Question:
Okay, here's one for the records! No common channel records.
I went to get my medical records finally today after asking for them for months. I finally recieved them and found something I found very telling. I wanted these records to bring to an attorney (as many of you know, I have had many health problems since my BPD/DS). Many of you have asked me how long my common channel is because of my severe diahrea, vitamin deficiencies and gas. I kept saying I didn't know. Well, now I know why I didn't know. The doctor never documented that in any of my surgical reports. After reviewing them all, and also asking another doctor, I have found that he didn't put anything in about the common channel. Nothing, whether it be on purpose because of a problem or because he just forgot to put that in. I kindof think that it's quite a big ommision. I have also found that the doctor well documented my iron deficiency and anemia before surgery and yet, still did the surgery and never told me that I would most likely have all these problems. I also found out that I was borderline diabetic and that he recommended that I have blood sugar counts often after surgery. I was never told this either. No one has ever sent me for this to the lab. Certainly, I will be having my doctor send me now (I have a new internist whom I love). I am writing this for two reasons. One, is because so many of you have written to me asking about my problems and two, to see if anyone else has had this very important piece of information omitted from their surgical report and to ask how I might go about finding out how long the common channel really is now. Would a lower or upper GI tell this? An MRI? I just don't know where to turn now to find out. I DO know, that he made my stomach smaller than the average person but, after two years my stomach is basically back to normal for someone who had this surgery. Now I am wondering if he also made the common channel unusually short also. Any help here would be greatly appreciated and please know that I am aware that many people don't really like me talking about the many problems I have had with this surgery but you all have been so helpful mosttimes with any of my problems and I needed to vent and also ask. Thanks so much. — Barbara H. (posted on March 21, 2001)
March 21, 2001
Barbara, I for one WANT to hear of any problems you've had, simply becaue
it is only fairfor us pre-ops to hear WHAT COULD happen. I have no
solutions to offer you, but I can offer you a cyber hug (((((Barbara)))))).
— defatbroad
March 21, 2001
I too think you should say your problems...we all need to know the
truth..the good, bad and the ugly. I am sorry for you health problems and I
hope you have a speedy turn around and are given lots of encourgment!!!
Good luck to you Barbara, I know I sent you allot of emails myself and I
thank you for being so kind to me.
— Cindy S.
March 21, 2001
It would seem most appropriate to ask medical questions of an individual
trained in medicine such as the "...new internist whom I love",
just as you would ask an attorney that specializes in malpractice law to
advise you how to proceed with a malpractice lawsuit. It is unfortunate
that so many ailments surfaced after your WLS. Anemia and iron
deficiencies were apparently pre-exisiting conditions ofwhich you were
aware of. Why do you feel that these conditions would make you a bad
candidate for surgery? It is my understanding that these conditions are
treatable. It is difficult to determine from this post whether you
followed thru with follow-up care and discussed your concerns directly with
the surgeon and your previous PCP. Thank you for providing insight into the
possible negative consequences of WLS.
— Lynn E.
March 21, 2001
Lynn E. I wanted to respond to your answer (thoughts) about my post.
First of all, I see that you did not even mention the fact that my common
channel was totally left out of my surgical records. That is my main
concern. As for knowing about my iron deficiencies, well, I knew that as a
teen I had had a problem but I had not had any such problem since then. I
only found out 2 years after surgery, that my iron count was low already
going into surgery. The surgeon failed to even inform me of this ahead of
time. I was his 8th BPD and, now I sincerely think that he needed patients
to "practice" on basically. Sounds terrible, but if you had been
through what I have been through, you may say the same thing.
As for consulting my surgeon, well I certainly did this and followed up
with bloodwork that the hospital cannot now conveniently find. They have
the charges for it, just not the actual bloodwork results. When the
surgeon found my iron levels to be falling, he told me to just take more
and more iron. When that didn't work, I finally went to a second bariatric
surgeon (by this time, the hospital that employed my surgeon had had quite
a few issues with him and it was mutually decided that he would leave that
hospital. I have since found that there were quite a few lawsuits that he
is now involved in concerning his surgeries. I talked to the bariatric
surgeon who took over for him and he also said to increase my oral intake
of iron and that there was no such thing as injectible iron. I had 2 other
people who heard him say this to me. Well, after doing what he said, my
iron count went so low that I almost fell into a coma and was rushed to the
emergency room at another hospital. They gave me blood and I am now on
iron injections for the rest of my life. (yes, there really are iron
injections). So, in answer to your question, yes, I am calling my
internist tomorrow but, I often get great answers on here and wanted to
know if anyone had any suggestions because, as you can see, I never will
have "complete" faith again, in a doctor although, like I said,
this doctor that i have now, is wonderful and she literally saved my life
in that hospital. thanks for your input. God bless, Barb
— Barbara H.
March 21, 2001
Thank you, Barb, for completing the picture.
— Lynn E.
March 22, 2001
Hi Barbara. I also want to thank you for posting your story. We all need
to hear the truth. I've been told so many times what a drastic and radical
procedure this is. If the person performing the surgery is the least bit
incompetent, we are at their mercy. I love my surgeon, he's a really super
nice guy, but you've reminded me that I also need to make sure he's
listening, researching and DISCUSSING things with me. I also need to look
into his past surgeries and make sure the patients felt that the care they
received was excellent during the entire process. So far I have complete
faith, but reading your story reminded me of too many experiences with
doctors who didn't listen, research and communicate. I really hope this
gets better for you. I'm also glad you have a lawyer, destruction of
medical records is a serious crime, that hospital should be nervous too.
— kcanges
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