Please don't give up when you KNOW something is wrong

I am posting this to all here as a reminder of the complications that can arise after gastric bypass. I haven't posted or visited here for quite a while. I have continually had problems since my gastric bypass surgery in April '04.  The two most horrific issues have been found after multiple trips to the surgeon and ER, one was a surgical clip left inside at some point and was found imbedded in a loop of my small intestine and a large hunk of omentum( the fatty lining of the interior abdomen that keeps it from sticking to the inside of our tissues) hanging from it in the right upper quadrant of my abdomen. This was found after  a negative CT scan x 2 and a screaming fit on the phone with my surgeon's nurse, demanding some attention and threatening to have my family sue his @** off if I died that night. The second issue has been after a trip to the ER, a 2 day hosptial stay, both with negative CT scans and sent home on Reglan and Bentyl for nausea and spasms. I finally drove myself the ER from work Mon the 17th, almost stopping at the local EMS station twice along the way because of the excruciating pain in my right upper and lower abdomen. The ER doc did an occult stool test, first one ever done during all of this, positive for blood. He called my surgeon ( same one as before because no one else will touch you after one has rerouted your digestive system) and I was admitted again. The CT scan Tues morning showed gross free fluid in the abdomen and multiple loops of twisted bowel with something else. I immediately went to surgery and there was a huge orange-sized hernia with a hole inside. My right small intestine had telescoped into the left side and all was strangulated and swollen in side that hole. He had to pull all of my entire small intestin out onto my abdomen and unkink and untie the knots in my small intestine. I had been in excruciating pain for over a week and he blew me off as far as what was going on with this, wanting me to call my rheumatologist for med causes or the urologist I see for interstitial cystitis. I almost DIED. I then came out of surgery with a 6-inch long vertical incision and the attempted lap sites and a paralyzed bowel that took three days to wake up. I ate ice chips from Monday until this past Saturday. I finally had a BM on Sunday night, PRAISE THE LORD, and got to come home yesterday on my youngest son's birthday. It has been such a hard road to travel with this and I am so grateful to God for my life, he kept me here.  I also have to say that I am thankful to my surgeon for his expertise with his tools and for finally identifying the problem. He did listen to me quickly the second time around and his hands working on me wit the Lord's guidance saved me. Please don't give up if you know in your heart that something is wrong, I believe that we all have a voice inside us, or maybe it is Him, that tells you when something isn't right. Be persisitent and mean about it if you have to. It's your life you're dealing with, not some vehicle or just a body. I am now on full liquids and praying that all will be fine from here on out. I am so glad to be home  and just here today for Christmas. Rachel

I am so sorry you had all those problams and Iam glad you are doing better now..I just want to say that It will be 6 months on the 5th of Jan that I had my surgery and THANK the GOOD LORD I am doing great. I owe alot of that to my wonderful Doctor and his staff..But most of all I Thank the Lord for keeping me in his arms and from harm..Have a Blessed Christmas and a wonderful New year.

I had lapband surgery almost 4 years ago but just started viewing this forum recently and your story just enveloped me. I get SO angry when people (Oprah included) say that WLS is the "easy way out." There is nothing easy about bypass, band, or any other WLS and this just infuriates me. If all the "normal" people out there had to think about and plan out every single morsel they put into their mouth - the size, the consistency, the nutritional makeup, the speed of eating, and the amount of chewing, etc. - they would realize that this choice actually becomes another job, but a very important job. You have vigourously held on to your faith through it all and I applaud you and will pray that sometime soon, your body will stop fighting you and will begin to cooperate with the meds for the RA. God bless you.  LeeAnne