Did you read the "Journal de Montreal" last weekend

Hi all,
I did read it and inside was a story about a woman who had WLS at Sacre Coeur and she DIED!!!  They didn't say what surgery she had or with what dr. but they said that she had part of her stomach removed....  I'm kind of freking out here, I'm having surgery at Sacre Coeur and having part of my stomach removed with VSG.  Don't worry, i'm not really scared of dying because maybe that woman had some other problems but, will it cause my surgery to be delayed.  I've been waiting for soooo long already and was thinking  maybe I should call Martine, the bariatric nurse, again and ask her how far I am( I did call her in beginning of feb. and she said that she would be calling me soon, but how soon is that ?).  It's really beginning to affect my mental health as I'm going crazy over the waiting time and affecting my social life too, don't want to go out anymore and people are tired of hearing me talk about my "surgery"..... not to mention my health...  my arthritis just started acting up again and I can't take Ibuprofen for the pain anymore because of past stomach ulcers and Tylenol just doesn't help with the pain...  So, after all that, do you think I should call and bother her again?  Am I just too anxious and should just wait for my turn to come?  I don't want to be a pest but I NEED to know!!!!
Thanks for reading all my ranting but your the only ones that truly understand what I'm going thru...
Thanks
Anne

Hi Anne, I also read this sad story, but those things happen... You can die even after a C-section or any other major surgery ( or even by crossing the street !) I don't think they will delay your surgery for that, it surely happened before and will happen again, even if it's rare, but they won't stop doing surgery, like if someone dies after heart surgery, they continue to do the surgeries...  It is very rare though... we don't know the whole story, but I think what is important after surgery is knowing your own body and if you are not feeling well, INSIST on staying in the hospital or seing the doctor... Doctors are no God, if they think you are ok, but you feel deep inside something is wrong, don't delay to tell or go to the ER.
I don't think calling Martine will change anything but if you feel like it will help you do it... I know it is difficult to wait, but it is well worth it! As for talking about surgery, all my people are sooo tired because I still talk about it a lot...or they talk to me about it when they see I have lost weight!  It is part of your life now, an important part and it is normal to talk about it... But when others are tired of it, come here to talk, that's what I do! 

Have a nice day!
((hugs))
Diane

Hi Anne!

The story is,  indeed,  very sad. This case needs to be investigated for sure for the lady's family sake.

For those of us who had ( or plan to have) WLS, I think we should keep in mind that 1) There are no such thing as a risk-free surgery, but that complication (minor or fatal) rates are relatively low (I don't have number for VSG, but for DS, minor is 10% and fatal is 1%) and that 2) A person that suffers from morbid obesity has, per se, a greater risk of dying prematurely than someone that doesn't.

WLS surgery has helped hundreds of people over the years, but it's no miracle. Uncontrollable events and errors do happen...Stories like this one put the emphasis on getting as much info about surgery before making a decision to have it or not...Overall, WLS save lives...

Please keep a positive spirit, and let us know about your progress!

I just think the whole affair very sad no matter how we try and rationalize it. She was young and did this surgery because she wanted to prolong her life. It's tragic that she died. My thoughts go out to her family and loved ones.

It is truly very sad to hear that someone who wanted to do something positive for themselves had to die.
 
It would be very interesting to be able to read this article. Is their any way of reading it on line? Maybe someone could even contact the journalist who wrote the article and maybe get more info.

When I started out on this journey someone in my office was talking about a friend of their husband's who had WLS with Dr.Christou and had died. I listened but didn't say much until I had decided to go ahead with the surgery. I then confided in her and she told me that this particular girl died with complications from blood clots. She also told me that Dr.Christou had advised her to NOT have the surgery but she really wanted it.

Yes I am scared but like we all know...complications from obesity can shorten our lives considerably.We should also take VERY seriously what our doctors tell us and make educated decisions.

Anne...I am very anxious too and I've only been on the hospital"waiting" list since Dec.09. (But took me 4 years for a consult) so I know how you are feeling. We'll get there soon and be on that wonderful loser's bench.

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

Here is a link to the article,

http://lejournaldemontreal.canoe.ca/journaldemontreal/actualites/faitsdiversetjudiciaires/archives/2010/03/20100323-035901.html

Thanks Joel for the link.  Much appreciated.

Again - thanks for the link. Je ne parle pas un gros (amount) de francais -= but lived in northern Quebec for 3 yrs a long time ago. So I can get the jist of the article - thanks!

Thank-you very much Joel for the link. And if anyone hears anything else about this poor lady or anything about the autopsy reports...please post.

Thanks again.

Hello everyone and I hope you're all having a wonderful Saunday (Palm Sunday) for anyone who celebrates Easter.

I found this other source and a bit more info on the woman who passed away.

http://lejournaldequebec.canoe.ca/journaldequebec/actualites /sante/archives/2010/03/20100322-220340.html#texte

Ciao,
Ada