Advice needed........

Hi everyone!  I had RNY 7 years ago.  I have also had every single complication there is to have, some more than once.  I have had 9 surgeries, about to be 10, in 7 years.  My weight, once stable at years 3 and 4, has plummeted to a mere 105 lbs.  I look and feel anorexic.  My latest struggle started in Sept 2010 when I had a stricture (yes, you can get them this far out) and I went to a gastro doc to get dilated.  He perforated my stomach.  I was rushed to the hospital, repaired and sent home only to return the next day in god awful pain.  My intestine had ruptured.  From there I spent 7 weeks, 10 days of it in a coma, in the hospital in ICU.  Imagine the bill...........I had liver failure, kidney failure, dialysys, transfusions, another surgery, double pnemonia (apparently I aspirated some fluid) and I was septic.  I also contracted MERSA.  Lovely.  Here I am, 3-1/2 months later, still unable to work, weak as an infant, unable to eat much and facing another surgery on March 7 for a giant hernia (I'm not kidding when I say giant).  My question is:  when I had the emergency problems back in September they asked if I wanted a reversal.  Me, being out of it, said no.  This time is different.  I have been practically bedridden since I got out of the hospital in early November.  I want to ask the doctor if he can draw up papers that say when they are in the repairing my hernia, and find my RNY to be malfunctioning, could they reverse it.  I don't want to have yet another surgery.  I am leaning more and more for the reversal.  Do you think the doc would do that?  I have an appointment next week to go over blood work, which I'm sure is in the pits, and I will discuss this with him.  I would like your opinions and thoughts.
Thanks, Kathy

Hi Kathy

I had my rny about the same time you did...but fewer complications and never lost all them needed weight and fighting regain. I had a series of hospitalizations with bowel obstructions and  I Just had a life threatening "huge" (surgeon's words) internal hernia(related to rny) fixed last week and am recovering at home. Saved my life.

A close friend of mine had her intestine rupture from an obstruction and she has had continuing problems since then (35 days in intensive care 15 surgeries etc) ...seems similar to yours but she is stable now. (and regaining too much weight)
 
A reversal is a very serious surgery, much more so than the original rny and you need to be as healthy as you can be for the surgery.  If you choose to reverse  it you must get the best possible, most experienced surgeon you can find.  Do a lot of research....  As a suggestion Go to a university medical library and talk to a medical  reference librarian.  They can help you research the various, surgeons and their expereince.  Just googling doesn't work well enough. 

Good luck

Thank you so much for your response.  I am just at my wits end here.  I am up to 114 lbs as of today.  Doc said I need to put on as much as I can before the surgery.  I am trying but can't seem to regain squat.  114 lbs makes me look less anorexic but I am still painfully thin and week.  My hernia sticks so far out of my stomach its not even funny.  March 7th cannot get here fast enough.  The pain is tolerated with pain meds, the lowest dose possible and the least addictive - I also went through transfer addiction during the  past 7 years.  Drank for about one year and am now sober almost 3 years.  I got a copy of my bloodwork before hand and yes it is in the dumps.  Also, I forgot to mention during the past 7 years I was also diagnosed with Lupus and systemic Scleroderma.  This could also be playing a part in some of the complications I have been having.  Basically, when the doc said Lupus it then explained 30 years of health issues I thought were off the wall.  Now I had a clue.
The Scleroderma messes with the digestive track.  Just freaking great.  I can't eat as it is, and now I have something that can and does cause strictures etc.  Maybe he can make me a new pouch?  I don't know.  I guess I'll find out at the appointment.  Thank you for your support.  Kathy

Maybe the complete reversal can be changed to a VSG? The sleeve... Just an idea... 
A lot of people who has the reversal gain all the weght back.  
I do not know anything about that - but just an idea?