Be the change for Colleen
Donación protegida
So I wanna tell my full story since I don’t think my video fully explained the last two years. So I’ll start by sharing my WLS journey. July 2016 at 21 years old I had a RNY bypass at 350lbs. 
I ended up with bleeding ulcers immediately post op. I couldn’t eat or drink and was dying. In September 2016 I was hospitalized on my 22nd birthday due to metabolic acidosis and deadly low potassium. I was given a picc line and started TPN. I was sent home after a week with home care nursing coming every day. I carried my backpack with 3L bag and pump to nursing school classes and clinicals.
In October 2016 they surgically placed a g-tube into my remnant stomach. Over months I did feedings overnight and didn’t eat during the day and continued on nursing school. The tube had alot of issues with the ballon going into the muscle at least once a week, sending me to the ER. In January 2017 I had my gallbladder removed. Two days later my tube went into the muscle again and the residents couldn’t fix it, so they removed it. I was able to eat or drink enough for the time being. In May of 2017 I began vomiting and unable to tolerate food or drink. But I graduated nursing school and started working as a pediatric nurse in GI (I have a bond with it).
On my 12th EGD they discovered the suture of my bypass had come undone and cooled into my pouch. They removed it and I was able to eat again but not drink. I went to the infusion clinic twice a week for fluids, until I lost access even in my feet. Then in October 2017 they surgically placed a j-tube into the old jejunum. While in the hospital two days post op, I began vomiting every 5 min. My concerns were brushed off until the morning residents came and they rushed me to CT and found I had a volvulus. My jejunum twisted off and all the water they were running through my tube was back flowing into my old stomach all night with no where to go and was now the size of a volleyball. They called the attending and performed an emergency laparotomy. The surgeon said if they hadn’t found it within 2 hours it would have exploded and I would have died. I woke up and magically was able to drink again. He said he removed a ton of scar tissue that was twisting off nerves and he thinks that was causing my problems.
Since then I have been dealing with chronic abdominal pain, seeing a pain management dr and they said I probably still had tons of scar tissue causing me pain. I tried three spinal injections but none worked. She then said I could try getting a panniculectomy to remove the tissue or spinal surgery.
So August 3 of 2018 I had a panniculectomy with a vertical component and muscle repair where they removed 12 pounds of skin. I had to stay in the hospital a few extra days due to pain management, then sent home. I was doing OK until the apex of my incision started leaking fluid even though I had 3 drains. They told me it’s better out than in but at 3 weeks post op the incision ripped open. The hole about the length of a middle finger, and as deep as a pinky finger. They had me do my own dressing changes twice a day with saline soaked gauze. Due to no improvement on September 11 I began seeing a wound care clinic where they placed on a wound vac. I saw them every MWF.
On Friday September 21st the foam packing was cut to large and placed over part of my skin. On Monday the 24th they discovered a patch of necrotic (dead) skin. They did a debridement which created a second full thickness wound right above the original. The culture showed its an extremely multi-drug resistant bacteria only sensitive to levaquin. Which I’ve been on for 8 days so far. I go every other day now including weekends for dressing changes because I can no longer use the wound vac while it’s infected. It’s also combined into one huge wound now.
Unfortunately it is still infected, but it is less necrotic. By Tuesday on my third debridement if it is not cleared, I’m being referred to infectious disease. I could lose my job, or at least I’m not able to work. we won’t be able to live if I am let go or can’t go back to work. I’m in extreme pain despite being on meds, were pushing our wedding back another year despite being together for 11 years this year, we can’t afford it, and I don t have time to plan it because of all of this.
I’m in grad school, and I spend my life at the hospital. It’s crap. I just want it all to go away and be done. After all this, no dr will yet admit fault. In fact the wound care dr is blaming me. I don’t think so, when I haven’t even touch that skin since seeing them.
I’m so broken over everything.
i am out of work, with bills to pay. In the last two years I’ve had over $900,000 in medical bills, and insurance does not cover all of it, especially trying to pay for medications and wound care. All the medical bills just go to collections because I can’t pay for them. Right now there is $20,000 that I will have to pay for myself.
I have stopped even thinking about our wedding because we don’t have money for it. I always dreamed of being a princess with a big winter wedding, but my dreams are just disintegrating before my eyes. We have postponed it another year due to my health issues still taking over our lives.
Thank god for student loans so I can continue to go to grad school.
but I am asking for support to help pay for our monthly bills and medical bills.
If anyone would like to donate anything we would gratefully accept.
thsnk you everyone for your support. Message me and I’ll reply ASAP.
I ended up with bleeding ulcers immediately post op. I couldn’t eat or drink and was dying. In September 2016 I was hospitalized on my 22nd birthday due to metabolic acidosis and deadly low potassium. I was given a picc line and started TPN. I was sent home after a week with home care nursing coming every day. I carried my backpack with 3L bag and pump to nursing school classes and clinicals. In October 2016 they surgically placed a g-tube into my remnant stomach. Over months I did feedings overnight and didn’t eat during the day and continued on nursing school. The tube had alot of issues with the ballon going into the muscle at least once a week, sending me to the ER. In January 2017 I had my gallbladder removed. Two days later my tube went into the muscle again and the residents couldn’t fix it, so they removed it. I was able to eat or drink enough for the time being. In May of 2017 I began vomiting and unable to tolerate food or drink. But I graduated nursing school and started working as a pediatric nurse in GI (I have a bond with it).
On my 12th EGD they discovered the suture of my bypass had come undone and cooled into my pouch. They removed it and I was able to eat again but not drink. I went to the infusion clinic twice a week for fluids, until I lost access even in my feet. Then in October 2017 they surgically placed a j-tube into the old jejunum. While in the hospital two days post op, I began vomiting every 5 min. My concerns were brushed off until the morning residents came and they rushed me to CT and found I had a volvulus. My jejunum twisted off and all the water they were running through my tube was back flowing into my old stomach all night with no where to go and was now the size of a volleyball. They called the attending and performed an emergency laparotomy. The surgeon said if they hadn’t found it within 2 hours it would have exploded and I would have died. I woke up and magically was able to drink again. He said he removed a ton of scar tissue that was twisting off nerves and he thinks that was causing my problems.
Since then I have been dealing with chronic abdominal pain, seeing a pain management dr and they said I probably still had tons of scar tissue causing me pain. I tried three spinal injections but none worked. She then said I could try getting a panniculectomy to remove the tissue or spinal surgery.
So August 3 of 2018 I had a panniculectomy with a vertical component and muscle repair where they removed 12 pounds of skin. I had to stay in the hospital a few extra days due to pain management, then sent home. I was doing OK until the apex of my incision started leaking fluid even though I had 3 drains. They told me it’s better out than in but at 3 weeks post op the incision ripped open. The hole about the length of a middle finger, and as deep as a pinky finger. They had me do my own dressing changes twice a day with saline soaked gauze. Due to no improvement on September 11 I began seeing a wound care clinic where they placed on a wound vac. I saw them every MWF.
On Friday September 21st the foam packing was cut to large and placed over part of my skin. On Monday the 24th they discovered a patch of necrotic (dead) skin. They did a debridement which created a second full thickness wound right above the original. The culture showed its an extremely multi-drug resistant bacteria only sensitive to levaquin. Which I’ve been on for 8 days so far. I go every other day now including weekends for dressing changes because I can no longer use the wound vac while it’s infected. It’s also combined into one huge wound now.
Unfortunately it is still infected, but it is less necrotic. By Tuesday on my third debridement if it is not cleared, I’m being referred to infectious disease. I could lose my job, or at least I’m not able to work. we won’t be able to live if I am let go or can’t go back to work. I’m in extreme pain despite being on meds, were pushing our wedding back another year despite being together for 11 years this year, we can’t afford it, and I don t have time to plan it because of all of this.
I’m in grad school, and I spend my life at the hospital. It’s crap. I just want it all to go away and be done. After all this, no dr will yet admit fault. In fact the wound care dr is blaming me. I don’t think so, when I haven’t even touch that skin since seeing them.
I’m so broken over everything.
i am out of work, with bills to pay. In the last two years I’ve had over $900,000 in medical bills, and insurance does not cover all of it, especially trying to pay for medications and wound care. All the medical bills just go to collections because I can’t pay for them. Right now there is $20,000 that I will have to pay for myself.
I have stopped even thinking about our wedding because we don’t have money for it. I always dreamed of being a princess with a big winter wedding, but my dreams are just disintegrating before my eyes. We have postponed it another year due to my health issues still taking over our lives.
Thank god for student loans so I can continue to go to grad school.
but I am asking for support to help pay for our monthly bills and medical bills.
If anyone would like to donate anything we would gratefully accept.
thsnk you everyone for your support. Message me and I’ll reply ASAP.
Organizador
Colleen McShane
Organizador
Franklin, WI
