I nearly died 6 wks. post op.

I had my surgery last summer. I thought I was doing fine, but in the sixth week after surgery I wasn't feeling great. I had some nausea, wasn't eating, drinking, or sleeping well. I was able to eat ice and I was eating some. I decided to see my PCP and made an appt. for the following day. I drove myself to her office and she gave me a prescription for a sleeping pill and sent me for blood work. She said if it showed anything the dr. on call would contact me. The next morning my family found me on the floor. I had fallen out of bed. I don't remember anything from the night before this until two weeks later when I woke up from a coma in Intensive Care. When they got me to the emergency room I arrested and was placed on a ventalator. My blood work (done in the ER) came back with EVERYTHING totally out of whack. They immediately transferred me to a larger hospital filled with some of the best specialists in the country. They told my grown children that I probably was not going to make it. While I was in ICU I had multiple organ failure. I was placed on kidney dialysis for a period. When I awoke from the coma, I was still on a ventalator. I had so many tubes hooked up to me that I couldn't count them. I couldn't move my arms or legs and was later told that I had what they call "ICU neuropathy". I also had MANY hallucinations which my family had to spend a great deal of time convincing me that they were hallucinations and not real. After 2 weeks, I was moved to the floor, but still listed critical. Physical therapy began working with me. The first time they set me up on the side of the bed I was unable to hold my head up and immediately fell back on the bed. After much complaints and threats (from me to the drs.) they finally allowed me to be transferred to a rehab center. There I was worked with (physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.) 8 hrs. a day. After nearly two weeks I developed two blood clots - one in each groin. I then threw them to my lungs and was transferred back to the hospital. I was found to also have congestive heart failure. I was in ICU several days and then transferred to the floor. I had several other complications and felt I had met every single specialist in the state! I was sent back to the rehab center. I was finally able to be up most of the day in my wheelchair. While in pool therapy I took my first steps! After two months I was able to come home, but regularly had at home visits from nurses and physical therapists for about 1 1/2 months. Then I went to therapy as an outpatient at the rehab. I felt sick most of those two months. I did manage to eat more and drink a little more. I had loved water before surgery and for some unknown reason it made me sick once I was back in the hospital. All I wanted was orange juice and then that began to make me sick. I suffered a lot with nausea. A nurse in rehab flattened cokes for me and I became the addict I had been ten years ago. One of the drs. said that my lab work had looked like someone who had been in a concentration camp and not fed for five months! My main diagnosis was metabolic ketoacidosis. My diabetic brother-in-law, who was a bad diabetic, died from that. I was diabetic, but it was completely under control. A lot of people in the hospitals asked me if I had it to do over again, would I. I told them no, BUT I knew I might give them a different answer once I had lost a large amount of weight! It's a year later and I've lost 100 lbs., am no longer on diabetic or high blood pressure meds, and no longer need my CPAP machine for sleep apena. I still have a few left over problems. My balance is bad (I walk without a cane, but I sometimes fall). I also have urinary and bowel incontinence at times. BUT....I now feel better than I have in many years and am able to do many things that I thought I would never be able to do. So...would I do it again? I think that's like asking a woman if she wants to have another baby immediately after she's delivered or asking her a year later. No, I hope I never have to go through what I went through after my surgery (it was the most horrible experince of my life), but I have to say that I love looking and feeling so much better!

Thanks for posting your experience and I'm glad that you came out of it ok! Craig

Thanks so much, Craig. I love your profile page! Best of luck to you.

Hi Jane, I am from the Boston Area and scheduled for Lap band surgery. Your profile doesn't post what type of surgery you had, and where you had your surgery. Can you fill us in? I am glad you are feeling better! Joan F

Hi Jane,I'm so glad you are feeling better!!!! Brittany.

Jane, what was your pre op weight and which surgery type did you have? Also, what were your pre op medical problems. I am so sorry you went through so much trouble. That is really horrible and makes me think twice if this is what I really want to do. So thrilled that you are finally doing better. I bet it is an experience you will never forget and pray that you never go through again. Lori

Jane, I am just researching the WLS, and Iw ould like to say THANK YOU very much for sharing your story. There are many stories of what happens when everything works out well, but not to many people speak about the "bad" things that can happen. So again, I thank you and I am very pleased to read that you're doing well *smoochies* ~NEVER SURRENDER~ ~T~

I think pre ops should see this.I would suggest posting to the main board but ......it can be a tempermental area I am sooo glad you are well now and so much healthier! Erin

Jane, nearly dead is not dead. Glad you are doing better. I hope you continue to get better with each pound you lose. You are a survivor!

I am so sorry that you went through this.. and am very glad that you are doing better now. I do have a question though. How do you know that it was directly because of the surgery? What problems were you having before surgery? Kathy