Fail

New Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
2
Location
Kansas
Hello
I have struggled with my weight since childhood. I have tried and failed every diet that you could imagine. In 2007 I decided to have lap band surgery. Due to the irreparable damage it did to my esophagus, and the horrible reflux, I had to have it removed in 2014. The Dr that removed the lap band performed gastric sleeve surgery 6 weeks after he removed the band. Awhile later, less than a year, I was continuing to gain weight and I started having horrible acid reflux and had to seek medical attention. I went to a local Dr and he said that the previous Dr should have never performed a sleeve gastrectomy due to the fact that I had the lap band and had extensive damage to my esophagus from the acid reflux and the sleeve would exacerbate the situation and cause even worse reflux because of the narrow drastic restriction. He said that the previous Dr should have done gastric bypass. I contacted the previous Dr and he was no longer able to practice due tax evasion and domestic violence and also drug use. I was referred to a Dr that was taking the the previous Dr's patients. He did an upper GI and a barium swallow and discovered that my esophagus was very dilated and I had a horrible hernia. My stomach had herniated through my esophagus and there was a pouch the size of a grapefruit that would trap everything I consumed until it slowly filtered through. This Dr also stated that I should have never had a sleeve after having lap band because of the reflux and the fact that since my esophagus was so dilated the food would just sit in there stretch or even more. He said that the previous Dr should have done gastric bypass but that he was going to try to repair the sleeve, he said that it was not even done correctly in the first place. He cut more of my stomach off and said that the sleeve will finally work like it was supposed to. Less than a year later I started having horrible unbearable reflux. I went to a gastroenterologist and had to have an upper GI. She said that my esophagus was severely damaged and I had ulcers lining it up and down. She put me on a prescription acid blocker and scheduled another upper GI for 90 days later. I went to the next appointment 90 days later and my esophagus had not improved. The Dr. doubled the dose of the acid blocker and scheduled another upper GI for 30 days later. I went to the next appointment and the Dr. said that the ulcers were healing but that I would probably have to be on prescription acid blockers for the rest of my life because I have pre barret's esophagus. She said that since my ulcers were under control that I should see the previous doctor because I will continue to have acid reflux and the previous Dr. has more knowledge of gastric surgery and would probably be able to do what needs to be done to correct the problem. I went to the previous Dr. and told him that my gastrointestinal Dr. asked me to see him since he was the one who performed the last surgery and had knowledge of my gastric anatomy and my history. He immediately started getting defensive saying that it was not his fault, that it was my fault for not eating right. I got very upset and asked him why he was raising his voice and speaking to me like that, I told him that no one was blaming him for anything but just trying to correct the situation because the prognosis was not good otherwise and that my gastrointestinal Dr. was worried about the acid reflux causing even more severe damage and eventually causing cancer in my esophagus. He finally calmed down. He did a barium swollow and realized that there was a big problem. He performed an upper GI and saw that my stomach had herniated through my upper esophagus and it was touching my heart. He said that it was dangerous and needed to be corrected. He said that he was going to perform gastric bypass surgery because of the major damage to my esophagus and the reflux. He said that after I had gastric bypass surgery that I would never again have acid reflux because there would be no pressure or restrictions near my esophagus. He scheduled me to come back in two weeks to have the bypass and said that I needed that time to prepare my liver. The day of the surgery I was prepped and ready for the Dr. to get there to do the surgery. When the Dr. and his wife, which is also a Dr., arrived they came in to the prep room and she informed me that I was not going to have gastric bypass but that they were going to try to repair my sleeve and the hernia. I tried to ask her what had changed and she was raising her voice and started talking down to me, saying that I was the reason this happened, that I did this to my self because I didn't follow the rules and they are the Dr.s and they have decided to do what they thought was best. The anesthesiologist came and put medicine in my IV and I did not know anything until I woke after the surgery. The nurse came in and said that she was surprised when she heard that I was having gastric bypass because of the few years she had been there she had only known the Dr.s to perform one gastric bypass. She said that they were very skilled in lap band surgery and gastric sleeve surgery but they preferred not to do gastric bypass, she said she thought that is why they changed the procedure to the sleeve. This time while I was in their "hospital" I realized how scary it was. The surgery room was a dark room in the back of the office. The patient rooms were in the back of the office also. Most of the six or seven girls that worked there had several roles. I was the only one there for a while. The rooms were not sterile and they did not seem to follow the same rules as other hospitals I had been to. I became terrified. I was not sure that they were equipped for a major emergency. I swore to myself that if I made it out of there that I would never go back. That was two years ago. I continued to gain weight, my esophagus was so dialated that I could eat with no problems because it would just sit there in my esophagus. I have had all of these procedures in an attempt to better my self and my life and I have failed over and over again. In August 2018 I found a different Dr and I had a revision to gastric bypass. I lost some weight at first but now I am gaining again.... I have failed again...................I am very depressed and feel hopeless...... I really don't know what to do.
 
Holy buckets. I looked at your profile and I can't tell where you live. Where are you? The first thing we can do is help you find a REAL doctor. Sounds like you have been through hell and back.
 
Welcome!
I am so sorry you have been through such a terrible course when all you were trying to do was restore your health. So many bad decisions were made by various doctors!
I'm not sure what your goal is at this point. You say you are not losing weight, but not that you still have the severe problems with reflux, so I hope at least that problem has resolved. Either way, it is imperative that you not allow anyone other than an expert in revision surgeries to operate on you. It seems to me that, assuming the reflux is finally controlled, your options are to either take another stab at bariatric surgery or to live with obesity but at least without the pain and damage of severe reflux. If you do want to consider surgery (and keep in mind I'm absolutely not pushing for this) the surgeons to consult would be either Dr. Ara Keshishian in Pasadena, CA (near Los Angeles) or Dr. John Rabkin in San Francisco. You need to be open to travel to get to one of the experts, and both of these surgeons are accustomed to working with people from out of town.
A consult doesn't cost a huge amount of money and doesn't commit you to any course of action. It's a good way to learn more about where you stand (they would review your operative reports and x-rays and any other reports) and what can or can't be done for you. I don't know whether they can help you or not, sometimes so much damage has been done that options aren't there any more, or are too risky. But if nothing else, you would know more about where you stand.
 
Wow, my heart broke reading this. I live in San Francisco and Dr. Rabkin is here. Anything I can do to help, please let me know here.

I hope you get this all straighten out.

Personally, I'd be suing those Drs for malpractice.
 
Welcome Fail (I personally don’t think you failed. The surgeons and surgeries failed you).

You’ve had a rough time. Take several deep breathes and read what’s been posted. You may want to reach out to Dr. K or Dr. Rabkin, you may not but they are options you might want to consider.
 
You should reach out to Dr. K or Dr Rabkin. If the issues can be fixed, either one of them can fix it. Seriously. At least get a solid opinion.
 
yes, the doctors failed YOU, clearly. I wish you would give yourself a different name, I really do. :frown: welcome to the forum and I'm sorry this has been done to you.
In August 2018 I found a different Dr and I had a revision to gastric bypass. I lost some weight at first but now I am gaining again

how is your reflux?
 
I positively recommend Dr. Keshishian. I’ve been seeing him for the last 9 months to resolve reflux issues I still have post-gastric bypass. I’m so glad I found this Forum as they were the ones that informed me about Dr. K’s expertise with complex GI issues and bariatric surgery revisions. I live out-of-state and his office has been very helpful with coordinating appointments with my travel schedule. You can also reach out to him for an initial virtual consultation.

Regardless of how you proceed, you should be getting copies of all of your medical/surgical records, including imaging studies, pathology reports, and lab results. These will be invaluable to all clinicians you consult with to determine the right treatment plan going forward.

Don’t give up! We’re here to support you now.
 
Your posting makes me so sad. You did not fail. The surgeries failed you. Do a search and you will see most people have a number of physical problems as well as weight gain with lap band, sleeve, and RNY. It is worth getting another opinion from Dr. K or Dr. R. even if you decide not to pursue any more surgery.
 
Hi and welcome! I'd like to see your name to DeservestheBest! Because you do. We all deserve a healthy, happy existence. I am so sorry for your medical challenges. I'd echo the above recommendations. Do not pass go. Do whatever it takes to head directly to see Dr. Keshishian or Dr. Rabkin. They are skilled, have the right expertise and are the ones I would trust to figure out and implement the best strategy to improve your health and quality of life.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top