Question:
What went wrong?
A family member just told me that someone they knew, just turned for the worse and died, due to their doc leaving sponges in them. my family is not in support of me, except my husband. So, i just hear the negative stuff. I was just wondering how this could happen?? I get nervouse because i have 2 boys, i can't deal with the what if's or what happened? anyone else feel the same way? — Lynne W. (posted on February 3, 2003)
February 3, 2003
Is this some they really knew? Or is this one of those 'my neighbor's
sister's uncle's cousin's best friend had WLS and died' stories? While it
is possible, it is highly unlikely that sponges would have been left in. A
very careful count of them is done as they are used during surgery and
before they start to close you up so that it doesn't happen. Even if it is
true, the chances of that happening to you are very, very, very slim.
— garw
February 3, 2003
Lynn, you can never totally eliminate any chance or risk of something
negative happening. A very small percentage of people who have the WLS do
die, either from the surgery or most likely the complications from
operating on a morbidly obese person with pre-existing medical problems.
Try to put it into perspective. Everytime you get behind the wheel of a
car, you have a much higher chance of dying in a car accident that you
would from dying in surgery. So do you avoid driving? You also have a
high risk of dying in your home-home accidents are a cause of death-do you
avoid your home? See, there are risks with anything you do in life, and
what you have to decide is if this life saving surgery is worth the risk of
the actual surgery. Then ask yourself what are your chances of living a
long, productive life being morbidly obese? We were all nervous before our
surgeries and there comes a point where you just have to trust in the
surgeon and your God, that you will come out of it OK.
— Cindy R.
February 3, 2003
hello, I agree with the other poster that the chance of this happening to
you is very slim but, as a nurse, I know it does happen . I go in our
chatroom here a lot and about two months ago this very thing happened to a
post op. They never could find out what was wrong with her and the
gastroentolist found the problem. Fortunately this type of thing does not
happen very often. I am also pre-op and the what -ifs and etc are things
we all have to deal with. to say you cant deal with them is wrong because
you HAVE to deal with them on a daily basis but if you have done tons of
research and know your doctor well, you can find some peace in knowing that
you have made an educated decision. Good luck
— Delores S.
February 3, 2003
I have two boys myself. I am also pre-op. I have a great deal of fear of
what I am going to do. I think that all this anxiety is normal. I agree
there is so much risk in all we do, but we do not stop living. I too have
heard many horror stories. It seems like that is all people can remember.
There are many more success stories. Lets all pray that ours is one of
them.
— patmaestas
February 3, 2003
This is why I beleive you have to have total trust in the abilities of your
surgeon. Most people do great but there are those few instances of tragedy,
but those instances are not solely with WLS, but with all surgery. What you
were talking about is not a risk of WLS, but of ALL surgeries. If you had
cancer and they wanted to operate would that really be an issue. No,
because it would save your life. So will this.
— dkinson
February 3, 2003
There are always folks who are going to tell you 'horror stories' about
whatever big event is going on. You probably had people tell you gory labor
stories when you were pregnant too. Fear is natural and normal, and I think
there would be a problem if you didn't have some anxiety. Just arm yourself
with the facts, and discuss your fears openly with your husband and your
surgeon. Surgical procedures are that they count everything that goes in so
they can do a count when it comes out. I was very afraid pre-op, and talked
to my surgeon who has years and years of experience. After just listening
to him for a while, I felt much better. Good Luck to you, and give yourself
some 'bad news antidote' by reading some of the wonderful profiles here.
This is a good thing to do for yourself and for your 2 boys. They will need
a mother in 10 years, and by doing this you are giving them a much better
chance of having you around longer.
— Cara F.
February 3, 2003
I was premed in college and have been in on numerous surgeries. They do
inventory EVERYTHING before closing to make sure that nothing gets left
where it shouldn't. (One particular surgery had us crawling on the floor to
retrieve a piece of gauze that decided to make a break for it while no one
was looking. ;) I think that your dr's record and fellow patients'
experiences with the hospital should clue you in. If your dr has good stats
and you are comfortable with him/her and your fellow patients were
comfortable with the care they received in the hospital where the surgery
is performed, chances are you will be fine. The only thing we can guard
against is negligence and inexperience. You do that by choosing an
experienced and trustworthy dr and hospital staff. Sometimes things happen
out of the surgeon's control and those are the inherent risks of the
surgery itself. That part is left up to chance and you just have to weigh
those risks against the excellent chance that you will have a better life
when you come through the surgery.<p>Make your decision on who will
be responsible for your care wisely and then FOLLOW ALL THEIR ADVICE. If
the dr says lose 10 pounds to shrink your liver so I don't nick it during
surgery, DO IT. When the Nazi nurse comes by to roust you out of bed to
walk and breathe into the spirometer, DO IT. If you feel that something
might be wrong, TELL A NURSE OR YOUR DR. You can increase your own chances
of success! Good luck and take care.
— ctyst
February 3, 2003
Surgery is surgery - surgeons are surgeons. It doesn't matter what kind of
surgery you are having - if they open you up, use sponges, instruments etc.
-- There is always that remote possibility that they will nick a vessel,
leave something in etc. This is true for WLS - BUT these incidents RARELY
happen. If something did happen- that's when the news gets out - NOT for
the thousands and thousands of surgeries that happen everyday. Do your
homework and look into your surgeons stats and talk to others who have used
him. Good Luck. ps - Don't listen to anyone - have faith and do this for
YOU.
— Sally P.
February 3, 2003
I also had fear of having the surgery.But, I have researched for over a
year now. I now want this surgery more than ever. It is human nature to be
afraid. But, I have also decided I am confident enough with my faith and I
know that I have everythiing right with God. That seems to be most
important to me.
— cathywalden
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