Finally Home from the Hospital.

Where do I begin. First of all I am happy to be alive and I am happy to be home.

This journey has not been easy and I have withheld saying my true opinion until I had a chance to think about it entirely before posting. I am most thankful that I was back in the US when my bile leak just began pouring out my incision sites. I was transported immediately to Memorial Hermann Trauma Hospital in Downtown Houston where I have been under wonderful care for the past 10 days. Praise God I was there with many of the best surgeons and medical care in US if not the world.

On Tuesday September 3, 2013 while having a picc line installed for my TPN, I remember telling them I could feel my lips or breath. I was code blue. The next thing I know they are pulling at me and calling my name as I struggle to gasp for air. When I open my eyes I see nothing  but medical doctors, they are holding my chin up and administering  high doses of oxygen. My nurse told my husband my lips were blue and my body was purple when she fist saw me.

This experience was very scary and when I finally was breathing with just small amounts of oxygen in my nose I began going into a mild shock and shook uncontrollably. I was freezing to the bone even with layers of blankets on me. I was so happy when it finally passed.

I cannot eat or drink anything by mouth until my leak (fistula) is completely healed. In the mean time I am receiving all my nutrient's via my picc line. I still cannot drink anything for the next two weeks as it continues to heal.

What I have been withholding back in my surgery experience in Mexico with Dr. Kelly. I heard all the great things, I went through all his degrees and certifications, and yes he was nice, but I was not happy with surgery procedure. From the moment I woke from the first surgery August 19,2013 I could feel something was wrong. I was yelling in Spanish No, Muerto! (sp) I was exhausted and in a lot of pain. Anything that I swallowed caused pain. All my vitals were good though.
By Wednesday August 21, 2013 I was taken to my leak test and failed. When I look back I am not surprised. So back to the hospital I went and Dr. Kelly did a revision surgery. My recovery was slow and painful. I didn't see Dr. Kelly much after that and I never saw his wife Cecy again.

On Saturday August 24, 2013 I was again take to my leak test, this time there was another patient who had the sleeve done. You could not tell he even had surgery as he was walking around and carrying his back pack. I was still in a wheel chair. I supposedly passed my leak test this time. Dr. Kelly removed my drain. Very painful. He said he would be by hotel later to removed the IV line left in my hand and check in on me.

By 10:00 still no sign of Dr. Kelly. I removed the IV stuff from my hand myself. I slept in a chair. The next morning Dr. Kelly's assistance came to take me and another patient to the air port to return home. She seemed shocked Dr. Kelly never came to see me since he was there and checked in on the other patients. At this point I just couldn't wait to get stateside and home. I had wheelchair assistance the entire time at the airport. I am so thankful I did. I was so blown up with fluids, they could barely make the seatbelt on the airline fit. When I stood the pain was excruciating and my back couldn't support the weight of my belly hanging, so I had to support it with my hands.

Once home, I weighed almost 20 pounds more than before I left and my kids said I looked fatter like a puffer fish. My recovery was still very painful and slow. I never received my email report from Dr. Kelly on the revision surgery. I wondered why he didn't want to face me before I left. I questioned if he knew something wasn't right but wanted me to go home hope it all worked out. I really felt like he has done so many sleeves that he may have forgotten how to perform the RNY surgery.

Well, I was home only 5 days when my incisions broke open and bile came out my sides like water. I was very scary and we immediately went to the hospital and there began my journey. They ran a cat scan and also discovered my liver has a laceration on it as well as my spleen. It took them hours to find a bariatric surgeon willing to take me on as patient with such problems. Dr. Snyder stepped up and accepted me and I was transported to Houston. There I spent 10 days recovering I have months of recovery ahead of me.

We are all still praying the fistula continues to close so I will not need another surgery. So far God has been very good to me and I am so thankful for His faithfulness.