Case gone badly
As I said in my las post, someone who had been reading my blog wrote to tell me of her sister who passed away due to complications from surgery. I wanted to share this with you all, so that everyone understands it does not always go perfectly. One thing I would like to note is that when choosing a Dr., ask his/her patient's what the follow-up care is like. Gastric bypass or any other WLS is a life-long medical change; and your dr, ad well as yourslef should be prepared to handle it! (BTW, many bypass patients wear bracelets identifying them as such - because in the case you are unconcious and should need to be tubed for air by a paramedic - this info is important!)
(Here are the e-mails)
My sister-in-law died yesterday, March 18th, after being on
life-support, and being brain dead, after gastric bypass surgery on
March 7th. The risks of dying after surgery are 1 in 50, and five times
that is the surgeon is inexperienced. This surgery was from an
experienced, board certified surgeon. Please inform people of the
dangers of gastric bypass surgery. There are other option. Thank you.
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I am so sorry for your loss.
Yes, there is a higher risk for this surgery than others. Mainly because
those of us going under the anesthesia are not in good health to begin
with. I had my living will filled out and ready, just in case. Because I
did not want to leave my husband with hard-to-make decisions on his
hands.
May I post your e-mail on my blog? I would post it anonymously. I do
feel people should know both sides of the story.
Once again, my condolences to you and the rest of your family.
Sincerely,
Michelle Taylor
Michelle,
Thank you so much for your reply, and I'm glad that you made it through your surgery without any problems. My sister-in-law did have other health issue (diabetes and high blood pressure), but we know that her death could have been prevented due to the fact that she had a rupture that was not corrected surgically for almost 2 days. Her physician did not take her concerns seriously, even though her water, and her pain medicine was coming out of the drain hole on the left side of her body. She was in unbearable pain, and not able to get any relief. Her tragic death could have been avoided. Her left lung was full of fluid for several days, yet the physician did not drain off the fluid or put in a chest tube. It was not until after she went into cardiac arrest that they inserted a chest tube. By that time she was brain dead. She left a great husband and 3 children who miss her very much. It's very tragic. Yes, you may post my email, anonymously, as we have arranged for an attorney to look at the case. The physician was board certified in bariatric surgery. He had all of the credentials necessary to perform the surgery. His lack of follow-up on the signs and symptoms of a leak cost my sister-in-law her life. Thank you for posting my email, and I pray that all will continue to go well for you and all that read about your journey.
Sincerely,
grieving sister