Question:
MY OPEN RNY HAS FAILED - I AM SO FRIGHTENED!!
I am 8 weeks post op today. I had an open RNY at Thomas Jefferson Univ Hospital in Phila PA with Dr. James Colberg. I had an Upper GI today which shows my staple line is completely broken down. My staples are still in my body and I dont know what is next. My doctor could not even find the time to talk to me about these findings, he told the radiologist to "send her home". I have so many questions, fears and feelings. Why am I no longer good enough to talk with and explain this to? There is no answer as to why this happened. It was not my diet and it appears that these broke down before I left the hospital. The Doctor took so much time before surgery and told me the only way this would happen is if I ate things I was not supposed to. I followed all his directions to the letter and still have gone through this entire process with absolutely nothing but pain and bad memories to show for it. He told me over the phone at the hospital (could not even see me and he was in the hospital as I saw him right before the test!!)that I can leave it the way it is (i dont even know how it is!) or have a more complicated drastic surgery. What is that all about. Can anyone help me sort this out? I am desperate and frantic. My email is [email protected]. Thank you for listening! — Lisa .. (posted on June 2, 2000)
June 2, 2000
If your staple line had been broken before you left the hospital after
surgery, you would never have had the weight loss you have had. It sounds
like it broke afterwards at home.
You need to call your doctors office and tell them that you must be
squeezed in for an in person appointment to discuss this with your doctor.
If he is too busy to see you to discuss this, then you might need to let
them know that your attorney will have to make the appointment instead.
They MUST find a 30 minute frame for you to see him. I would suggest you
bring your husband as you will be told a lot of information and two people
can hear it better than one.
I'm sure this can be fixed and it will be done, but your doctor sounds like
he needs to be kicked in the butt first.
Good luck!!
— [Anonymous]
June 2, 2000
How awful! What has happened with your surgery is bad enough. But then to
have your surgeon give you the cold shoulder like that! Unfortunately, it
seems that surgeons in general have a tendency to "blame the
patient" when something unexpected like this happens. You can tell
him a hundred times that you didn't eat anything wrong, but he will still
think in the back of his mind that you did. He may also be thinking that
what happened here might have been his fault. That might be why he is
afraid to face you. I have heard of rare cases where a patient's body
rejects the staples causing the staple line to fail soon after surgery. I
have also heard of times when a surgical stapler doesn't work properly and
the staples come back out. Obviously, you deserve a better explanation of
why this happened, and what can be done to correct it. If your surgeon
won't sit down with you and give you the answers you need, then I would
suggest finding a second bariatric surgeon for a second opinion. Good
Luck!
— Lynn K.
June 2, 2000
I know you have to be scared out of your mind. The person who is anonymous
is right and gave some very good advice. Look in the yellow pages and find
a lawyer who will give you a free consultation. The lawyer will know if
there is a case and also report this jerk to the medical board as well. I
know there are some wonderful doctors out there but there are some jerks
and the jerks need to be reported. Good luck, I'm very sorry this had to
happnen to you.
— Kim W.
June 2, 2000
I would also call your insurance company ASAP. I'm sure they would be
interested to know that their money went for nothing. They might advocate
for you.
— Peggy G.
June 2, 2000
Can you spell lawsuit boys & girls???
— Pat B.
June 2, 2000
Although I agree with what most have said about the LAWSUIT, I have to say
that I might disagree about going back to see the same Dr. again. He
sounds uncaring, unwilling, and completely in denial about his
responsibilities to you. I would see another Dr. and get another opinion
on what is wrong but, don't expect that that Dr. will say anything
"bad" about the first. Dr.'s seem to stick together like that and
don't badmouth other Dr.s. This is why medical lawsuits are so difficult.
Also, there is something called the patients bill of rights which your
Dr. is clearly violating. You can obtain a copy of this at any hospital or
Dr.'s office. It MUST be posted. You have a right to fair and reasonable
medical care. You have a right to know what is wrong with you. You have a
right to be satisfied and informed as to any decisions which are made for
you. Please consult an attorney promptly. Not because your staple line
disrupted but because this Dr. does not seems to even remotely care. I
also agree that you should call your insurance company. This will scare
the begebbers out of the Dr. if they call him because the insurance company
can take him off of the list of covered Dr.'s therefore making him lose
many dollars and this seems to be his main concern. These are just
thoughts but I hope they help alittle bit.
By the way, where are you located? Maybe someone else can give you the
names of other Dr.'s in the area.
— BARBARA R.
June 2, 2000
Lisa,
I wrote you an email personally, expressing to you how bad I felt for you
because your doctor was so uncaring and giving you the run around. I can
tell you one thing about *SOME* of these doctor's: THEY DON'T LIKE TO SEE
FAILURE, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S THEIR FAULT. There is one doctor, who I will
not name, in Richmond, Virginia who does these surgeries like they are oil
changes. He is a very reputable doctor BUT if you have any kind of
complication, he will treat you as if the problem were self induced, trying
to take as much blame away from himself as possible. For example, my
friend went to this doctor, she told him she was having problmes with
hypoglycemia. He told her that it was all her fault, not the surgeries
fault or his fault, but hers and hers alone. He told her that it HAD to be
her diet yet she was following it to the letter. If something bad happens
to a patient of theirs, it shows that they ARE NOT PERFECT and they tend to
turn a cold shoulder to the ones who have "tarnished" their
"perfect image". Please understand I am not saying all the WLS
surgeons are like this, what I am saying is that there a few surgeons in
general, that include these WLS surgeons, who aim for perfection. And when
it's not achieved they take it so personally. (No offense to anyone in
particular, so please don't jump all over me for this one...) Just know
that this situation is NOT your fault. It is a possibility that your
staple line was not put in correctly or your body rejected the staples, it
IS a foreign object that can be treated by the body as an invader! Also,
if your doctor knew your staple line was disrupted BEFORE you left the
hospital, why did he let you go home? Why didn't he try to correct the
problem before you were discharged? Good Luck Lisa... =)
— Marni
June 3, 2000
Yes, I agree medical malpractice suits are difficult to prove. But - you
may have better luck if you go to a surgeon out of your home state (less
political). Document EVERYTHING and immediately get a copy of your medical
records - do NOT wait ... don't give them time to "fix them".
Good luck to you.
— Rene` B.
June 3, 2000
Let's not forget that your doc has privileges at the hospital where the
surgery was performed. Also call their patient relations department (if
there is none - then Risk Management); the surgery was performed at their
facility by one of their docs and it FAILED. What are they going to do
about it? Don't think for a moment that they don't share in the liability
here. While there is no guarantee that the surgery will 'work' - something
here obviously is wrong - this doesn't happen.
— Toni B.
June 4, 2000
Lisa,
Could you update us as to what is happening? I am very concerned about
what has happened to you and what Dr. Colberg is going to do about it. He
did my surgery and I had no problems, but I will have trouble referring
people to him if this is the kind of post op care he will be giving his
patients. Please let me know if I can help. Let us know what is up.
Marjie
— Marjie W.
June 5, 2000
Lisa, do not even speak to your doctor again. Gather your information
regarding the surgery and immediately visit an attorney. Do not speak to
the doctor or the insurance company again. Your attorney can guide you in
the right direction and get your surgery done for you again by a reputable
doctor. Believe me, anything you say to your doctor will be documented in
his files and may ruin your chances of winning a law suit. The same goes
for your insurance company. I know you're frightened. Anyone in their
right mind would be. But please, follow the right channels and don't speak
to anyone but an attorney. Good luck and keep us posted.
— Sonya H.
June 5, 2000
Immediately get a copy of all medical records in your
possession...that means discharge summery, operative report and nurses
notes..also x-rays reports and film... First things first...Your
health is far more important that seeking an attorney at this point..
Get immediate medical attention and/or revision ..if all further
communication with the surgeon who did the surgery has fell through,
then seek another surgeon to correct this disruption ASAP. You're medical
condition and future medical care should be is your concern right now.
Depending on the state you live in your have one to two years statute
of limitations in which to file "IF" there was malpractice.. But
for now your health is more important..
— Victoria B.
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