Hi! I'm soon to be 4 yrs post-op. To say it's been a smooth ride would be a total lie..but, I will not say I regret the journey either.

To start with, I had a big problem with my stoma closing up. After the first 4 endoscopes to open me back up, the stoma began rippings each time. At 6 months post-op, I had to have a revision because the stoma was so brittle. So..I was back down to a 1 oz pouch and a few cm less of intestines. After that, the strictures continued but fortunately, I didn't perforate (rip) anymore. Finally, the surgeon started injecting my stoma with a steroid and that finally put a stop to the strictures. Total: 15 endoscopes which the baloons popped inside of me on at least 2 separate occations, had two ulcers, 2 perforations, and 14 strictures. That was my first 9 months.

1 year post-op, I developed internal hernias. The CT  scans did not pick up on it since they weren't kinked at the moment the scan was done. An exploratory surgery was done and I had three kinks Iaka..internal hernias or obstructions) and one blackage due to scar tissue.

After that, I went through the next two years pretty much complication-free.

Last September, after maintaining a 185 lb weight loss for over 1.5 years, I decided to have some plastics done. I initially wanted to get a tummy tuck w/abdoplasty and get my girls lifted & implanted. Well..a mammagram showed some spots so they were put on hold (the spots have since then proven to be calcium deposits). So I shifted it to a thigh lift with the tummy stuff. I had all of this done the end of September 2007. I woke in the recovery feeling like I caught a slight cold. I told the recovery nurses that. I went home the next morning. That was Wed. morning. On Friday, I couldn't breathe. I went to the ER. They did a CT and admitted me for pnumonia. While in there, they kept trying to get me to cough up the mucous out of my lungs. NOTHING ever came up. It hurt like hell to try though. The wire that the abdoplasty was done with would bounce on my insides every time I tried to cough. Hurt like hell! On Monday, I was sent home. My breathing improved a little bit..but I never did get anything coughed up. That week, I was walking a little better..and a little more upright. lol. I was enjoying admiring my flat tummy for the first time in my life!
Then on Saturday morning, Oct. 6th, I woke up feeling fine but within 2 hours was in the most excruciating pain I had ever experienced. I took my first ever ambulance ride. A quick CT let the doctors know I had some serious problems. As soon as an operating room opened up, I ws rushed in there. My intestines for some reason quit getting their blood supply and were black. I personally believe it was because of that darn wire bouncing on them. I was put into an induced coma...for nine days so that my intestine could be outside of my body & hopefully, get the blood going back through them. During that time period, I was back in surgery 3 additional times (1 to check every inch of the intestine to be sure they were getting blood again and 2 to try to get the intestines back into my body), had my bp drop to 50/30, had to have a 7.5 pint blood transfusion, and my family told to be prepared to plan either my funeral or long-term care. When I was woken up, I had to relearn how to use my arms, legs, everything! I also had a huge hole in my stomach with a wound-vac attached to it. After a few days, I was transferred to a rehab hospital. There, I learned that I also had a blood clot in my lung & one in my leg...so did I ever really have pnumonia??? One may never know! I was finally sent home a full 4 weeks after this nightmare started.

I went home with a portable wound-vac. Because of it & the blood thinners I was put on for the blood clots, I had a daily home nise visit. Finally, the middle of January, I was able to get rid of the wound vac. I still had a huge open wound in my belly but it wasn't deep. It was ~10"x6". Because of my abdominal wall being cut into, I also had a huge hernia on my right side of my belly. On March 3rd, I had hernia repair. A huge piece of mesh was put in there to try to close up the gap. My plastic surgeon assisted so she could close up the wound area. I have a scar going down the center of my body, sternum to pelvis. My belly button is off-center to the left. I was finally itable to return to work April 21st, 2008...7 months off instead of 7 weeks!

Now days....?

Let's see...I've had diarrea since October...6-15 times a day! I've had 2 colonoscopies, an endoscopy, had several tests done and have taken several meds...just in case. No luck yet. And of course, that causes hemmeroids to be a royal pain. The next step is to have a test to see if the intestines are communicating. Myself, I'm suspecting a partial obstruction..but this next test will show that too if that is the case. It's just aggrevating that it has taken this long to run this all telling test!

Along with the diarrea is intestinal spasms. They were so bad that they couldn't even do the full colonoscopies! I am now on my 4th meds to try to help with this....and the dosage on it was just more than doubled.

I start most days with my stomach pooched & looking like I'm about 4 months pregnant. My waist usually measures ~34" at my belly button in the mornings. Within 12 hours, it is 40" or more..making me look ~8 months along! I've gotten to wearing overalls to work just so my stomach has room to grow with no waistband to deal with.

I also beleive the hernia is back. It feels that way. It looks that way. When I lay flat on my back, the intestines go back to where they belong so a CT didn't show anything. I think a standing MRI is next on the testing list.

The last almost 10 months has been pretty rough to say the least. I just want that one week back when I got to enjoy my flat tummy! I have found a swimming suit though that has a strip that connects the top to the bottom...right down the center...right where the incision line is. Someday, maybe I'll have a flat tummy again! I can't even wear the pants I wore before my plastics! Grrr!

I really try to keep a good attitude...but this crap is really gettng old.

Ah well, this too will pass...eventually.

Sherri in Indy

Please go to a surgeon asap (preferably one who is familiar with gastric bypass surgeries). Ask for a cat scan and it must be read by someone who is familiar with weight loss surgery patients.  Sometimes a bowel obstruction kinks and unkinks b4 the the big kink.  My surgeon says 4-5 % post surgery obstructions.

Please let me know what the outcome is.  Do not be shy about demanding care.

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I am so glad your outcome was good.  My friend was in the hospital 7 weeks (6 in ICU) and 6 weeks with home health care and the full time care of her siblings.    she lost her stomach, spleen much of her colon, part of her pancreas and some small intestines.  Her survival is a miracle.   What scares me is that she was 5 years past surgery......it is supposed to be very rare that far out. 

I agree with you, and wish that I never had the surgery, and the only complication that I have had is a one bowel obstruction 3 1/2 years after my lap-RNY.  I too don't remember bowel ob. as a mentioned complication, and I did  a lot of research.  When I had my surgery for bowel ob. three weeks ago my general surgeon (the on call dr. for the emergency room) said that it is 10% chance of having a bowel ob. with ANY ab. surgery.  I guess that I am really lucky to be okay after waiting 3 days to go to the emergency room and didn't lose any of my bowel.

Good luck to all of you.  I am thankful that I have this site.

Yeah I agree, I would apply for disability and medicaid asap - it can take up to 2 years for you to be accepted.  I hope your health improves!