Henry's story, not close to over. A story of pain. - Page 5 - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

jerseygrl684 · 09-29-2009, 07:03 PM

I wish he would use his issues for a positive thing, instead he wants to make sure no one else has this surgery. That is what his goal is.

I just find it amazing that people go through these post-op issues and aren't grateful just to be alive. I am lucky for every day I have. It hasnt been easy and won't be. Who knows how I will heal and if i will actually be okay. Only time will tell, but i'm telling you one thing, being negative and whiney, being a downer and a person who genuinely hates their life now... IS NOT THE WAY TO GO. You want to heal? Heal yourself mentally, because you cannot go through this with a closedmind and a negative outlook. You can't look back and go "what if", it won't get you anywhere but a mental institution.

Stop looking on the past, focus on YOUR FUTURE. Because you may have lost some past, but the future is all you have.

queenmom · 09-29-2009, 07:13 PM

I may have worded it wrong, but it wasn't the GB that caused my Meniere's, it was post-op GB complications.

Meniere's can be attributed to a head injury and/or trauma to the body. The Meniere's settled in while I was still in and out of the hospital post-op, and the doctor attributed it to the trauma of the post-op GB problems. I was too sick for over a year to do much looking into it, and then I just didn't much care.

I've literally never throught much about this until I read Henry's story and it came back to me. I don't like having Meniere's, but I learn to live with it as episodes occur.

I can tell you that my nuerotologist also confirmed it was probably the trauma from that time--being so sick and developing septic shock. I'm sorry I don't have more to tell you than this.

Very sorry for the confusion.

Jeanie · 09-30-2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerseygrl684

I wish he would use his issues for a positive thing, instead he wants to make sure no one else has this surgery. That is what his goal is.

I just find it amazing that people go through these post-op issues and aren't grateful just to be alive. I am lucky for every day I have. It hasnt been easy and won't be. Who knows how I will heal and if i will actually be okay. Only time will tell, but i'm telling you one thing, being negative and whiney, being a downer and a person who genuinely hates their life now... IS NOT THE WAY TO GO. You want to heal? Heal yourself mentally, because you cannot go through this with a closedmind and a negative outlook. You can't look back and go "what if", it won't get you anywhere but a mental institution.

Stop looking on the past, focus on YOUR FUTURE. Because you may have lost some past, but the future is all you have.

Very well stated!

Sara518 · 10-02-2009, 12:22 AM

I agree mostly with what you said but you have no idea what my ordeal or anyone besides your own is like. Im very grateful to be alive but there were and still are many days where the pain is so bad that I wish I was not. Im not on here whining Im here to tell my story. I guess you can have your opinion and call it what you want. Statements like the one you made is the exact reason I took so long to tell my story on here.

jerseygrl684 · 10-02-2009, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sara518

I agree mostly with what you said but you have no idea what my ordeal or anyone besides your own is like. Im very grateful to be alive but there were and still are many days where the pain is so bad that I wish I was not. Im not on here whining Im here to tell my story. I guess you can have your opinion and call it what you want. Statements like the one you made is the exact reason I took so long to tell my story on here.

I never said you. And how dare you blame ME for not being able to tell your story on here. I would love to hear your and anyone else's complications.

Henry wants to make sure no one ever gets wls again, hes using it negatively. NO ONE ELSE.

mistymee · 10-02-2009, 07:22 AM

Like Kelly, I'm really grateful and WANT to hear about the possible negatives. I WANT to know what types of things to look out for, and maybe a chance to nip more serious issues in the bud, before they take hold.

However, a lot of Henry's problems he's blamed on the *type* of surgery (WLS) he's had instead of the fact that he had problems with the hospital staff and the person with his power of attorney.

To me, it almost feels like he wants to punish anyone who would be seeking WLS by working to ban it completely. That is simply a wrong headed way to go about dealing with his issues. His getting the surgery banned (which, I believe is a completely fruitless excursion and a total waste of his energies given it's overall success) would be consigning people like me to a life a misery. Could I have been the tiny percentage overall that suffers? Yes, but.. *I was already suffering!* I was strangling myself to death with my weight. I wasn't living.. I was existing, in pain and riddled with diseases, on my way to both knee and possible hip replacement, up from taking oral diabetic meds to insulin, needing blood pressure meds, needing cholesterol meds and daily NSAIDS due to severe painful arthritis.. (which now, only aches at times) I was walking with assistance from a crutch. None of these factors are in my life anymore.

Henry's choice would put me back to 317 and probably more and still suffering, still in pain... sitting on the sidelines of life. And I kind of resent that.

I don't, however, resent that he posts his story. On the contrary.. right up till he gets to the point where he says he puts his time and energy towards having this surgery banned, he had me as a interested student in learning about him, and his journey.

HenrySanDiego · 10-04-2009, 12:56 AM

I believe this thread has gone very well and is something a prospective surgical candidate would benefit from. I hear the fear in so many voices that my work will somehow exclude or take away their chances for this surgery.

Dr. Callery came to visit me one day in the rehabilitation hospital. And, he asked me if he should require patients to loose weight prior to the operation as a measure of their dedication/seriousness/commitment prior to surgery.

He went on to remark he was not the type of doctor that wanted to force anything on a patient including conditions prequisite for surgery. I considered the question for just a couple of moments and realized, I had to give the response, I would not of given prior to my surgery. I told Dr. Callery that yes, I felt patients should be required to do something as indicative of their earnestness.

I know he was quite shaken by the outcome of my surgery and as he was leaving my room he said, "a complication is 100% when its you isn't it Henry." I nodded and he left.

Later we spoke about a year later, summer of 2008 and he kindly replied to my followup questionaire I had submitted via this site. He provided me valuable information regarding calcium uptake and complications I was continuing to deal with. He said that he had improved the surgical methods as well as tool manufactures had modified tools since my surgery to minimize the chance of an outcome like mine.

The industry and physicians have a very dificult time reporting problems since they face issues with litigation and patient confidence.

In my wildest dreams I could never affect this surgery very much. I hear some of the respondents here voice such fear that I might perhaps ruin their chances for this surgery. I dont believe there is much chance of that. I believe the ways physicians deal with serious weight loss is going to advance quickly and that this is more likely to impact them than myself or my voiced views. Albeit hard on everyone to undergo this procedure, even those with successful outcomes. The life changing element of this surgery is without comparison on the scale in which it is performed.

So, GTS, thank you for your comment: "They would rather pay for $50,000-100,000 for surgery than cover your $25/mo gym membership or $1500 in personal training." Thank you to the physicians and surgeons who have voiced support of my view and desire for education.

I believe this has gone very well and lived up to my expectations from a mature and informed forum. I hear some voices in agreement, not many, but I did not expect many. And the majority of those in opposition are considered and considerate of me and my right as a simple patient and recovering WLS guy.

I wish everyone the best, and thank you for your comments. I feel much better and in many ways validated by all your contributions.

I will drop from commenting in this thread now.

Sincerely,

Henry

PS I still want you to close me up or attend it Dr Callery, smile. Insurance will pay.

Aviator · 10-04-2009, 06:31 AM

I spent 8 months on this forum before having my surgery collecting information....learning.....listening. I feel I was very aware of the risks and dangers associated with this surgery. TT is a great place to collect information, as well as being a warm and welcoming support group.

One of our TT posters who I havent seen for a while (and miss), Jumbo Julie, had enormous problems as a result of RnY, as did many others that I read about here prior to my surgery. Julie ws the first person ever to respond to one of my posts.

Her experiences gave me insight as to some of the risks associated with having our bowels rearranged.

Also, two months prior to my surgery, a 30-something doctor here in The Woodlands died of sepsis two weeks after having the so-called "safest" option, Lap-Band. This can happen.

Yet in spite of all that, I opted for VSG surgery, because I was miserable being obese. I weighed the potential risks of getting fatter daily vs that of surgery, and in my calculus, the surgical option won. It was a gamble that paid off for me.

My heart goes out to you Henry, as do my prayers for you. I do believe that "trying to convince people not to have WLS" is probably not the right tack. To factually inform - so that people can make rational decisions, in my opinion, is probably your best strategy.

I don't know Dr. Callery et. al., but I think he has been wise not to ban you here Henry, because your story needs to be told. Your experience is one people need to hear. People need to weigh your case vs those of us who have had complication free surgeries vs the risk of their own continued co-morbidities.

You know, I hear of plane crashes every year, but I continue to get on them almost every week. (In fact, I just returned from China last Thursday.) In my opinion, the benefit outweighs the risk. Some may disagree and take the train or bus. Or just not go. That's what makes the world go round.

Godspeed Henry. Feel the love, Pal. It is here. There is no more supportive group than this bunch. Thanks for sharing.

ardita · 10-04-2009, 07:15 AM

Henry,

Thank you for sharing your story. It is important for folks to go in eyes wide open and each story lends to opening those eyes.

At the same time, I see little of your story that supports your premise that all WLS is bad. Many things went wrong in your case, mostly nonsurgically related. For that I am sorry. Even for the complications you have had that are surgically related, they illustrate that ANY surgery can bring risk, not only WLS. People need to remember WLS is surgery and thus comes with risk, but your issues are not necessarily because it was for weight loss but that it was surgery, the dissecting of your insides by another, potentially fallible, human. That is not to deny that weight loss surgery can bring complications, because it certainly can, but there seems to be much about your story and what went wrong that has nothing to do with a specific relationship to weight loss or weight loss surgery, but to surgery in general and poor attention and poor communication.

I am sorry it was what it was and that it brought the repercussions it has. I wish you good luck regaining your health.

SanDiegoWM · 11-06-2009, 01:11 AM

I am so sorry to hear of all you have gone through.

Mine went Ok, I am older and out of shape and it was hard for me to heal and get my energy back. I also have a major back injury that doesn't help.

I think that it is important for those who have a bad experience states it. Before having mine, I searched and read many stories of bad experiences. But I had to hunt for those bad experiences. I wanted to know what I was getting into. Anyone of us could have turned out with bad to horrific experiences or even die.

The GBS was all in all good for me and I believe in it, however I know of several people with serious problems, problems they could die from. So this is not a decision someone should go into lightly.

I wouldn't oppose GBS but everyone is entitled to know what can and has happened. That to me is informed consent.

So please don't just flat out oppose it, but fight for the right of patients to know both sides, not just a glossed over down side. When I was searching I even joined OSSG-gone_wrong to gain more information. For me it was a good decision but I know too many that can't say that.

Maybe you can help establish some kind of protocol for hospitals to follow for patients were the surgery has gone wrong. Things that would of helped you.

I had my will & trust done just in case. We never know what can happen during a surgery even the so called simple ones.

I hope and pray you get better and life improves for you.