-- Fern Hill At Wed, 27 Jan 2010, Suzanne wrote: > >My story actually begins just over two years ago. I had a total >abdominal hysterectomy in July of 2007 due to a large ovarian cyst that >was possibly cancerous. Thankfully, it was benign, but the surgeon >perforated my intestine and didn't realize it at the time. When I >wasn't recovering normally, was weak, and had pain up my side and around >my back, the nurses and my family who were with me around the clock >asked my surgeon to do some tests to determine what was wrong. He >dismissed their concerns, stating that I was suffering from a "post-op >ileus". Five days after the hysterectomy, it was obvious to everyone >that I was in distress and was extremely sick. The surgeon finally did >a CT scan and found I had a perforation. Emergency exploratory surgery >followed, resulting in a bowel resection. I had peritonitis and was, in >the surgeon's words, "gravely ill". I ended up with a fistula so the >staples were ripped out and a wound vac was applied for a few weeks. >When the wound vac was removed, the wound was left to heal open (end >result five months later when it finally healed was an 8 by 3 inch scar >up my abdomen). Eleven days after the second surgery I was still weak >and sick, my body was swelling (I am on the thin side so this was quite >obvious) and on oxygen. My surgeon was talking about discharging me at >the end of the week and this was Wednesday! At two in the morning during >that night, while in the care of a very astute nurse whom I credit with >saving my life, I was rushed to the ICU in respiratory failure. They >told my husband they didn't know if I had brain damage and they were not >sure if I'd had a heart attack, but that my lungs had collapsed and they >had called the Chaplain...and I was on a ventilator. My husband was in >disbelief, obviously, and my children thought they were going to lose >their mother. Had this surgeon monitored my albumin levels, he would >have found them to be so low that my body was not able to process all of >the fluids I was receiving intraveneously, and this situation could have >easily been averted. I was in the hospital for three weeks, went home >for a week, was still short of breath and running fevers, and was >readmitted only to have a chest tube placed to drain more fluid from >around my lungs for another week. All in all I've had over twenty three >CT scans and forty chest x-rays. With each CT scan being about the >equivalent of five hundred chest x-rays, I live in fear that one of >these days I could be diagnosed with some form of cancer. It took me a >full year to recover and gain back the twenty pounds I lost as I was TPN >(no food by mouth) for five weeks and had a difficult time getting my >appetite back. Those are just the highlights of my hospitalization; >there were many other things that went wrong. > >In the past eighteen months I've been hospitalized three times (at a >different hospital) with bowel obstructions due to adhesions from my >abdominal surgeries. They have always resolved with decompression >treatment in the hospital, but I was told by the surgeons that >eventually I will likely have one that will not respond to treatment and >will require emergency surgery. They also told me that every time I >have a bowel obstruction, the chances of having another one increase, >and may take longer to resolve. One of these surgeons actually told me >that he has a patient who is hospitalized with bowel obstructions almost >monthly. These men are highly respected surgeons in my community. Why >could they not do something for their patients who are struggling with >issues due to adhesions? They told me they would not perform surgery on >me because it would only create more adhesions, so my future was looking >grim.what a vicious cycle. I believed I had no recourse, but I couldn't >imagine living this way the rest of my life. It was always stressful on >my family (I have four children) to have to leave suddenly and be >hospitalized for an unknown length of time. The psychological issues >were difficult for me as well, with a huge scar constantly reminding me >of my traumatic ordeal and the physical discomfort of my distended >abdomen and my insides pushing up on my ribcage every time I sat down or >leaned over. The prospect of living the rest of my life like this was >depressing, to say the least. Also scary for me was the fact that I >might end up requiring emergency surgery to repair a bowel obstruction. >Who would perform this surgery, a surgeon on call? I had been through >too much to allow just any surgeon to operate on me. > >This past summer during an appointment with my gynecologist, he >mentioned the CAPPS program and although he didn't know the specifics of >the program nor Dr. Redan, he knew a woman who had a successful >experience a few years ago, and he suggested I look into it. I >immediately went home and researched Florida Hospital at Celebration, >Dr. Redan, and the CAPPS program. I couldn't believe I was actually >considering having surgery again as I had lost so much faith in the >medical community. I wondered how this surgeon could help me when no >other surgeon I spoke with would consider me for surgery. I had a >consultation with Dr. Redan in September of 2009 and immediately felt >hopeful about my future. I found Dr. Redan to be not only >compassionate and kind, but empathetic regarding the trauma I endured >and the psychological issues that went along with it. After examining >my abdomen, he stated that he felt he could help me, but that I was not >a candidate for laparoscopic surgery due to the damage to my abdominal >wall and the large scar. This was disappointing to me as I was fearful >of open surgery after my previous experience, but already I felt that >Dr. Redan was the surgeon who would restore my faith. He explained the >surgical procedure that he would perform if I chose to go ahead with the >surgery, and answered every one of my questions, making me feel as if he >had all the time in the world to spend with me. When I left, he told me >to call him with any further questions and encouraged my husband to call >as well as he could not accompany me to the appointment. Leaving Dr. >Redan's office, I felt wonderfully optimistic.finally! Dr. Redan had a >plan for me, and his plan included a plastic surgeon to reconstruct my >abdominal wall, repair the incisional hernia, and remove forever the >horrific scar that prevents me from forgetting the trauma I endured. > >The following week I had an appointment with Dr. John Louis, the >plastic surgeon who would work with Dr. Redan. They had discussed my >case during the week, and Dr. Louis shared his plan for my care with >me. Once again, I knew I was in good hands, and this meeting convinced >me that making the decision to have this surgery was the right one for >me. Like Dr. Redan, Dr. Louis is kind and compassionate, and spent a >great deal of time answering all of my questions. I left his office >with a date for my surgery! > >On December 10, 2009, Dr. Redan removed my gallbladder due to >gallstones and also because it was affected by the peritonitis. He also >removed my appendix and the adhesions. Dr. Louis did a fantastic job >reconstructing my abdominal wall.and I can't say enough about not having >to look at the dreadful scar anymore! I am optimistic that the days of >being in and out of the hospital are over for me, thanks to these two >amazing surgeons. I am now almost seven weeks post-op, and I am >extremely grateful to both Dr. Redan and Dr. Louis. Thanks to their >teamwork, the surgery went very well and I am feeling good both >physically and psychologically. I was impressed with the care I >received by the staff over the course of the five days I was >hospitalized, and with the follow up care I have received from both >surgeons. The office staff of both Dr. Louis and Dr. Redan is helpful >and considerate, and whenever I had questions or concerns prior to or >following my surgery, Dr. Redan always returned my phone calls the same >day. Dr. Louis assured me that if I was unhappy with anything during >my hospital stay, to call his office and he would make things right. I >have never met more personable surgeons than Dr. Louis and Dr. Redan. > >I strongly encourage anyone who is suffering from adhesions or ARD to >seek the help of Dr. Redan and his colleagues at the CAPPS program in >Celebration, Florida. Dr. Redan's knowledge, competence, concern, and >compassion have changed my life and given me back the peace of mind and >the quality of life that had been missing for too long.