Tracie's Story

 

Tracie's Story

  Hello WLS friends! Today I am writing to you about a story that is near and dear to my heart! Along my journey, I met a woman, one of us, a WLSer, named Tracie. Tracie has given me full permission to share her story so I wanted to bring some light. This is not to scare away newbies from WLS. I happen to think Weight Loss Surgery is an amazing gift that I have been given. This is just to shed some light and a hope of finding help for a beautiful young woman that I am blessed to call my friend.

Tracie is now 29 years old. She lives in a home with her boyfriend in southern California. She had RNY/Gastric Bypass in December 14, 2009 with a surgeon who will remain nameless as I don't want to come up against a lawsuit. She recovered for two days post-op in the ICU and was eventually sent home. Her surgery was a total disaster! From what I understand, it looks like Tracie was operated on by students who were not very well supervised by the surgeon. Tracie's pouch was made to be smaller than the size of a teaspoon.

After a few weeks she realized something was wrong. When she transitioned to her mushy phase of her post-op diet at 6 weeks, she couldn't hold down even a bite. Her surgeon insisted she wasn't eating the right things or the right way. She was told to chew 20 times before swallowing and to wait 10 minutes between bites. No matter how diligent she was her pouch rejected the food!

Upon returning to her surgeon he said she was no longer his problem and she needed her pouch stretched. she received a referral to a gastroenterologist who performed the esophageal  balloon dilation on her close to 10 times!! It never worked. Surgery after surgery, from attempts to stretch her pouch to exploratory surgery, scar tissue has built up in Tracie's innards. They not cannot find her pouch.

Tracie has sought the advice of a lawyer. When the lawyer looked at her medical records, she was told there is no recourse for her because in tiny tiny microscopic print on the bottom of her consent form she gave consent to be operated on by students. I don't know if that micro print also says she is not allow to sue as a result of complication but I assume is does.

Now at 29 years old, Tracie has had to quit her job as a teacher and on most days barely has enough energy to do anything. When I talk to her on the phone she sounds tired and weak. I have spoken to every surgeon I know and every friend I can think of who may have been able to help her and it seems we are going no where. Many surgeons wont touch her and the ones who will wont take her insurance. She is on Medicare/Medi-cal in California.

If you are a surgeon who is willing to help my dear friend Tracie, please email me @ [email protected]. Please be clear! By Help I mean Referrals to a surgeon or lawyer who may be willing to take on Tracie's case!
Please friends, talk to your surgeons about Tracie!! See if there is ANYONE out there who would be willing to help her.

More about Tracie, She has hopes and dreams! She wants to have a baby but cannot carry due to her severe nutrition deficiency. She has already had one miscarriage. She would like to go back to work and teach again. She wants to live and wants a life! She has been living on water and pedialite since 2009. She has been in and out of the ER multiple times twice in the last week alone. the ER doctor has told her she has so much scar tissue from her breast bone to her pelvis there is nothing they are willing to do. Her primary care doc at this point has her all drugged up because she is in constant pain.

Please help me help Tracie! Any ideas, advice ANYTHING let me know!