Doc. ASAP about your experience 2. He (your Dr) is one of the main ones in Missouri so he must be working at a facility which should accomodate working with obese patients. Maybe he can do this at another facility. 3. Do not ever ( in my opinion) do anything you feel truly in your heart is wrong. If Dr is compentent he will be able to answer all your questions and concerns. If not look else where. 4. you always have the right to speak with a patient advocate about your experience and the sooner the better, if they follow thru with protoccol you should be able to have a lot of your questions answered this way also. 5. one of the first and foremost things of importance before any surgery with anyone is to feel confident in your DOCTOR and your HOSPITAL. 6. I understand their reasoning for the type of anesthesia due to your apnea. If they have to lay you down for the filter. My Dr. does the weight loss surgery with his patients sitting up so general anethesia is ok. I have in the past had anethesia for surgery the way you describe but it was at my request. And as far as the permit goes, there is usually a clause in it to give the surgeons a small window of change from the procedure discussed in case they do run into problems. A permanet type of filter may be the best in the long run for you. If you needed the filter to start with. That will be one less surgical procedure for you to undergo in the future. Alan I wish you the best and if you follow thru with your questions UNTIL YOU ARE COMPLETELY SATISFIED!!! DO NOT ACCEPT LESS!! Then I know you will make the decision which is right for you. 7. I had questions years ago and backed out of WLS in the 80's when they were taking me to surgery, because i didn't feel right with it. Wishing you the best. JULIA

Alan, I am so sorry that you had this experience at St. John's. I am always sorry and embarrassed when bad things happen to St. John's patients because I work for the Clinic (not for the hospital). I forwarded your message to Drs. Hodges and Edwards office and got an immediate reply back from Mary Trampler, who said that she had taken care of this. I don't know what that means, but I hope it's true. Alan, Drs. Hodges and Edwards are excellent Bariatric Surgeons. I don't know what the other poster meant about Dr. Hodges being no good. That is not the experience I've had. Both Drs. Hodges and Edwards had done surgery on me with very good outcomes. I am very proud to have Drs. Hodges and Edwards as my surgeons. You just have to stay very assertive and in charge of your own care. Especially with the hospital staff. When you were having those problems yesterday, you should have said "Call Claudette at 23873, and I would have come over and kicked some butt! I hope you've had some resolution and some calm to your fears. Let us know. I'll be thinking about you constantly. Love and best wishes. ClaudetteK

Alan, You certainly have time to weigh the pro's and con's prior to surgery on 11/14. Because of the issues you experienced with your filter implant, a face-to-face discussion with your Surgeon is highly encouraged. Through this entire process - before, during and after surgery you'll encounter countless teams with various areas of expertise...however, it's your Surgeon and his immediate team who should own the overall process and accountability for your quality of care. This experience for you has raised a wide-variety of concerns and caused heightened anxiety that must be addressed prior to surgery. If you don't have an appropriate comfort level and you feel that postponing surgery or ultimately making a change in bariatric programs and surgeons is the best option for you, don't feel pressured to continue with your present situation. There can be such a overwhelming desire to lose the weight and drive to get the surgery it makes it difficult to switch gears, especially when you're so close. But don't let that cloud your decision. Take the time necessary to make sure your decision is the absolute best for you and your situation. Once again, request a meeting with your surgeon. Demand it if you must - and once you meet with him, do not leave until all of your questions are answered to your satisfaction. It very well could be that St. John's is indeed the best choice for you, but until you sit down with your surgeon, you'll not know this for sure. Please feel free to give me a call anytime, day or night...I've sent you my contact information. I'm available 24x7 if you decide you'd like to talk. Best wishes to you! Cards Fan