Beware of the brush-off surgeon
I've had problems with abdominal pain and nausea/vomiting for over a year. My surgeon kept saying it was all due to an ulcer, then the rapid weight loss ( really strange since I've been a slow loser the whole time), then my IBS, which has never put me in this kind of pain before. I sat in the office last Friday and told him that I KNEW there was something really bad wrong with me and I wanted to find out what it was and get better. His response was to schedule another CT scan for this past Wednesday and to tell me that an exploratory lap was probably in my future. I went the whole weekend in pain, worked Monday, was up the entire night walking the floors with horrible pain in my abdomen, finally went to the ER Tuesday at 5:30 am. I was in the ER all day waiting on my surgeon to finish his surgery schedule for the day. He finally came in at 2:30 pm and decided to do the exploratory laparoscopy right then. I went down to the OR for what ended up being a three hour surgery. He found multiple adhesions that were twisting and bunching up my old stomach, my new stomach, and part of my intestines all up under my rib cage on both sides. He also looked at my internal hernia and chose to do nothing with it because we hadn't discussed it before the lap and it wasn't on my consent form, so there's another upcoming surgery to look forward to.
I am home with four lap sites and nine staples and glad to be alive without anything ruptured or dead from lack of blood flow inside. Please take note and beware of the brush-off response from any doctor.
Rachel
344 pre-op
302 day of surgery
172 current weight
150 goal weight
I'm so sorry that you have gone through this mess - especially that this doc was so unconcerned with your pain before you were rushed to the ER. I can' t believe they don't take the hypocratic oath more seriously!! I mean we pay their salaries!!! Hello!! Thank God you are alive and well as you recover from this near-death experience and thanks for sharing. I say the same - don't take no for answer especially when you are in great pain!!
I have an absolutely wonderful surgeon and posts like yours make me even more thankful. I too had weird paint hat he could not figure out. Het ried every test and med around and finally did the exploratory lap and found some twists and adhesions and a little hernia. He told me they tlaked alot about needing to do an exploratory lap whent he symptoms were weird. He said I was jsut bery different in my pain level becasue most people with that are in excruciating pain. I have ahigh pain tolerance and am very stubborn!! Glad it got worked out but sorry they aren't all as great as my doc. A caring doc is the key for sure.
Alice
I have an absolutely wonderful surgeon and posts like yours make me even more thankful. I too had weird paint hat he could not figure out. Het ried every test and med around and finally did the exploratory lap and found some twists and adhesions and a little hernia. He told me they tlaked alot about needing to do an exploratory lap whent he symptoms were weird. He said I was jsut bery different in my pain level becasue most people with that are in excruciating pain. I have ahigh pain tolerance and am very stubborn!! Glad it got worked out but sorry they aren't all as great as my doc. A caring doc is the key for sure.
Alice
I read your post and was wondering if any one could help me I had to have my surgery revised from the Ds because of too much weightloss. I went from 296 down to 116. I was reaaly sick and had to have it revised in october 2003. well after having my intestine put back, so that I could regain some weight and so I wouldn't continue to be malnourished. I haven't been right since, I continue to gain weight back. I'm now back to 180 and I have alot of pain, my surgeon seems to disregard the fact and tell me not to eat sweets for the weight gain but I have alot of problems with different types of food and I have alot of pain in my stomach. I was wondering after reading everyone post maybe my intestines are twisted and that's the problem. If anyone have any sugguestion or if anything seems to stand out in my story e-mail your advice and sugguestions will be greatly appreciated!
Rachel,
I am 18 months post have lost 222lbs.
I am in the same boat I have had horrible stomach pains which leave me doubled over in pains. My first attack was in june I went to the ER had a CT scan done nothing was found. 3 weeks ago i had another attack which lasted about a week in that week I saw my wls 3 times visit to my pcp and the ER. My wl surgeon sent me for a GI series to see if it was a abowel obstruction which it wasn't. My surgeon brushed me off and gave ne a 3month script for vicodin and said come back in a month.
Last night the I had another attack. The pain is On my right hand side upper by my rib cage it moves to my back It doesn't let me lay down I sleep sitting up. My PCP said it could be addeishions MY surgeon said he wont go in an d check he said anyone hwo has surgery inthere stomach has addeishions.
I was gonna go back to my surgeon today but I know he is gonna brush me off. Which makes me notice that He was a great surgeon but not a great doc.
Nicole-222
Nope I had my Gallbladder taken out in 1999 the pain is very similar but 10 times worse then the GB pain.
i went to the ER last night again the doc gave me some meds which stopped the pain. He said he has seen a lot of bypass patients come in with similar pain . But the only way to find out if it is an internal hernia is to have exploritory surgery which they dont wanna do. So i am gonna look into other surgeons and docs. I am seeing my moms wls surgeon next week.
Thanks, nic
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