SECOND Internal Hernia!

I have received a lot of pm's inquiring how I'm doing. Thank you all for thinking of me. I promised an update so here it is:

What are the odds here!? I survived my first year and a half with zero issues (even had a healthy baby that was conceived two months after RNY!) Now I'm falling apart!! So badly that the surgeons at TWH have offered me a reversal. ?

1. Severe bleeding ulcers that will NOT heal despite four different acid meds. I've been on the floor vomitting blood so badly my 7 year old had to call 911.
2. Internal hernia last March that was surgically fixed at TWH. 
3. Umbilical hernia surgically fixed last March. 
4. RNY revision last September to remove the ulcered areas of my pouch/bowel...pouch is now super small!
5. Developed a very bad internal abcess after this surgery. I laid in the ER with my whole body packed in ice for hours as I was so sick and fever would not come down. 
6. Guess what!? Endoscopy six WEEKS later showed the ulcers forming again!
7. Been admitted twice again for vomitting blood!
8. Currently have a PICC line in my arm. I have to carry a big heavy bag of IV Pantoloc 24/7 that gives me a mini dose every 10 minutes and two big doses every 12 hours. 
9. Recent CT Scan shows ANOTHER internal hernia. It seems to slip in and out. Some days I am on the floor in pain that lasts for hours....then disappears! Surgeon is shocked I have another one. Back to the Operating Room I go!!!!  25 lap incisions....what's another 6 eh!!!??

Im soooo done with the constant surgeries, vomitting blood, severe iron deficiency, severe anemia....I was WAY healthier at 350 pounds than I am today at 140 pounds. 

The only silver lining in all of this? ....The IV Pantoloc is working!! After one year of fighting these ulcers they are almost completely gone! Surgeon was shocked when he did my recelant endoscopy. The real kicker is that NO ONE wanted to let me try the meds by IV at home. Every doctor I saw at TWH said "it was not possible" or "no one had ever done it before!". Well I fought hard for it!!! In the end I succeeded in getting it through my family doctor. And it worked!! The scary thing is that I can't stay on this for life....so it's reasonable to think the ulcers will come back when this is removed. At that point I'll be looking at yet another surgery (37 lap incisions now! Haha). 

Soooo for now I take it one day at a time and enjoy whatever number of days I have left with my RNY. I still have about another 15 pounds to go so I hope to get there before reversal.  Wish me luck as I get this second hernia fixed up! Hope everyone else is doing well.

Hey there, I was wondering how you are doing, good to hear from you.  That is great that the medication is working for now, thank you for sharing your experience.  When will they be doing the reversal of your rny?  I hope you do not have to wait too long so you can get some relief from your symptoms.  Hang in there in the meantime, and good for you for fighting for what you need to be healthy.  Please keep us in the loop as to how things are going for you, and when you get a surgery date.  I am sending healing vibes your way - may it will be smooth sailing from here on out for you.

Wow you have had a rough go!  I'm sorry to hear you need another surgery. That sucks. I wish you a speedy recovery and that those damn ulcers are cured and gone forever!

Wow, your story is frightening to say the least.  I am glad that you have found some form of relief for now. Wishing you the best in the days ahead

Thanks for checking in. I am so sorry to hear that these issues are continuing. It sounds just awful. I'm sending lots of good thoughts for recovery.

Has your medical team indicated at all what could be causing these problems?

Yes, you have been really having a tough time...I wonder if the physiology of your gut before this surgery had something to do with this?

Did you have GERD, or ulcers or a hiatial hernia before you had the bariatric surgery?

Are you having your subsequent surgeries being done by the bariatric surgeons? Or a thoracic surgeon?

No, sadly I didn't have any stomach issues at all pre RNY. I have had ALL of my surgeries done by the same surgeon at TWH. He's fabulous and I trust my life with him! They are just not sure why these ulcers keep happening. They are thinking perhaps some kind of blood supply problem ???

Not sure when my reversal will happen. Gonna sit on this IV 24/7 for, hopefully six months, and then see what happens when we stop. I will probably ulcer again and then we'll have to reverse. The also offered me the option to remove my pouch altogether and connect esophagus right to small bowel, but they are worried about quality of life after such a drastic surgery. I'm only 38 and hopefully have many years to live! 

It gets a bit ridiculous when all the nurses at TWH know you!!....because you are back in there every few months. I have private room coverage and I walked down the hallway last stay and determined I have slept in all but ONE of those private rooms!! Lol Sad!

Holy Moly friend!! I'm so glad to hear that the ulcer meds are working. I had surgery in january for a hernia that my bowels kept twisting and slipping into as well (I had a bowel obstruction in 2013 that strangled my bowels). I have another surgery coming up May 5th, and I never thought to count the scars LOL. I guess i'm close to 35 because I had a few exploratory surgeries for my uterus. My surgeon said she'll try to use a few of the same scars for my next surgery, but they have to go in lower. I told her that I look like a jack-o-lantern so it didn't matter!

When do they think they will do a reversal?