Karen I. update!!!!

Hi all   Karen I 's Sister called me a little while ago to let me know that Karen was out of Surgery and doing fine. They did find a small hernia and did the repair. She will be home later!  hugs, Britt

Thanks for the update, Brit.  I sure am relieved to hear that she is OK. Diane

Glad it is done and over with! Quick healing prayers for you!

Hi All, and thanks for this post, Britt, Well...long story short: I *DID* have a hernia! It was small but it was a Petersen's Hernia  (Defect), which, for those of you who are medically savvy, is between the Transverse mesocolon and roux limb mesentery. It happens when lots of weight is lost rather quickly. The original sutures no longer have all that fat to hold on to. So...a small opening occurs, and the pain happens when the intestine pops through the hole. That is VERY dangerous! I was lucky that I didn't have serious damage (or even death) because I allowed myself to have 5 "attacks" in the 9 months post-op before I did anything about it. I was convinced it was gas pain because it was so intermittent...but I should have known better because the pain level was off the chart when I had the attacks. Again: it was only 5 times in 9 months and I assumed (yeah, that dumb word) that if it was a hernia, the pain would be constant. WRONG!!! One time I even ended up in the ER on Morphine from the pain level. But, nothing showed on the CAT Scan and my pain went away a few hours later. According to my Surgeon, this type of hernia is very common in people who have had RNY Gastric Bypass....so my message is this: Don't suffer in silence if you have sharp, stabbing spasms of pain in yout stomach. It may be more than just gas and the only way to really tell is via Laproscopic exploratory surgery. Thanks to all for all your well-wishes! Hugs, Karen

Hey Birthday Sis / Gym buddy!  I am so glad that you went and had this done!  THANK GOD you are OK and its all taken care of - jeesh!  YOU POSTED Good Advice for everyone... I think we tend to say "ehhhh it's probably nothing"  -  your case is a BIG REMINDER We should listen to our bodies!!! Hugs, Britt

Hi Karen, I am so glad everything went well I was so worried about you!!!!!!! Thank god you took care of this and thank you for the excellent advice. Now I hope you have a pain free journey and may you enjoy how awesome you look. See Ya at the gym Hugs Lori  

Hi Karen, I'm really glad that you're o.k. & that the surgery went well.  Thanks for the advice, I hope none of us has to use it, but it's so vital to have.  Did you eventually call Dr. Garber to tell him that the pain was so bad...is that how you wound up having this surgery? Be well, Karen

Hi Karen, What happened was that I saw Dr. Garber for my monthly visit and told them about the pain. Based on my description, he felt I REALLY should have the exploratory because it sounded like a Petersen's Internal Hernia. Well....I was so on the fence about going in because my pain wasn't there at the time nor did it rear it's ugly head in the 3 weeks after that visit to Dr. Garber. So...I called to cancel the surgery!  While on the phone with Stephanie at Dr. Garber's office, Dr. Garber called in. Stephanie put me on hold. When she came back, she said "Dr. Garber REALLY feels you would be making a huge mistake by cancelling because the pain from that type of hernia can be very intermittent and it's extremely dangerous". So...I begrudgingly went for the surgery. HOW SMART IS DR. GARBER??!?!!! He's my Hero once again; I love the man LOL. It was a hard decision for me because I didn't have the pain at all the day of surgery and up until they put the IV in...I wanted to leave! Thanks for your support, Karen....you're a sweetie. Hugs, Karen

Hiya Karen, Thank good ness you are home and all is well!  You've been in my thoughts and prayers and will continue to be. Maryellen:) :wave:

HUGSSS...thanks Maryellen. I'm glad he found something to explain the painful attacks. Although they were very random/intermittent and infrequent...I always worried when it might attack again. The entire 2 weeks in Israel I worried I'd have an attack (I didn't, thankfully) but the randomness made it very worrisome. Can't wait to see you at the next meeting. By the way: I am taking the Group Leader classes you told me about! Hugs, Karen