The Good ,The Bad and The ugly.

 

 

Hi; To all members of OH.

As a newbie and not having WLS yet, I could not believe the amount of responses I got to the question of (dying after having WLS ) The question was not posted to scare or discourage anyone from having surgery, but more to really take a good hard look into gastric surgery before getting it done. I know for myself I'm reading, talking to people that had surgery and checking out web sites. This is just one of the many questions we should be asking our doctors and the members of OH who may know of someone who died after surgery. I have made new friends on OH and for that I am regretful. The information I have gotten on this site is better then any book you could read, these are real people with real stories. At times it's difficult to explain to the family why we want or need surgery, I know they want the best for us, that's why they worry about us. It's all about educating them about the facts of WLS, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I pray that this coming new year will be of blessings to all newbie's and long team members of OH. Thank's to all.

Tenacious 88

I just had surgery, and I have a few stories for you.

Before surgery I went all over town telling just about everyone I met I was about to have surgery. I met random WLS patients every where I went, they came out of the wood work and most loved it, had no issues, best thing ever, etc.

But one couple I met on my last hurrah at Five Guys before the 2 week pre op restricted diet to shrink your liver started told me this:

"I know three people who have had surgey. Two family members who loved it. And one family friend who had their surgery on a Tuesday, and died the next Monday. She had told the Dr she wasn't feeling right, and they tested her and found nothing, so they dropped the issue. But by that Monday she had to have emergency surgery.

Make sure if you aren't feeling good in the slightest past what you expected you push the issue and get it checked out."

And I did, so I did.

I checked out my Dr. He had no malpractice suits and no deaths to date... Skip to post op...

My friend Mike, who had his surgery on the same day had complications after surgery. Some kind of Asphiciation due to a combination of medicine and his CPAP. They had to call code blue for him. Afterward the Dr said he had come the closest he had ever seen anyone come to death.


The moral of the story I wanted to convey is that it could happen. But for me it was worth the risk. Pick a good Dr. Let both your surgeon and you PC Dr check you up and down before hand like they mean it to make sure you can handle it. And then post surgery, make sure you are ever vigilant about your symptoms.

Hi: angelajula
               Congrats on your surgery, wish you a speedy recovery. Thank you for your stories, these helps people like me that are still thinking into having surgery. As you said anyone can have complications and even die, but that should not stop others from looking into WLS. My niece had WLS, but never told her doctor that she was a bleeder, fearing the doctor would not operate on her. She not only put her life in danger, but could have caused the doctor to lose his licenses. She started leaking from her stomach, so they had to go in a second time to stop the bleeding. It is so important to be honest with your doctor about any medical conditions you may have. It has taken her years to recover, she is now doing better. Please keep us posted.
88 (Florida) 

I applaud anyone who tries to get all the info they can get.  I know that when I started my research I found a forum here for folks who had suffered a LOT, and I read all through that too.  I needed to know the bad as well as the good.  I found it really helped me to know what could happen, and how little we or the doctors really know about how each individual reacts to various problems.,  That's why doctors call it their "Practice"!!

Good luck in your research.,

Hi: Lynn
             Thank you so much for your words of support. I hope folks look at all the facts before having WLS. Still waiting on ins co, maybe yes or maybe no, we'll see.
Please continue doing well.

88 ( Florida )

I think most people go into having any surgery they feel is desperately needed partially blind. Who wants to hear about mortality rates when you are stressing about having surgery? Think of the co-morbidities we bring to a major surgical procedure. Most of the time, all goes well. We NEVER think we will have anything bad happen...it's just human nature. I work in a hospital, my main job is emergency management outside of the ER. I have seen more complications from all types of surgery than even I would like to think about, but it does happen. Being well informed is our best tool to deal with all sizes of "bumps in the road" so to speak. Too bad many people are free to only expond on all the horrible things that can happen. Be informed, live life, be happier...most of all get healthier.

Hi: qnmimi
                I agree with you, we as patients need to be better informed before going into any surgery. There are no guarantees that everything will work out just fine, that's why it's called a practice.
I remember waking up in the middle of nasal surgery, unable to speak to let the surgeon know that I could hear them talking, while I was in horrible pain. Luckily someone noticed that I was awake and immediately put me under. After the surgery I informed the doctor as to what had happened, he really did not believe me, until I told him exactly what the team was talking about, than he believed me.
It's good to hear from someone who is a team player in an emergency setting, that knows and has seen what can happen when surgeries go wrong. I feel that WLS surgery is still safe in the hands of a skilled surgeon.
Please continue doing well and keep posting, thanks.

88  (Florida)

I work with first year medical residents a lot, and one doc was an orthopaedic surgeon in India until he immigrated. He actually thought a 300+ pound person who was having respiratory distress couldn't be having it from a post-op complication...he thought WLS was "routine" these days. There are too many health care professionals who just don't listen, much less think through a problem. I'm really happy when a patient, or family member asks questions!

 

Hi: qnmimi

I fully understand what you are saying about doctors not listening to their patients. I realize that a doctors job is to take care of patients, but also to make money. Most doctor visits only last about 15 minutes, if at that. They need to see lots of patients to make money, I understand this. With insurance cost running so high, doctors are pushed to the breaking point to keep up.

Just last year I was taking Lipitor for high cholesterol, I noticed that I was getting man-boobs and having sharp pains on my nipples. Went to the doctor and told him what was happening, he informed that Lipitor does not cause this type of reaction. This went on for about six more months, without any improvement. Back to the doctor, now he ordered that I have a mammogram to see if I had breast cancer, all test came back negative. I researched Lipitor on the web and also asked my Pharmacist if she had any information on any adverse reactions to Lipitor. She printed out a list of reactions some patients may have. There it was, some patients do grow man-boobs when taking Lipitor. The percentage was low, but I was in that percentage bracket. Showed the doctor the information I had gotten, he said he never knew that Lipitor could cause this problem. Stopped taking Lipitor, two months after, boobs stopped growing and all pains disappeared. Goes to show you that doctors need to listen more carefully to patient complains.

Sorry for the long story, but maybe someday you can share this information with someone who may find themselves in a similar situation.

 

Question: Have you had any complications since having WLS ?

My friend stay well, please keep posting, thanks.

 

88 FL