MARLEX MESH COMPLICATIONS 22 YRS POST VBG-NEED QUALIFIED SURGEON N NORTH...

I NEED HELP!!!!!

I had Vertical Banded Gastroplasty in 1989, did have complications w/3 revisions & SURGERY TO PERFORM A COMPLETE TAKEDOWN OF VBG?! Recently, I got deathly sick, liver enzymes went thru the roof, eventually ended up having endoscopy and the Marlex Mesh that was supposed to be removed during the surgery I had to have the takedown of the vbg due to the problems I had. The reversal of the vbg was about 16 years ago. I also gained up to nearly 600 lbs. Then I eventually lost 350 lbs with a large amount of faith, hard work, & determination. Lost so much weight & w/adhesions & scar tissue my stomach shrunk shut, in 1999 I had to have a partial gastrectomy & a small stomach pouch was made to  make it possible for me to eat. The surgeon at that time stated my stomach was a mess due to scarring & adhesions & that eventually, could be 1 to 10 years but I would have to have more surgery to perform corrective surgery. Well, after having the endoscopy last Friday, June 2011, the GI specialist stated he had never seen anything like this but the marlex mesh has corroded and it has worked its way thru my stomach. I have got to have surgery but now I am at the point that I feel like I'm being thrown into a surgeon's lap that is not anywhere near qualified to perform the corrective surgery. I have already performed my own research but at this point this surgeon is wanting to remove 22 yrs worth of the marlex mesh, scar tissue the size of a grapefruit, actually 2 pouches of adhesions and scar tissue in addition to the marlex mesh which looks like a wild mushroom does that grows on the ground. I have been thru so much! I had nothing but complications but eventually got to where I needed to be weightwise. Then I became Vitamin B12 deficient, Vitamin D deficient, and my thyroid has been out of whack for months, my hair is falling out and I cannot seem to feel well at all.
Please anyone in NC who would recommend any surgeons that have been around for awhile and have performed more than just all the new things around and have had some experience in corrective surgeries from where other surgeons have made mistakes.
I have already had to go thru the issues b'4 b/c no other surgeon wanted to come near me b/c another surgeon had performed the original surgeon. He had already moved on and now I am right back where I was  before and feel I do not have any options.
Last friday my GI Specialist made this sound EMERGENT, said to give him 1 week to contact someone to see if he could find at least a second opinion & for me to call on Friday July 1st, 2011. So, I waited til Friday & he stated he had spoken w/a Dr. Fernandez at WFUBMC, & Dr. Fernandez's office was supposed to call to make me an appointment well, back and forth all day and Dr. Fernandez's office stated they did not know anything about it but now I am supposed to wait another month to just get a consult. When a week ago I was told they were most likely going to have to remove my stomach and create a small pouch but due to all the scar tissue and the marlex mesh having corroded to rust it looks awful from the endoscopy pictures & since I have a medical background it hits home even harder b/c I know where and how this can end up but now my GI specialist doesn't even want to answer a few questions like the time frame and the urgency he had a week ago and why it is ok now for me to wait when they stated my liver was shutting down 6 weeks ago and now think that it was due to a piece of the metal marlex mesh breaking off and getting into my bile ducts. My liver enzymes were in the 300-400's which was thru the roof and are still elevated but have come down and I am no longer throwing up but cannot get enough ice to eat and other than that about all i feel comfortable eating is dry toast. I am scared to death b/c i have nearly died from gastric outlet obstructions, small bowel obstructions, and 5 other surgeries to perform revisions and corrective surgeries related to the first surgery which was the vertical banded gastroplasty. Please, if anyone on here has anyone in mind that they think might be willing to see me as a second, third, fourth opinion, I WOULD SO APPRECIATE IT!

 I am so sorry about all of your complications. I would contact dr gagner in montreal.  he is a world famous surgeon and is an expert with complicated cases.  you can find his email online and he answers his own emails.  good luck!

WOW, I can't imagine what you're going through.  
I had VBG in 2005 and I'm currenlty having problems which I was informed just today that may be a result of my surgery and revision are more than like needed.  I'm not going to lie, I'm confused and scared. 
How have you been since you posted this?

 I had a VBG 16 years ago and I am being revised to the DS next week.  What type of problems are you having?  Do you have a mesh band?

Katey, I had VBG in 2001 from Dr. Rupp.  I weighed 440 to start with, lost about 180 pounds in the first 18 months or so, and have gradually lost weight since so I'm at about 230 today.  I have major digestive problems and live on healthy homemade soups, smoothies, dairy products, and crackers of various sorts.  I worry about throwing up and so much acid -- and especially worry about esophageal cancer down the road sometime.  I'm 72 and reasonably healthy except for digestion.  I know that VBG can cause major problems.  Just in reading a few of these posts (I'm new to Obesity Help) I see that several people got their worst problems more than 10 years out.

Please accept my sympathy and understanding for your worry.  Please let me know what has happened since last summer.

Are you going to have a VSG (which I just heard about today for the first time)?

Caryl Barnes

Dr. Rabkin in San Francisco (yeah, other side of the country, but....) has extensive experience in Bariatrics and revisions, and is also a liver specialist (transplants and the like,) on the other side of their practice, so he's no hack surgeon just getting his feet wet and certainly knows his way around that part of the anatomy.

I travelled to have him do my VSG, though not as far.