Hi,

I know no one knows me here, but I posted here about 6mths ago asking advice for my girlfriend that was going to have the gastric bypasss surgery.

Well, last Thursday, she had the surgery, the dr. came out and told us that she was fine. Then a few hours later, she had a procecure done where they put a scope in her to check her out from the inside, i'm not really sure what the procedure was called. Soon after that she started vomiting blood, she started bleeding through her staples and her old stomach ruptured. She had her LAPNY, but since she was bleeding internally they rushed her back into surgery and opened her up. They manage to stop the bleeding but she lost a lot of blood. She almost drowned on her own blood. This was early Friday morning, about 1:am, they said she was pretty bad and didn't think she was going to make it through the night.

At the current time she's in critical condition, she has been this way for a whole week now. Her lungs are 100% not working on their own, she's on a venilator and the drs aren't telling us why. Her kidneys aren't working as well, shes on dialysis right now, so move the fluids through her body and to clean her blood.

This is just a mess! I'm so scared for her! What the heck went wrong? Why are there so many miracles stories where everything went fine and my GF has to go through this? I just want her to live and recover!

I haven't spoken to that many people who have had the surgery, have you heard of anything like this happening to anyone else?

Thanks for letting me vent.

Kathy

oh kathy, this is just awful!!!! and yes, unfortunately, some people die. not that this is helpful. what i'm having trouble understanding, though, is why they put the scope down after the surgery... was there something wrong??? i've never heard of this being a routine procedure...

I agree! Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Your right we can't get any straight answers from the drs. or nurses. The kidney dr is pretty open and gives a prognosis of 10days for her kidneys to start working again, the gastritis says that her stomach is ok now and they are tube feeding her so she can get some nutrients but the lung dr, won't give us facts! Her lungs are the most damage and they won't say why.

I'm so Sorry!

I will keep your friend in my prayers!

I'm so sorry to hear this. Don't lose hope! I had some pretty severe complications following my lap-rny also, but I'm here now and couldn't be happier.

I had a leak and had to have a second surgery to repair the leak. Went home thinking everything was okay and it was for about 10 days. Well, to make a very long story short, I ended up needing a third surgery to see if I had another leak, I did not.

I was in ICU for 45 days, on a ventilator for 33 days. Don't be surprised if when they remove her from the vent she needs to go back on it. It took three attempts to finally wean me from the vent and it was only successful because they inserted a trache.

I just wanted to share a little bit of my story, know that she is not the only one. Hazel who posts on here also had complications, she too was bleeding internally (sp) she also is just fine now.

Keep the faith, stay with your girlfriend as much as possible. Being on a vent they will keep her sedated, but when she wakes up, if she can see you or other family it will make her feel much better.

My husband placed a photo of the two of us in a spot that whenever I woke up I could see it. He said to me, if I'm not here when you wake up, look at the photo and know I will be back. That photo gave me more comfort than I can tell you.

If we can help you in anyway please ask. I'm heading out here in about 15 minutes and won't return until this evening, but will check in when I return.

Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your friend, this is just horrible.

I can only offer you my sincere sympathy and prayers. Its just heart breaking.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes.

debkay- Thank you for posting a little bit about your story. What exactly happened to your lungs? Her's aren't working at all! Do you know why your lungs weren't working? I just wish they'd tell us something, instead of the "it takes time" crap! We need facts!

Being human, everyone reacts differently and doctors are God and can't always give us the answers. If she almost drowned in her own blood, I'd think that affected her lungs rather severely. Time is sometimes the greatest healer of all. Have faith and keep praying. When we are obese, surgery is always chancey.

You mean Arent God ? Right ? lol

Your right, they aren't but some of them pretend to be but worse, some people think they are and only go by what they say instead of their own gut feeling.

Thats why they are called "Practicing Physicians" they are only practicing on us.

Nonetheless, My heart just breaks for that poor woman and others who fall under this category.

Kathy I had an infection pocket form around my lung (I think, wish hubby were home he would know, but he is on a business trip.)

My guess as to why the doc's aren't telling you anything is, they probably don't know at this point.

Is she awake at all? Even if she isn't talk to her........as someone who has been in her spot, trust me, she will know your there.

Has she had any improvement at all since Friday?

Keep us posted.

I am so sorry to hear about your girlfriend. I too had complications. I was bleeding internally and ended up needing another surgery and 6 units of blood.

It was much harder on my family than on me. I will be praying for her.

And as for the doctors not telling you anything, I know how that feels because my 3rd son was born at 37 weeks and his lungs did not work, he was on a vent for 2 weeks in a drug induced coma. Most days the doctor did not know what to tell us, only we had to wait and see.

Being on a vent is not a bad thing it is helping her to breath and letting her lungs heal themselves. When your body gets too stressed sometimes it just shuts things down, and she is now getting help to get things going again.

Please let us know how she is doing, hang in there she will be ok! We are all praying for her.

Hazel

Kathy please check in and let us know how she is doing. I'm sure most of your time is spent running between the hospital and home, but please take a minute and let us know how she is.

Hi all,

I am back at work today. I spent the weekend in the hsp, from Friday afternoon til Sunday night. Since there was a blackout, I didn't go to work on Friday so I was able to see her earlier in the day.

When I walked into her room, her eyes lit up! She was so happy to see me, she hadn't seen me, since she went in for the surgery 8/7. Well, I told her that I loved her and I said I know you love me too, and she nodded her head yes, she does love me to. She cant' talk because of the tube in her mouth but she can listen.

They are't keeping her sadated anymore. Friday afternoon, the dr did a test to see if she could breath without the ventilator or maybe more on her own and less on the ventilator and she didn't. Her breaths were too short. So she's 100% on the ventilator. She does take a few breaths on her own though.

Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, she started fighting the tubing. She started a coughing fit, and then seemed like she was choking. Her hands are restraint but one time she almost reached her tubing. I was so scared because she wants nothing more than to pull it out.

Well the nurse suctioned her and she needed more than just a suction. She was biting on her tubing and wouldn't let air flow through it, so she's sadated again. Anytime she awakes up she starts choking on the tube. So today or tomorrow they are going to do a trechiotomy which is more comfortable for her. This way she can close her mouth. Now she has little sores on the corners of her mouth from where the bands rest for the tubing.

I don't know maybe someone knows here, but will she be able to sit up or maybe even walk around w/ the trechiotomy?

She's no better or no worse then when I last saw her. The dr informed me that she weighs 70# more then when she came in from all the water retention. They do dialysis everday but she still has 70# worth of water. Her skin is stretched to the max. She can't even curl her fingers they are so fat with water!

I asked the dr what his honest opinions were and he said he thinks she's going to make it but it's going to take weeks maybe even months.

She's outputing maybe 200cc a day!

DebKay, thanks for posting your complications. You were in the hsp for 43days? Did you go on to loose your weight? Did you have any long term complications?

Thanks so mucy for the responses and the well wishes, I need them all and they do help.

Kathy

hugs and prayers to you and your friend, kathy. please let her know that we're with her all the way

oh Kathy, I am so sorry to hear this. Will keep your friend and you in my thoughts and prayers.

gentle hugs,
peach