daugherts nightmare surgery

Hi, My daughter had surgery in March and the doctor said it wasn't an abcess, it was a perforation, I wish he would make up his mind, at first he told the family it was a rejection, then an abcess, now a perforation. Well he said he really didn't know how she got the infection that made her have to go into surgery three days after she had the AGB put in. She almost died going into surgery with a 105 temp. She was so sick she she said she wanted to die. What in the hell went wrong? We will soon find out. Oh the hospital also served her breakfast the day after surgery. Duh!! Just to let you know these things happen at the hospital where she had her surgery.

I hope your daughter has a quick recovery after her ordeal...I had a friend who had the RNY by Dr. Pohl last May and was in the hospital for 30 days due to a staple malfunction and subsequent infection!!! Yet she says she'd do it again and with the same dr...not me..your story, combined with hers is enough to put me off from RW and Dr. P, at least until he gets a lot more experience and proven track record. Anyway, since researching the surgery options, I have lost 15 pounds...if I loose 10 more, I won't qualify ****il I gain it all back again!) Not much action on this board, but I check in every other day or so. I'm sure many people are reading your message and should take heed. Dr Pohl has performed less than 40 Bands and the learning curve is 100 to greatly reduce risk( from my research)...I will not have it done until I find someone with a least that much experience....I am praying that God will enable me to have the strength to loose without the surgical intervention...Time will tell. I'm a real Vermonter, transplanted here in RI 20 years ago...but proud of my birth state and enjoy visits "home".

Cindee, Oh please try your best to continue to loose weight on your own. You have to be strong and I know you can do it. Why put yourself at risk with these surgeries. No one knows what the outcome of having a band around your stomach will be in the next 5-10 years or even if you have gastric bypass there are sever complications. My daughter has lost 20lbs. since this ordeal and she is going to continue to diet and loose on her own. I know a lot of people who have medical problems do these surgeries to lengthen their lives but if you can diet and loose that way you will end up being a healthier person. It's difficult I know but at least you can still eat. I wish you the very best with your decision and I am sure you will make the right one!! Mary P.S. Vermont is a beautiful state and I love it here!!!1

Was it Dr. Pohl? It did not name a Dr. in the post. I had surgery with Dr. Pohl and my whole experience was excellent. Any specialist I saw throughout my whole ordeal could not say enough great things about Dr. Pohl. And I did go through a lot before surgery..too long to explain here. Anyway, Dr. Pohl saved my life and I will be eternally grateful!!

Hi, I cannot name the doctor for legal reasons. I am sure your Dr. Pohl is a excellent surgeon I am sure. Bad things can go wrong with any surgery but sometimes it is the hospital/doctors fault. Only time will tell. I am happy that your surgery worked for you and that you will have a healthier life because of it. My daughter will never forget the horrible experience she went through and it will take months for her to get better. She is having post traumatic stress and has terrible nightmares. I just thank God she is still alive . I have heard that some of the doctors learn this procedure by watching a video. Isn't that nice to know?? thank you for responding Mary

I am scheduled to undergo surgery soon. I have decided to have the lap band done. I have done over a year and a half of research on it. I am also a nurse myself. I am very confident in my decision to have the lap band done as well as choosing Dr Pohl as the physician to perform the surgery. I have been through multiple extensive workups. I have attended the Mandatory pre surgery inservice. I have sat with Dr Pohl at my initial appointment. At every one of these instances, I have been made aware, reminded, and signed consents knowing that I am aware that there is a risk that something could happen, and I willingly have signed the papers. At every time, I have had chances to ask more questions and to give an opportunity to decide against having the surgery. I have received nothing but the best of care from both Dr Pohl and Roger Wiliiams Medical Center. Medicine is not a perfect science. This kind of thing happens whether this is a gastric surgery, heart surgery, a cesearean section, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery etc etc. Unfortunately for various reasons, these things happen. Being a nurse, there are many lectures, videotapes, dummy practices I have to practice on, before I even got to take care of the real person themselves. And trust me, Rhode Island has the strictest department of Health that mandates several hours of hands on experience before you are able to perform something under your license. In statistics with any surgeon, you will find that ANY of these doctors have had the same issues whether it's at Roger Williams, Rhode Island Hospital or a Boston, California, or Texas Hospital. I feel terribly that this happened to Mary's daughter and I do wish her the healthiest and speediest recovery. I also hope she is getting much emotional support as well.

Dear Stephanie, No medicine is not a perfect science but when my daughter starting vomiting blood a few hours after her surgery and it continued for three days afterward wouldn't you as a nurse have thought something was wrong???? I certainly would and I am not a nurse. My daughter reported it right away and the nurse said it must be from the tube that was down her throat during surgery. Duh !! The doctor should have looked into it and would have not waited four days and a 105 temp to find her perforation and bad infection . I would not let this doctor touch me!! Do you know that this doctor has lost other patients besides Mr. Messa??? The doctor can't explain why this happened. Duh!!! Also I am informed that a lot of surgeries, lap band, for instance are taught by watching a video tape. Why is it that the doctor at Roger Williams Med. Ctr. is sort of negative on lap band surgery??? I am lucky that my daughter is stll alive and didn't have to be brought out of that hospital in a body bag.

I am glad your daughter is on the mend, and it is very unfortunate the things that have happened to her. I think that the things you're discussing need to be addressed by the hospital's administration or evaluated at another level. I was trying to say, and my emotion cannot be felt in my font because my heart aches for your daughter, that these horrible things happen during many types of surgeries with any doctor, not just this one doctor, and that includes patients dying. I worked in Cardiology for several years in an Intensive Care unit, I have seen it first hand. It's an awful defeat as a health care professional when things go wrong. I would contact the head of Roger Williams Hospital and discuss it. If something needs to be changed, it needs to start at that level. Perhaps a lesson to be learned from your daughter's misfortune will create positive outcomes for other surgical patients, because unfortunately again in order to fix something, something has to be broken. I personally am saying for myself that everything is laid out on the table for me, and I understand everything that can go wrong including the difficult things that happened to your daughter. This surgery, whether it's the lap band or gastric bypass, also brings hope to many people who are suffering the severe consequences of obesity. Again I do hope that your daughter is on the road to recovery and that she is able to enjoy continued good health and peace in her life. Sadly there are no guarantees in life, sometimes no matter how good our intentions are of making things better for ourselves, something gets screwed up and then some and sets us back. Not that this is a comparison to the above, but a dear friend of mine walked into a nightclub to have fun, and never came out alive because he died in a fire. It's made me even more aware to live my life to the fullest no matter what happens. No matter what life holds in store for us, enjoy the moment while we are all still here, and to be strong in times of challenge. Peace to you and your family, Stephanie

Stephanie, I understand what you are saying but unfortunatly my daughters weight problem is right back where is started from . Her health is in jeopardy again because she does not have the band. She had to have it removed 3 days after surgery. She went throught all of this and almost died for nothing. I have done a lot of research on my daughters unfortunate surgery and there is not ONE person who I can find that had the problem that she had. Oh yes only one and she was a Detroit councilwoman who died three days after her surgery and her autopsy showed she had two perforations. Perforations are a outcome of surgical error. No wonder she was vomiting blood. Oh by the way the hospital my daughter had the surgery in only cleaned her room/bathroom twice in nine days. The bathroom was full of vomit & fecal matter all the time she was there. I think that hospital is breeding infections!!!!! Mary

Mr. Messa died before Dr. Pohl even touched him. That is why no legal actions were taken against him. He did lose one other patient some time ago. But your Daughter must have known that from doing her research. Was she in the maxi-ward during her recovery? My bathroom was cleaned twice a day. Lisa