Gastric Bypass Surgery Support Group
Gastric bypass (GBP) is any of a group of similar operative procedures used to treat morbid obesity, a condition which arises from severe accumulation of excess weight in the form of fatty tissue, and the health problems ("co-morbidities") which result. If you are considering gastric bypass or have had it, join the community where we share our experiences and find support.
My beloved sister in law passed away around 12:30 a.m. this morning. She had, had her first GBS 13 years ago and repeated the process 5years ago.
Sunday she woke up with what she call a little gas pain. By mid afternoon and after taking OTC gas relief meds the pain was worse, by dinner time she couldn't take the pain any more and her Husband took her to the E.R.
After what seemed like hours she saw a Doc. Her belly had extended to the point she looked pregnant. She was 58. They did a CT test and it showed there may be a twist in her small colon. The scheduled surgery for Monday morning. through the night the pain had become unmanageable and they did an emergency surgery to try and straighten her small colon, they discovered that the membrane had a tear. They sutured and untwisted the colon. She was put on heavy antibiotics.Through the rest of the day and through the night her pain increased. Infection was worse and she had to be sedated .
Tuesday morning they took her back into surgery and discovered that where her colon had been twisted her small intestine had DIED from lack of blood.. The Doctors said this was Unsurvivable. They gave her 48 hrs to live. Her Daughter drove 900 miles to get to her side. She missed her by 10 minutes.
Now the crux of it all. She is the 3rd friend and family member that this has happened to. Please tell your Doctors, don't wait.
This could be long range consequences of GBS or not. Better to be safe than sorry.
There is no WARNING. It comes on fast and their gone within 48 hours.
Has anyone heard of this happening? Please let me know.
Best wishes to all.
Sunday she woke up with what she call a little gas pain. By mid afternoon and after taking OTC gas relief meds the pain was worse, by dinner time she couldn't take the pain any more and her Husband took her to the E.R.
After what seemed like hours she saw a Doc. Her belly had extended to the point she looked pregnant. She was 58. They did a CT test and it showed there may be a twist in her small colon. The scheduled surgery for Monday morning. through the night the pain had become unmanageable and they did an emergency surgery to try and straighten her small colon, they discovered that the membrane had a tear. They sutured and untwisted the colon. She was put on heavy antibiotics.Through the rest of the day and through the night her pain increased. Infection was worse and she had to be sedated .
Tuesday morning they took her back into surgery and discovered that where her colon had been twisted her small intestine had DIED from lack of blood.. The Doctors said this was Unsurvivable. They gave her 48 hrs to live. Her Daughter drove 900 miles to get to her side. She missed her by 10 minutes.
Now the crux of it all. She is the 3rd friend and family member that this has happened to. Please tell your Doctors, don't wait.
This could be long range consequences of GBS or not. Better to be safe than sorry.
There is no WARNING. It comes on fast and their gone within 48 hours.
Has anyone heard of this happening? Please let me know.
Best wishes to all.
I am worried now after reading this. They told me it wasn't a big deal about having a twisted colon.
About the same time as my first episode, another member from England had the same symptoms. It took them over a week to diagnose it. When they finally operated, a portion of her intestine had died and they had to resect it. She had to go back to square 1 with her eating. That doesn't sound so bad in light of what happened to your sister and other family members.
Pam is correct, the complication is more likely to happen in those who have lost extreme amounts of weight and are at their target weight - we don't have fat holding things in place.
Thank you for posting this sobering warning. Again, I am so sorry for your loss.
JJ
Thank you for the warning. Although I've heard of torsion in large dog breeds, I didn't know it could happen to people, nor that it can be more likely in GBS patients. Definitely something to pay attention to.
I hope you're able to celebrate her life, cherish the time you had with her, and through time and memories, gain some peace around her passing. I'm certain she'll be missed.
Thanks!
JJ