If you follow my blog then you know that a short while back I decided to sit down and write a letter to my original surgeon. This is the surgeon who did a GREAT job on my original RNY but who later I found myself MOST disappointed in when he did not diagnosis my gastroparesis and was basically, I felt letting me starve to death. I sent the letter not expecting any response, and was both surprised and a bit disappointed when I received one. Here is his response:
” I am writing to you after receiving your rather lengthy and detailed letter. I am very glad to hear that you are feeling better and that the Motility Center at Yale was able to help you. You are absolutely correct in that gastroparesis can be a very difficult problem for clinicians and especially for patients. I appreciate how difficult it must have been for you and I am even more impressed by your fortitude after reading about your perspective on the trials ad tribulations which you have undergone these many years. There is not better outcome for a surgeon than to have a satisfied/healed/well patient and no more frustrating feeling than when a patient is not doing well, for any reason. I believe that the help you are now receiving is making great strides in your recovery and I am glad that things are working out. I will indeed share your “patient perspective” with the members of the care team. Every opportunity we have to learn from our patients is a priceless gift that will hopefully allow us to improve the are of future patients including ones we have not even met yet. I am truly glad to hear you’re not crazy, as I never, for one second, believed that you were faking, drug-seeking, or mentally ill, but that you were my sick patient that I knew and cared deeply about.
I wish you all the best, I am happy you are doing well and I hope your recovery continues and that eventually you are fully healed.
That was it, no apology for allowing me to suffer and starve all those months. No hey, I’m so sorry I didn’t send you to a motility specialist until you asked, nothing. Oh and by the way DOC if you didn’t think I was “mentally ill” or “faking” then WTF did you send me to a shrink not once but twice to evaluate if it was “all in my head”. I guess I’m still okay with it, I wanted to write to him because I needed to speak my peace. I still believe that he knew as well as I did that SOMETHING went wrong during the removal of the stone from my liver on 2/14/2011; whether it was HIM or the other surgeon I’ve no idea. What I do know is that there are only two known causes of GP, one is diabetes (which I am not diabetic) and the other is “idiopathic” meaning there is damage to the vagus nerve and we don’t know what the hell happened. I also know that “idiopathic” GP is generally a result of some abdominal surgery gone wrong, and I also know that prior to 2/14/11 I had no issues with vomiting or having a paralyzed stomach.
However, I guess what I got is what I’m going to get ~ whatever satisfaction I got from at least sharing my feelings with him is the only satisfaction I’m ever going to have so, moving on ~ but just wanted to share his response. See you next time!
weightlossjourney2hellandback 