Lots and Lots of trouble....need help finding the answer.

My poor hubby has had trouble from day one.  5 days after surgery we were in the E.R. for dehydration.  He had the surgery on February 29th 2009 and since then we have been to the E.R. for dehydration 5 times, been dilated for "too good healing of the pouch opening" 3 times, has an ulcer, had gall bladder removed, and is now on a PICC line 14 hours a day for nutrition.  We are at a loss for what to do.  He get's sharp pains in his stomach right under his breast bone, pukes if he eats anything (still), can't eat ANY meat at all, lately has passed out twice (and blacked out), has very dizzy spells, looks pale, has serious burping episodes, and is weak. 

We have been to the doctor several times and are getting no answers.  Well, maybe it's his ulcer....or maybe it's the gall bladder....or maybe he's dehydrated.  Those are the answers we get. 

He has gone from 330 to 170 in less than 6 months!  That is a 160 pound weight loss!!!!!!  He is still losing 6 pounds per week.  He is 6'1" and I am sooo scared for him.  We are both scared.   When will the weight loss stop?? 

Can anyone tell me if they have had these symptoms and what the diagnosis was?  I have called several docs and since they didn't do the original surgery they won't take him on as a patient.

Any advice or help at all will be appreciated.  Thank you all. 

Dawn

What surgery did he have and who is his surgeon?

Dawn,
Please check out my page/blog and then send me a message.  I have some questions...which surgery?  Where are you?  Which side of the ribcage is the pain?  I don't know if I can help, but after you read my story, you will see that it has been a long road, I may not have the answers, but I may have some tips for you.  Hang in there, and don't take no for an answer, or wait.

I read your page! :)  Sounds like you are having some of the same problems as my hubby.  He has seriously had problems since day 1.  We went to the doc yesterday and she put him on 24 hour TPN for atleast the next 2 weeks.  They don't know what is wrong with him either.  I think they honestly think it's in his head.  It's really sad and I feel soo bad for him.  It has been a LONG 6 month journey already.  He was in the ER for dehydration less than a week after the surgery and has had trouble since day 1.  :o(  ......he had the laparoscopy roux-en-y procedure.  We are located in Indiana.  He said since he got his gallbladder out, he really doesn't have the pain in his stomach, but his back still hurts pretty bad and his joints and things hurt all over his body.  Just to give you an idea of how much he's puked, he went to the dentist yesterday and she found 10 new cavities....10!!!!!  He has had like 2 his whole life.  He is a fanatic about his teeth, so if they start falling out, I believe that will be the last straw for him.  I just don't know what to do for him.  The doc told him he could go back to work tomorrow!  I said, how is he supposed to go back to work when he's been passing out??!

:)  Dawn

Dawn,
First, I hope he starts feeling better soon, and the TPN will help, it will take a few days to start feeling it, but he will...the key is to be able to maintain the calories/fluids when he comes off of it, otherwise he will be right back where he started.  What does he do for a living?  My advice would be to hold off on the work for now, just my opinion though.  I have made the mistake many times of going back to work too soon, and then you just become a yo-yo back and forth, and it is stressful for everyone.  Please keep me posted on how he is doing, I added you as a friend, so once you accept me as a friend, any posts that you put up show up for me when I click on My OH tab.  I will keep my blog/posts updated for you to see as well.  I'll add him to my prayer list and I am glad that at least the abdominal pain is gone, they just need to get the rest of it under control for him.  Take care :)

Dawn, I'm so sorry for you and your dh! I hope you find the answer soon and he starts feeling better. I have a leak in my stomach and I've been on a feeding tube since July 9th. I haven't experienced a lot of your husband's symptoms, but your comments on the nausea, PICC line, continued weight loss struck a chord with me.

They put in a feeding tube (connected at my upper intestine, below my stomach) and a stomach stent  to stabilize and "rest" my stomach. I am on Nestle's Nutren 1.0 (7 cans = 1750 calories) from 9pm to 12 noon, and my weight is stable at 265. (They're not interested in me losing weight right now -- just in getting better.)  ... I don't know about PICC lines -- I had one during a hospitalization -- do they provide calories in addition to the fluids and vit/minerals?

I only sip water with pills and to occasionally wet my throat, but putting anything (even H20 and pills) in my stomach leads to some pain and nausea. I also throw up a foamy, white spit when throw up (which I do most days, a little.) There's a suppository that helps the nausea (phenergen) and Tylenol helps the pain. I take 2 prilosec per day, too, and I think that helps the throat foam problem.

To me, it sounds like maybe you need a 2nd opinion consultation and some more pro-active care? My surgeon does a whole lot of  "well, let's wait and see what happens" stuff, but he's also kept me stable and moving forward. My heart goes out to you, and I hope things turn around soon.

Take care,
Laura

I have had 3 hernia surgeries in the last 2 yrs' the last one was on the 6th.  I have a lump there and whenever I eat or drink anything besides water It is very painful.  Actually I can't eat because I throw everything up.  I just had a TPN PICC line put in yesterday because of malnutrtion.  My surgeons have dialted me , the last time the opening was down to 3mm.  They stretched it to 10, and they might go again to 15, which is the max due to rupture.  I don't understand why it is all happening at once.  ANY HELP?

Has he been evaluated for small bowel obstruction? There are now hundreds of articles in the WLS journals about this. Which surgery types are more prone to them; what types of SBO to look for; where to look; and how soon to look.

That's assuming that his pouch is all dandy

The one that might manifest in that area is one in what they call Peterson's Space. Don't ask me what that means, since I don't do medical stuff, but I read a lot of it, and have had a few buddies who've had this type of SBO.