13 MONTH COMPLICATION

THE POST BELOW WAS POSTED ON THE MAIN BOARD, THE WLS DOCTOR WAS NICHOLAS BERTHA, THE EMERGENCY SURGEON WAS HIS PARTNER dR. aBKINS AND THE HOSPITAL WAS MORRISTOWN. MY PCP IS DR. M. MEYER IN ISELIN. First of all let me say that I am not writing this to discourage anyone from having this surgery. I would still do it again in a heart beat. This past Monday night I came home had diner and thew it up. Went to sleep with a sore stomache, like I was dumping. Tuesday went to work, had breakfast, I was OK, then had lunch. Thats when the stomache pains began. They were like a roller coaster, going from a 4 to 10 inseverity, They were in the upper are in the middle below my rib cage. I though it was gas, so I waited. BY dinner things got worse, so I called my PCP, his office said that they would call me right back but didn't, and being that they stay open till 9pm, i dropped by. The doctor never came out but sent a message thru the receptionist that I should go tot he emergency room. I went back home. The pain got worse, so I decided to go to the emergency room, i was scared. I decided not to go to the ones near my home but to the hospital i had the RYN WLS in. I got there and they were fantastic. I got there at 10pm, by 2am i was having a catscan. At 4am the attending surgeion came in and told me that my WLS Surgeon was on his way in to the hospital to do emergency surgery on me. WOW 13 months out. He handed me the consent forms and told me I had twisted bowel syndrom a deadly complication from RYN WLS. He said that my intestine had twisted and cut off the blood supply to the bowel, and caused an obstruction. he said either the surgery is done or I die, I had no choice. I signed. The surgery was done at 5am, laroscopic, but the holes are on the other side. The stitch on the muscle is on the other side and the pain is the same as the WLS. I am also back to liquids and soft food like I just had the WLS. I am happy to be alive. I post this, so that you take stomache pain seriously. I went to the hosptial in time and saved alot of intestinal damage. By the way, When the surgeon came into the operating room, the last thing he said before I went under is that he didn't like my review on obesityhelp.com , I had given the surgeon a great review but the office a mediocre one for followup services. Well it bit me in the butt... Thank God this surgeon is a professional and held no grudges. Back to step one post op,, Roger Quintana

Dear Roger, What a scary ordeal you went through. It was very wise that you went to the emergency room. After 13 months who would think that a bowel would twist. I wonder if this will be a lifetime concern for all of us. I am glad that the ending is a happy one and that you never again have any more complications. Good luck to you and thank you for taking the time to inform others. Sincerely, Carol