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Surgeon: Dr. Jacques Himpens, Dendermonde, Belgium Most recent update: November 2005
by Chantal:
I have been on the heavy side most of my life, but during puberty I gained at an alarming rate. At my heaviest, I weighed 270 or more pounds. Being only 5'2", that's much too heavy. I have tried and failed lots of diets, diet changes and even the gym. I just don't have enough discipline to lose weight on my own. When I feel hungry, I eat. I just can't resist because I can pretty much always eat. So now I am hoping to get some help. I am hoping to get gastric bypass surgery. I know the risks involved and I know I will never be able to eat most of the things I like but I think I can get used to that. Just feeling full and knowing when I have had enough makes it worth the pain and grief. I just hope my health insurance covers it and I also hope my GP will give me a referral. That's mandatory in this country. I will keep this updated. February 20, 2004: I've visited my doctor. He didn't know much about the procedure. In fact, I had to explain it to him! But he wrote me a referral for the surgeon without much hassle. So now I am going to find out which surgeon I will go to. One step closer to being an official Loser! February 23, 2004: I called the St. Blasius hospital in Belgium and scheduled an intake with the surgeon; Dr. Himpens. On March 30th at 5 PM, I get to talk to him in person. Can't wait! April 1, 2004: I was going to go last Tuesday but that appointment got cancelled. So I went today. And it went very well! I will have a Duodenal Switch on May 13, 2004. Now I only have to ask permission from my insurer but I'm positive that will not be a problem. Only 6 more weeks... April 29, 2004: I finally got approved! They made a mistake first, thinking I was applying for a lap band. But today, only 2 weeks pre-op, I received a phone call telling me it's been approved. On Thursday May 13th 2004, I will get a Lap DS done by Dr. Jacques Himpens at the St Blasius hospital in Dendermonde, Belgium. July 6, 2004: Okay, so here is what happened over the past 2 months…. On May 12th, my sister and I left for Belgium where I was to report to the St. Blasius hospital in Dendermonde at 7.30 AM the following morning. I was scheduled to get a laparoscopic duodenal switch, which as you might know is a weight loss surgery. After a long, sleep-deprived night, we arrived and I was escorted to my room. But unfortunately, after waiting the entire day, I was told my surgery was postponed to the next morning due to an emergency. So instead of the 13th, I received my DS on May 14th. Everything went well and I went home on the 19th. After a few days, I started to vomit air. Unlike most people, I am unable to belch and the air had to come out one way or another. There was a lot of air in my body, partially from the gas they pumped into my chest to make room for the laparoscopic instruments. It wasn't pleasant but luckily, nothing came out but air. Until May 23rd, when I suddenly started vomiting blood and lots of it. Of course I panicked but I managed to call the emergency number and asked for an ambulance. Less than 30 minutes later, I was in the ER of the local hospital. The people there treated me like a leper because I had been in a Belgian hospital and there was a chance I was carrying the MRSA bacteria. With all their swabs, gowns, masks and other precautions, they really made me feel they were more concerned about that stupid bacteria than my condition! A few hours later, I was taken to Dendermonde by ambulance. It was a long drive but the ambulance was comfortable enough. To my relief, the ER staff there was much friendlier and after yet another few hours, when my hemoglobin level had stabilized, I was taken to a temporary room until the room I was going to occupy was empty. I never did reach that room… I was feeling quite fine and was already joking around until I felt myself get nauseous again. My sister, who had spent the night at my house and had accompanied me to the hospital went to get some of those paper bowls and as soon as I held one under my chin, I stared vomiting blood again. The (male) nurse Tim, who was there in no time, ran to get the doctor who had seen me in the ER. When I stopped vomiting, Tim asked me how I felt. I told him it hurt and when I did, I also felt short of breath which I told him. I went into shock, started wheezing and gasping for breath so they made me lie back and immediately hurried me to the ICU where I received oxygen and got hooked up to a monitor. The rest is very blurry. I remember the doctor trying to take a look in my stomach but as soon as he tried to put the gastroscope down my throat, I started lurching and retching so they gave me a mild anesthesia. When I woke up, I had terrible pains in my lower abdomen but the doctors hadn't been able to fix the problem as all they had been able to see was blood but not where it came from. Yet another while later, when the pain killers had started to kick in, they put a central line in my neck and I got hooked up to what felt and looked like a gazillion IV's. Doctor Himpens, the surgeon who had performed the DS surgery, flew in from London (from what I hear he was there visiting his daughter) to operate on me. I was taken to the operation room around 8 PM and the surgery lasted 5 ½ hours. I turned out to have a tear at the very top of my stomach or rather right between my oesophagus and my stomach. I had lost half of my blood; it received 5 bags of blood and one bag of plasma…. I had almost died. The following days went by in a blur and I still don't remember much of my days in the ICU. After 4 days I was taken back to the ward. The first days there are full of gaps too but after about a week, I started feeling better. And looking better too, thankfully. I remember the first time I saw myself in the bathroom mirror, a day or two after being taken back to the ward. I was scared by the sight; I pretty much looked like a corpse. I had a thin, red line around my eyes but other than that my face had no colour whatsoever. Even my freckles seemed to have disappeared. It was a horrible sight but according to some people I was already looking better then. So I hate to think how I must have looked when I was in ICU! I wasn't allowed to drink anything which I hated but I was even more annoyed by the vomiting. During surgery and for about a day after, I had been intubated which had caused my lungs to produce huge amounts of mucilage. I didn't have the strength to cough it up and spit it out so I ended up swallowing most of it. Since my stomach was unable to digest it, it came out by vomiting. It only happened a few times a day but the episodes were quite overwhelming at times. I dreaded it and even dreamt about it which, on top of the nightmares I already had, made me quite distraught. But I slowly started feeling better and getting some colour back on my face. When I was in the hospital for about 10 days or so, my spirits came back too and I was able to joke around a bit again. I did request and get to talk to a psychologist though. She visited me in my room and it was good to talk about how I felt. Additionally, Tim (the male nurse who, by the way, is very cute and great at his job especially for a guy who's only 22 yet) took some time to talk to me when he came to tend to my operation wounds. I am still very grateful to him for that. Talking to somebody your own age can make a big difference! Anyway, 2 weeks after the ordeal I didn't vomit anymore and I was allowed to carefully start drinking again. It went quite okay but after a few days, I noticed a fair portion of the tea I drank ended up in my drain bag. When I told the doctor, I was immediately told to stop drinking. I was only allowed a small sip every now and then, when I needed to take medication for instance. I was told I would have to continue to be on a food pump at home which felt like a huge slap in the face. I was very depressed after that, it felt like a step in the wrong direction. I cried quite a bit that day. But I had come to terms with it the next day and by then I was focusing on the following Saturday as I was told I was probably going home then. And I was! After being hospitalised for 3 whole weeks, I was finally going home again. I had left with an almost empty sport case and went home with a big stack of cards and gifts. My family and friends had not forgotten me and spoiled me rotten. The first days back home were terrible. I was so depressed I even wished I had never called the emergency number. But now, 3 ½ weeks later, I am really on the mend. I am still weak, but getting stronger every day. I can eat liquid and soft foods now and don't need "babysitting" anymore. Sure, my mother and sister come by a few times a week because there are still many things I can't do myself but they come less and less which is good. My drain wound is almost dry and slowly closing. I will have my second check-up this Saturday. Who knows, maybe the tube in my belly (through which the liquid food entered my duodenum) will be removed then. Right now I only use it anymore to make sure I get enough fluids. I can eat enough so the liquid food isn't needed anymore. But since there was still a tiny hole in my stomach, I am not allowed to drink much as of yet. So I am using the food pump to give myself 2 liters of water a day which works like a charm. So…that's basically the story. I'm sure I forgot to tell some things but so much has happened, that's hardly a surprise. But before I end I would like to say that what happened to me is very unique. Doc Himpens hadn't seen this before and he has performed a few thousand weight loss surgeries. Nobody knows what caused my complication but our best guess is there must have been a massive build-up of gas. We do know for sure nobody made a mistake. It was not caused by the surgery and it also wasn't something I ate (I hardly ate anything then). If you are reading this and are up for a DS or know somebody who is, don't let my story scare you. Again, this was a very unique case! P.S. So far I lost 35 Lbs! August 16, 2004: I am doing great. I lost 50 pounds so far and I am slowly returning to work. I can walk better, faster and further than before my surgery. And I just feel a heck of a lot better. Prettier, if you will. I discovered I actually have a neck and my clothes are becoming pretty baggy so I have already bought some new dons for the fall and winter. I am so happy I had my DS! September 26, 2004: I am doing better and better. I now lost about 67 pounds. Updated my pictures too. What a difference! I am really getting to know myself. I am discovering my clothing style and I even got a tattoo on my ankle. Went to my first concert (Bryan Adams) in 7 1/2 years the other day and I am saving loads of money on clothes! Couldn't be happier. January 12, 2005: Still going strong. I lost over 100 pounds so far and my BMI has dropped to 28.9. I'm seeing a plastic surgeon next week to discuss the possibilities for removing excess skin and lifting my bosom. February 17, 2005: I am most definitely on a plateau. I have gained some weight and haven't really lost any for 2 months now. But being just 9 1/2 months post-op, my window is still wide open. I am pretty frustrated though and I can't wait to see the numbers drop again. My goal is 117 pounds at the most. That means I still have 50 pounds to go. If only I'd get going again, you know? My tummy tuck request has been denied so I'm going against that. Still haven't heard about the arm, breast and thigh lift. Oh well...time will tell if I'll get my wishes. Sure could use some perking up though.
My hairloss has stopped. It's been really bad. To get some volume back, I cut my hair short after wearing it long for 14 years or so. It's been short for a couple of months now and I just can't get used to it. But it does look better than my frizzy perm. With my new hairdo and the upcoming corrections, I will soon be a whole new person. I wonder who she'll be....
On September 10th, I got quite a scare. During the day I developed a terrible pain in my stomach. It simply would not subside so after a few hours, I rang Christine for advice. She asked me to have someone come over so I wouldn't be by myself. I should take some pain medication and call back if the pain continued. So I asked my sister, who lives closest to me, to come and took two painkillers. Even before my sister arrived, I had thrown up the entire contents of my stomach including the meds and if anything I felt worse. I waited some and then called Christine again who told me to go to a hospital. Preferably Dendermonde but as I had no means of getting there as taking the train was not an option, the local ER would do too. So we went to the ER and after waiting for hours and hours, I was admitted to the hospital after I had thrown up some blood and had some tests done. On Tuesday, I finally got the gastric examination they said I'd get. And they did find something wrong; there was a piece of suture material stuck in my duodenum and there were laesions all over the surrounding tissue. They couldn't get it out then and there but the cause of my problems was found. I was released and told to go see doctor Himpens the next day. I did and he ordered for another gastric examination with the goal of removing the foreign object. I had eaten that day so it couldn't be done that day (as I was going to be asleep during the procedure) but on September 23rd, it was removed and it has not bothered me since. After that, the big countdown began as October 24 was a huge day for me. One of my biggest dreams was about to come true: I was going to get a abdominal plasty. And not just that. I had not lost enough weight to say farewell to obesity. My BMI kept roaming the 30-area and it caused a lot of sadness in me. I had been losing weight for 8 or 9 months but after that it simply stopped. First I gained over 10 pounds within a very short time and I spent the folliwing 9 or 10 months battling to get them off. I only managed to get rid of a few pounds. After talking to doctor Himpens, he said shortening my common channel would be a way to lose a bit more weight. The first time we discussed it was in May and when I visited again in October, he was still willing to do it. My channel was 100 cm which for my height was too long anyway. When he learned I was to be admitted for the tummy tuck the next week, he inserted me into his schedule and arranged with doctor Camber that he would do a laparoscopy on me first and that I'd get the tummy tuck directly after. And that's what happened. On October 24, just 2 days before my 27th birthday, my common channel was shortened to 75 cm and my sogging belly was changed into a flat, tight tummy. The recovery was very demanding but I'm very happy. Not only have 3 pounds been taken from my abdomen, I have lost several pounds since the surgery as well! My BMI is still in the overweight category and maybe it will always stay there but I have come a lot closer to having a normal, healthy weight. My window is still open so who knows, I might achieve a healthy weight some day after all. We'll see... |
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I'm Chantal, a 26 year old single gal from a wee country called The Netherlands. I live on my own with 2 wonderful cats. Cats are my greatest passion, even though I am somewhat allergic to them. I also enjoy making postcards. I am a member of a group called Postcard Fairies. It's a large group of people from all over the world who send each other snail mail. Mainly postcards but people will exchange bigger things as well. I love music and have a pretty eclectic taste. I will listen to pop, rock, reggae, country, classical, Dutch pop, new age/celtic, you name it. So pretty much anything from Vivaldi to The Rasmus! I am very close to my mother, sister and brother. We have been through a lot together and have grown very close over the past 11 years.
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