Back on 7 April 2014, I had surgery with Dr. Butcher ... aka Dr. Wade Barker who did the DS on me. I firmly believe that he messed up something horrible and the blame was put on me. Anyways here we go.
I lived in Oklahoma at the time, so when I had surgery I was kept for 3 days before being released. Shortly after being released, I knew that I wasn't feeling well. I kept complaining that my back hurt in the mid to lower back region. Didn't know if it was just cause of how I was sleeping or the fact that my insides felt like they had been gutted. I had my post follow-up appointment 10 days after surgery, so roughly the 17th.
I drove down and saw Dr. Thompson. During this visit I had explained to him that I was having a hard time getting fluids in and that my back was hurting. It wasn't just a little comfortable, but quite a bit and the only thing that made it feel better was a sleeping pad. Never, not once did he have one of the surgeons examine me, send me for tests, or anything. If only they had, is what I keep telling myself. This was a Thursday. Mind you, I couldn't keep down 16 oz of water in an 8 hour day.
Saturday comes (it's Easter weekend). I am at my wife's aunt's house trying to take part in the festivities with my son and etc. At this point, I am getting chills. Not just chills, but I now have fevers that are coming on. I finally look at my wife and tell her that I think I am going to have her take me to the ER in a bit if I don't get to feeling better. Well, short of the story is that I didn't.
I got to the ER that Saturday evening, they instantly in the triage unit they were doing chest x-ray's, an EKG, started me on IV's and was ordering a CT scan. The CT scan came back that I had an abscess (if only that was all). They pumped me full of pain meds and antibiotics via IV, told me to call the surgeons office, and sent me on the way with oral antibioitics. Of course, they're not going to touch me cause I'm another surgeon's patient.
I called the answering service for the chop shop and explained I was in the ER. The answering service said since I had already seen a doc at the ER that I need to call back on Monday when the doctors were in. When asked why they would tell me that, that is their directive from the Barker's chop shop.
I called Monday, talked to Dr. Asshat Thompson and he tells me that all is good and just to take the antibiotics regardless as to if they make me dry heave or not. Tuesday afternoon at around noon - I am back in the ER. The pain has returned and boy with a vengeance this time. This time it is not good. The hospital called the office in Dallas and was told I need to be down in Dallas like yesterday's news.
I arrive in at Forrest Park off of 75, in Dallas. I am immediately escorted up to the ICU floor, given a picc line and told that the dr's will be in the morning to see me. Oh, they were alright. First thing, I am taken down for test and given a scan. They stand me against the X-RAY machine and have me drink contrast. Mind you, I can see what the docs see and their faces. As the contrast went through, they're eyes got big. I don't mean a little - I mean a lot. They were concerned and a lot of medical jargon started spewing. I learn that I have a gastric fistula. Not just a small one either. But one so severe that it is the size of a tennis ball. Before it is asked, NO I DID NOT ADVANCE MY DIET. Remember, I was having issues getting in water.
Off to surgery I go. Dr. Rodriguez (loved him and only him) tried to repair the damage that Dr. Chop Shop had done to no avail. They attempted to suture and staple, but at that point (two weeks of a huge ass hole in my body) my stomach tissue was so inflamed it was like jelly. Nothing would close it.
I wake from surgery to learn the results and not just that. I am septic and not just a tad bit. My entire left abdomoninal cavity is filled with an infection. I am now fighting for my life because the infection is not responding to the antibiotics that they keep trying to give me. Not just that I am septic, but my left lung has collapsed as a result of all of the not so healthy body fluids being released into my body and my lung has taken the brunt of it.
I spent 4 to 5 weeks in the ICU. They finally call in an infectious diseases dr to determine the antibiotics I need. It works.
I get released to go to Baylor to have an experimental procedure that Dr. Rodriguez thinks I am a great candidate for. The rest of the docs do not agree with this decision and fight him on it. He told them to fuck off and that I am going and it is my best chance. Otherwise, I would have been connected to tubes for well over a year is what was estimated because I simply was not healing fast at all.
I was in Baylor for a month under the direction of an awesome minimally invasive surgeon and a gastro doc to do the experimental procedure.
They put a wound vac in on my stomach. If you know anything medically, wound vac's are done externally and never internal. It works after 4 weeks of changing everything out.
I am fast tracked to solids. There was no liquids. I went from being NPO to solids with a blink of an eye. NPO is nothing per oral. I couldn't drink anything. Couldn't swallow. I had to have therapy to teach me how to swallow again.
*** Side Note ****
I had a hernia repair and my gallbladder remove on 09/01/2015.
I lived in Oklahoma at the time, so when I had surgery I was kept for 3 days before being released. Shortly after being released, I knew that I wasn't feeling well. I kept complaining that my back hurt in the mid to lower back region. Didn't know if it was just cause of how I was sleeping or the fact that my insides felt like they had been gutted. I had my post follow-up appointment 10 days after surgery, so roughly the 17th.
I drove down and saw Dr. Thompson. During this visit I had explained to him that I was having a hard time getting fluids in and that my back was hurting. It wasn't just a little comfortable, but quite a bit and the only thing that made it feel better was a sleeping pad. Never, not once did he have one of the surgeons examine me, send me for tests, or anything. If only they had, is what I keep telling myself. This was a Thursday. Mind you, I couldn't keep down 16 oz of water in an 8 hour day.
Saturday comes (it's Easter weekend). I am at my wife's aunt's house trying to take part in the festivities with my son and etc. At this point, I am getting chills. Not just chills, but I now have fevers that are coming on. I finally look at my wife and tell her that I think I am going to have her take me to the ER in a bit if I don't get to feeling better. Well, short of the story is that I didn't.
I got to the ER that Saturday evening, they instantly in the triage unit they were doing chest x-ray's, an EKG, started me on IV's and was ordering a CT scan. The CT scan came back that I had an abscess (if only that was all). They pumped me full of pain meds and antibiotics via IV, told me to call the surgeons office, and sent me on the way with oral antibioitics. Of course, they're not going to touch me cause I'm another surgeon's patient.
I called the answering service for the chop shop and explained I was in the ER. The answering service said since I had already seen a doc at the ER that I need to call back on Monday when the doctors were in. When asked why they would tell me that, that is their directive from the Barker's chop shop.
I called Monday, talked to Dr. Asshat Thompson and he tells me that all is good and just to take the antibiotics regardless as to if they make me dry heave or not. Tuesday afternoon at around noon - I am back in the ER. The pain has returned and boy with a vengeance this time. This time it is not good. The hospital called the office in Dallas and was told I need to be down in Dallas like yesterday's news.
I arrive in at Forrest Park off of 75, in Dallas. I am immediately escorted up to the ICU floor, given a picc line and told that the dr's will be in the morning to see me. Oh, they were alright. First thing, I am taken down for test and given a scan. They stand me against the X-RAY machine and have me drink contrast. Mind you, I can see what the docs see and their faces. As the contrast went through, they're eyes got big. I don't mean a little - I mean a lot. They were concerned and a lot of medical jargon started spewing. I learn that I have a gastric fistula. Not just a small one either. But one so severe that it is the size of a tennis ball. Before it is asked, NO I DID NOT ADVANCE MY DIET. Remember, I was having issues getting in water.
Off to surgery I go. Dr. Rodriguez (loved him and only him) tried to repair the damage that Dr. Chop Shop had done to no avail. They attempted to suture and staple, but at that point (two weeks of a huge ass hole in my body) my stomach tissue was so inflamed it was like jelly. Nothing would close it.
I wake from surgery to learn the results and not just that. I am septic and not just a tad bit. My entire left abdomoninal cavity is filled with an infection. I am now fighting for my life because the infection is not responding to the antibiotics that they keep trying to give me. Not just that I am septic, but my left lung has collapsed as a result of all of the not so healthy body fluids being released into my body and my lung has taken the brunt of it.
I spent 4 to 5 weeks in the ICU. They finally call in an infectious diseases dr to determine the antibiotics I need. It works.
I get released to go to Baylor to have an experimental procedure that Dr. Rodriguez thinks I am a great candidate for. The rest of the docs do not agree with this decision and fight him on it. He told them to fuck off and that I am going and it is my best chance. Otherwise, I would have been connected to tubes for well over a year is what was estimated because I simply was not healing fast at all.
I was in Baylor for a month under the direction of an awesome minimally invasive surgeon and a gastro doc to do the experimental procedure.
They put a wound vac in on my stomach. If you know anything medically, wound vac's are done externally and never internal. It works after 4 weeks of changing everything out.
I am fast tracked to solids. There was no liquids. I went from being NPO to solids with a blink of an eye. NPO is nothing per oral. I couldn't drink anything. Couldn't swallow. I had to have therapy to teach me how to swallow again.
*** Side Note ****
I had a hernia repair and my gallbladder remove on 09/01/2015.
