My Story...the short version
Hi -I wanted to share my story (a condensed version) with others who may have
had similar issues and who can relate. It is hard to talk with others who can't
relate. I went in for a lap RNY on 8/17/05. That evening I passed out cold on
the floor when they got me up to go to the bathroom a couple hours after
surgery. The next day they sent me for the leak test and said I could begin
liquids. None stayed down. They kept doing swallow tests and they were
inconclusive. I eventually dehydrated and had strong pain in my back. By 8/22/06
they decided to move me to ICU. That is my last vague memory. I have been told
that I continued to vomit and run a fever. I had bile and BM coming out of my
mouth, and they rushed me into emergency surgery. During the surgery I aspirated
into my lungs and went into total respitory failure, they continued with the
surgery and found that my staple line had ruptured and the pouch had abscessed.
They had to cut away the pouch and re-create a new one. I also had a hernia with
a twisted bowel,. They had to cut away more of the intestines and re-attach
them. I was put on a ventilator / life support. I was not expected to live. My
family tells me I had 20 differtent IV's running into me as well as all the
other equipment. I kept running high fevers and my blood pressure kept
bottoming out. I had no respitory function of my own and I developed phemoia and
a yeast infection in my lungs. I had ICU induced pycosis and was very combative
and aggitated. I kept trying to pull everything out of me. They put me on
paralitic drugs to keep me calm. Everytime they tried to bring me up out of the
drugs I would fight the vent and they eventually had to do a tracheostomy. They
felt they needed to get me out of ICU so I could be weaned off the vent. They
moved me to a special care hospital that specializes in vent weaning. They were
able to get me off the vent. I woke up at the end of September. My muscle
function was gone and I could not even roll over let alone walk. I was moved to
a rehab facillity where I had PT & OT. I finally left the hospital in October,
and continued with Out-Patient therapy. I am doing remarkably well for all that
happened to me. The doctors still cannot even believe I am alive. My family is
still recovering though from all of the stress. How have you helped your
families to cope?
Thanks for listening and letting me tell my story.
Lynne
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