Please Help Steph With Her Revision Surgery

Hello everyone! We are here on behalf of our dear friend Stephanie. A large group of us in the bariatric community have had amazing privilege to know Stephanie and have her positivity permeate our lives. Bariatric surgery has changed so many lives for the better, and very little of us ever know complications from it.

Our dear Steph has had complications from day one. She has endured a revision surgery that failed. She is now given her last and final option to begin to heal and live a joyful life.

This final option is another surgery. Without revision surgery she will be unable to live a life without starvation, malnutrition, and constant pain. This is not a cosmetic surgery. This is not even weight loss surgery anymore. This is a surgery that will help Steph be able to eat anything every day, to live without pain, and without extensive medications to barely function.

Steph’s insurance has denied this very important surgery. This surgery is absolutely necessary, and we who have taken so much inspiration and love from Steph are now desperate to see her heal.

Even the smallest amount can help. If you can’t donate, please share, and leave comments of support and love.

Thank you all so much!

Read Stephanie’s story in her own words here:

"Where it all began OCT 5th 2021:

Hello, I’m Stephanie, and this is my story. I chose to have wls because I suffered from gastroparesis, which required daily antibiotics/steroids that caused weight gain. Gastroparesis is the paralysis of the fundus of your stomach and damage to the vagus nerve that controls peristalsis in your gi tract like digestion. VSG is known to help cure/stimulate the vagus nerve and increase peristalsis. I tried multiple diets/pills/shots to get it off, but it just came back and then some. So I had wls, and I do not regret it even despite the complications.

At five weeks post-op, I had an impacted bowel. At ten weeks post-op, I found out I had a stricture (narrowing of my sleeve)/sliding hiatal hernia causing severe reflux because my sleeve was going up through my diaphragm and into my chest. At this point, I had survived 10-plus weeks of starvation, pain, vomiting, nausea and repetitive aspiration. Because of covid and supply chain shortages, it was a nightmare trying to get TPN.

My surgeon tried to put an NG tube in me in the office, and it went into my lungs, which got me a ride to the ER and admitted for eight days, put on TPN, a sleeve dilation, and a dophoff feeding tube. I survived an accidental overdose of tpn where I had complete amnesia for 8 hrs, and my blood sugar was 486. I thought I was going to die. I survived days and nights in the er in a bed in the hall. I survived many tests, procedures under general anesthesia and twilight sedation, picc line and feeding tubes. After six months of post-op complications, I still managed to remain positive and advocate for myself. I was not giving up.

After many doctors visits, trips to the hospital, nearly dying from a TPN overdose and fighting with my insurance for coverage, I was able to get a Ligament Teres Cardiopexy Hiatal Hernia Repair with sleeve dilation and anchoring revision surgery on April 18th, 2022 to repair my hiatal hernia, dilate my sleeve, pull it out of my chest/ close my diaphragm off. Unfortunately, this surgery didn’t do what my doctors and I had hoped, and complications began to arise once more four months later. (this first revision was brought to the board of bariatrics in both Wa and Florida. I also had second opinions prior to going for this).

I began having severe pain, nausea, vomiting, reflux, and aspiration all over again. My Barium swallow showed that my reflux was sitting in my esophagus above my stomach pouch before going back down. This was occurring whether I had eaten or not. I was so hopeful this revision would be a permanent fix, while also knowing that there was that percent chance I could be that 1 % that this procedure would end up needing a full RNY Bypass. My surgeon told me because of how complex my complications are, that there is a chance of failure, but we both were so hopeful.

I know bypass surgery is risky, especially for my situation. Per my surgeon, there is a chance I may need more surgery in 15 years. BUT this is my only option left. I have tried every medication and prior procedure to feel better from my post-op complications. Medication my insurance also refuses to cover. After many long conversations, my surgeon is confident this is the last surgery I will need. I trust him. He has stuck by me and advocated for me so much.

OCTOBER 4th 2022: I hit my one-year anniversary since my first surgery. Usually, people celebrate with photos or balloons, but I didn’t feel like celebrating. Instead, I sat at my surgeon's office talking with him and crying. I ended up leaving absolutely heartbroken. My current insurance denied my revision, and if I get new insurance, the doctor said they will deny it too because it's still considered bariatric surgery. The insurance will not approve it to be a medical surgery. I spoke with a bariatric insurance lawyer who informed me it can take eight months to a year to get it overturned, and that's a big maybe. I cannot wait that long.

I was being told I would have to endure a life of pain, nausea, vomiting, and an inability to eat/drink or appropriately nourish my body. That I will continue to worsen and end up right back where I was winter 2021 into 2022. My only option in order to have the surgery this November or December is to pay out of pocket: $14,527.87 (revision, anesthesia, fluoroscopy, bliss 3-month Complication ins). This isn’t including the facility fee, which can be another nine grand. Even as a nurse, I cannot afford that. My nightmare is starting all over again.

My surgeon has offered to do the surgery at his surgery center, so it will be cheaper than at the hospital. He put in infusion orders for banana bags as well as i.v fluids weekly to get me by. He has been with me through this every step of the way. Because of the complexity of my case and multiple surgeries, I cannot just go to Mexico for revision. I wish it was different because that would be so much cheaper. I absolutely hate asking for help when I am always used to being the one who gives. I am a nurse; I live my life to take care of others. Last year when I broke down and asked for help, I got bullied for it and made to feel ashamed. I was called names etc. I even deleted my Instagram and was so alone.

I came back because of the good ones in this community. I came back because my story matters, and it has since helped so many others in their struggles and for them to not feel alone. I am looking into loans right now and selling more of my belongings. This surgery is medically necessary. It's not for weight loss. It's for symptom and post-op complication cure.

In order to fight for my life, I have to try and come up with this money. So I can have a quality life complication and symptom-free. Thank you, everyone, for being here during the ups and downs. Thank you for not giving up on me. Because of your support and @Barination I am still here. And even though I may physically feel alone … I am not because I have this community.

I have been beaten down, but I haven’t given up; I will celebrate big when this is overcome.

I am trying to have my medically necessary second revision to cure my post-op complications and the severe symptoms that come with them. The available surgery dates are: Nov 21, Dec 2nd, Dec 7th 2022.

Thank you for all your love and support!"