Serious Complication 9 Years PO

I haven't been here for quite a while.  But I just got my 9 year surgiversary letter and thought I'd stop by and see what's going on and tell you all about my scary complication and life saving emergency surgery Nov 2012....Long story (on my profile) Short story is... I was not feeling well for several months...Went to ER and they ran tests and even a cat scan, but nothing showed up and they told me I was a very healthy 48 year old woman! However, a few months later I went to ER with extremely bad (bigger than life) stomach pain only to learn I had an abdominal hernia, blood clot and twisted, crimped intestines that were all life threatening. I had emergency surgery and am healing nicely...It's been just over two months and I am back to normal. (for the most part)  Surgeon told me that it was a direct complication to Gastric Bypass surgery and that I couldn't have done anything to prevent it...My pouch is still nice and small, he said and I'm otherwise very healthy.  I had the hernia for quite a while,, it seems...but my intestines had taken a bad and final twist that sent me into all that pain...I was lucky to get to the hospital when I did...Not only because of my complication but because the hospital I went to was not equipped for bariatric surgery and didn't have the surgeons to operate...So I had to be transferred by ambulance and a team of three bariatric doctors/surgeons were called to meet me at another hospital. I am so grateful to be in an area where there was another hospital fairly close...

I'm sorry if I've scared anyone...I would never have believed I would have had a complication. I've had a easy 9 years except for some vitamin deficiencies and chronic anemia...but I was always able to talk and learn how to control these things and even prevent them with the help of other wls grads...This was so surreal...and the reality of it scared the heck out of me...and only 2 months complication post op...I would not undo the surgery! I have had the best 9 years being thinner and healthier than I was obese...But I do hope you all see your doc/surgeon now and then and discuss any pain or changes/symptoms no matter how small they may seem...One thing I did learn from this all, is to know your surgeons name and address and where there is a bariatric hospital near you in case of an emergency! I would not have survived if I were not close to a hospital equipped with bariatric surgeons and operating tools!

Hi Anita!

SO glad to hear you are doing OK and healing well. Yes, very frightening what happened to you. Thanks for coming back to share this and I hope others get the chance to really read this.

Although I've not had such a complication at 6 years out, I did recently have a very frightening and PAINFUL experience with the NoroVirus (stomach flu). I was away from home, I live in England now-moved from California about 4 year ago-we went to Alaska to visit some family there. This was the first week in December and most all of us got the tummy flu. Thing was, I had never had the stomach flu since my surgery-so I didn't know how I would respond. It turns out I absolutely could not (sorry gross)-throw up. So that meant 14 rounds of dry heaving in about 12 hours. This happened on a Wednesday, by Friday I was in the hospital getting fluids and a CAT scan.

It turns out I had traumatized my abdominal area and intestines. My abdominal lymph nodes we horribly swollen. I was in so much pain-that the doctor was nearly sure I had appendicitis. I have had gastric bypass, gallbladder attacks and removal and a C-section-but I have NEVER known such pain in all my life!!!

I am actually just now ending some sick leave from work and will go back to work tomorrow. I am still a bit tired and it has taken a LONG time to get my energy and feeling of security back. I am sure you well understand how insecure you can feel after your body "does" the unexpected.

What I really think is important though-is to share these things and take the horror and mystery out of them. We still are seeing WAY more horrible things happening to our morbidly obese counterparts who have NOT had surgery. Like you-I have had a very healthy 6 years post op and intend to continue. These things CAN happen, but again-I am so grateful I had this surgery and a chance at LIFE.

Hope you continue to get better each and every day and keep us posted!

Peace,

T

Hey T! 

Nice to see you again!!  AND glad to see you are also doing better from your traumatic experience!  It's very similar in the pain and scary department...Believe me, when I say....I can feel your pain!  I was given a "melt in your mouth" drug to prevent vomiting...(They give it to chemo patients)...It works like a charm. I can't imagine having to get sick while I was healing...and I did have to take the pills several times.  You could easily tear and create a hernia from dry heaving like that....I really didn't have major symptoms...I thought it was a vitamin deficiency since I was used to having those!  The worst part was gas and bloating...and major hair loss. Looking back, now that everything is working properly, I was not well at all...to include a deep depression from feeling tired and bad.  As soon as I began to heal...I had an overall well being....It was a big clue that I just never suspected I should see my surgeon...So I just went to my regular doc...I also had a terrible stiff neck...I was told that it was probably from compensating for abdominal pain/ discomfort by straining my neck muscles into a knot...So that too was a symptom that I never would have associated with a hernia!  I sure do not wish your stomach flu on anyone!! I had dry heaves  and severe pain about 4 years PO  when I got a tomato skin stuck over my stoma! I finally threw it up and the pain was instantly gone! Crazy how such a small thing can cause us so much pain and worry...I'm terrible at listening to my body aches...I hate going to the doctors...but when something is unusual even after 6-9 years...you really need to see your surgeon.  I am seeing my new bariatric surgeon in 6 months for a full blood work up....

I am soooo jealous you are in England!  I have been there and loved it!  So pretty! 

Hugs, Anita 

Anita,

Haven't talked to you in some time, I don't know if you remember me from surgery boards, but I'm glad to re connect with you again.  Tell me about that pain you were having.  I started with some pain on my right side near my pelvic bone.  I think it might be a hernia or I was concerned about the twisted thing too.  But they think it's ovary related. 

What test did they do to determine you had twisted bowel?

Thanks, Tamilynn

They found mine with a ct scan of my abdominal area. 

I do remember you Tamilyn! Nice to see you!  I wasn't really having pain until the final twist of my small intestines, at which point the pain was centered and felt like my stomach or in my case, my pouch area.  Before that I had very minor problems and a trip to the ER a few months prior with pain in my chest and lungs...The biggest symptoms, now that i look back on how I was feeling were :  Depression, gas and bloating after eating, hair loss...I had no pain until the night I went to the ER and that pain was so great that I told my husband right before we left for the ER that I was not going to make it through the night because it was bigger than life and I just knew it was serious when I could not longer handle the pain... I did have minor surgery a few months prior as well for pelvic pain unrelated...I HOPE IT WAS UNRELATED!  I had an endometrial ablation...which is a laser that destroys the lining of the uterous to help with heavy bleeding that my OBGYN Doc associated with my chronic anemia and bad cramps....

Anita,

I find this very interesting, I am 6 yrs out have been very healthy but have had 2 major complications. In 2008 a twisted bowel basically the bowel twisted around scar tissue that had developed,  my surgeon took care of this telling me only a 10% chance of it happening again. Odly enough I read your message today November 14, 2012 I ended up in the er with internal hernia. I had been having occasional pain at my waist, this happened on a monthly basis for about 3 months, right around my cycle I new the cramping was in an odd place but only lasted 1 day, and being perimenopausal I dismissed it. Then in November I had pain like I had never felt before so emergency surgery took care of this issue, but the surgeon said I needed more surgery to correct the problem for good. I had a complete revision of my original surgery on January 15 and I am recovering well my new dr said I will never have to go thru this again. The cause of the problem was the technic that was used origannly. This was all very scary but I have mentally accepted it and know that I am in good shape now. 

 So you had menstrual like cramping with your hernia? Did your intestines flip twice? Or the surgery caused something else to happen?  I'm a little confused... I have had the same kind of cramps but like you associated it with peri-menopause...But I always have such bad cramps and bleeding and was constantly going in and out of anemia...Doc stopped my period with birth control to help me load up on iron...then she did laser ablation to thin my lining...I still have cramps but much less bleeding...as far I know, the cramps were not associated with the hernia and my intestines flipping...I could be wrong...I don't know if I'll ever know now!  I'm glad you are okay now! 

First off, hey chick long time no see!   Sorry to know you experienced an obstruction and hernia.  Do you know if it was a Peterson's hernia which is one I've researched and seen happen throughout my years on WLS support boards.  Unfortunately an obstruction or bowel kink can happen with any abdominal surgery and it's very important that when unexplained pain is happening that we seek immediately medical help.

Several years ago one of the ladies that had surgery around the same time I did had your experience and unfortunately her outcome was not the same as yours :(.  Very glad they took you seriously and got you to a hospital that could handle your health situation. 

Glad I stopped in here today to see you and Miss Redd both posting.

It is awesome to see you too!  Hugs!  I don't know for certain if it was a Petersen's Hernia, but after reading about it....I suspect that is exactly what it was...The bariatric surgeons who did my surgery said it was a direct complication of RNY and that I had only hours left...They also told me my small intestines were a quite a jumbled mess! It took them two and a half hours to fix...After this, I will make an appointment at least yearly to see my bariatric surgeon...I have always complained that regular doctors just do not have a CLUE what they are dealing with when they have a GB patient, but this proved to me without a doubt. I knew SOMETHING was wrong, I just didn;t suspect anything this severe! ..I had a cat scan on an ER visit with chest/lung pain several months prior and regular docs did not see the hernia...When I got to the ER this time, the pain was near my stomach and I told them that I was certain it had something to do with my RNY after they ruled out gallbladder attack and they ran the second cat scan...I'm so glad they called a bariatric surgeon...That ER doc saved my life by calling my original surgeon and deciding to page him in the middle of the night on a holiday weekend! Sorry about your friend...I feel so blessed...