Recovering from 5th surgery in 3 years

EBloye · Jul 9, 2020

I am in search of an expert on post operative complications after RNY. I had initial surgery 12/2016. Since then I have had 3 surgeries for internal hernias, 1 for intussusception and now for small bowel obstruction. I am afraid that this will never end. Please let me know if you have a doctor or group you would recommend. I am willing to go anywhere.

Ggm · Jul 10, 2020

Talk with your doctor, tell him you would like to talk with another doctor about your condition.

Matia · Jul 10, 2020

You have been through a lot in a short period of time. Talk to your surgeon and primary care provider. This journey is not linear. Try your best to stay as healthy as possible, follow recommendations and do what will help you build resilience. I work in healthcare and see this clinical picture with many health conditions not just bariatric surgery. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason. I hope you have a speedy recovery and reap the benefits from your bariatric surgery going forward! Hang in there!!

EBloye · Jul 11, 2020

dianeseattle said:
Where are you located? Is there some reason why you can't talk to your own surgeon? How long ago did you have surgery? What type of hernias are you developing (inguinal or...) and where are they precisely? What is the cause of your bowel obstructions? Are you following a post-operative bariatric diet? Are you drinking at least 64 oz of water every single day? did you have any of these problems before surgery? What's your procedure done open or laparoscopically? How soon after surgery did you start to have symptoms or other problems?

I am in NW Arkansas and have been returning to the same group for all the surgeries. Hernias are into the Abdomen the report is I have a very thin mesentery. The cause of my most recent surgery was bowel twisting causing lack of blood flow resulting in gangrene of the bowel. 10 inches removed. Yes I follow the diet to a T and drink my water. All but one of my surgeries have been laparoscopic. My RNY was 12/2016, my first emergency surgery was 11/2017. I had never had surgery before my RNY. I struggled a little with constipation prior to surgery and took stool softeners.

EBloye · Jul 11, 2020

Matia said:
You have been through a lot in a short period of time. Talk to your surgeon and primary care provider. This journey is not linear. Try your best to stay as healthy as possible, follow recommendations and do what will help you build resilience. I work in healthcare and see this clinical picture with many health conditions not just bariatric surgery. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason. I hope you have a speedy recovery and reap the benefits from your bariatric surgery going forward! Hang in there!!

Thank you!

missyinacage · Jul 11, 2020

Oh my goodness! That sounds so scary. I don't know of any groups or specialists but hope you find one that can help you. Best of luck!

EBloye · Jul 12, 2020

missyinacage said:
Oh my goodness! That sounds so scary. I don't know of any groups or specialists but hope you find one that can help you. Best of luck!

Thanks so much!

EBloye · Jul 12, 2020

dianeseattle said:
Your condition sounds very complex. I am not sure you should focus entirely on bariatric surgery as being the cause, although it is known to cause intussusception. Still, as you already know, it is very rare.

I'm not a doctor and certainly not qualified to give medical advice. I would at this point be seeking a specialist at a different hospital. My experience with doctors is that they are very protective of each other and will rarely fix someone else's mistake if there is one.

I believe you should inform your current health care provider that you wish to get an expert opinion from a gastroenterologist at a prominent Medical Center such as the Mayo Clinic, which has a campus relatively close to you but may not be as populated with skilled Physicians and students as the main Hospital in Minnesota.

Whatever you choose to do, it seems obvious to me that you shouldn't be doing it at a place that has done surgery on you 5 times already without curing the problem. You may need more involved testing. By attributing the origin of the cause to bariatric surgery, you may be closing off an Avenue that will lead you to a cure.

In any event, I think that surgery needs to stop being so exploratory and become the way to cure the root problem. You've already had the worst thing happened to you by having to have part of your bowel removed because of gangrene. I would run, not walk, to a different medical facility because it just isn't right that your entire bowel cannot be evaluated and any problems fixed in one surgery.

No one in this group can help you except to urge you to find a competent gastroenterologist, and to do so soon. I hope that's what you do because your problems are very worrisome.

In the meantime, I hope you will find some answers here to questions you may not have asked already. You certainly have our support. Welcome and please keep us posted on your progress.

Thanks so much for your encouragement. I had not really opened my mind to the fact it may be caused by something other than the bariatric surgery but I think you are absolutely right. I think my surgeons have been wonderful but I agree it is time to go to another provider. I will keep you posted. I was hoping to connect with anyone else that has had the same kinds of complications and would love to hear from anyone going through the same issues.