Delano Regional Medical Center (Nick)

[Guest guest]

Hi Nick:

>

> By the way, you made some comments about Delano Regional Medical

> Center that I should have responded to in greater detail.

I think you're confusing me with someone else on this point.

I've never been to Delano Regional Medical Center, but I've looked at

their website, and they appear to be similar to my favorite hospital,

San Ramon Regional Medical Center, (SRRMC).

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/home/home.cfm> I've been hospitalized

at SRRMC three times, visited the emergency room once, and been cared

for by the wound/ostomy nurse there pretty much continuously over the

past nine months, plus my nephew was born there about twenty months

ago, so I'm pretty familiar with it.

SRRMC is about eleven years old, has 125 beds, big rooms that are

nicer than a lot of hotel rooms I've seen and many of which have very

nice views,

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/VirtualTour/VirtualTour_3.cfm> wide

hallways, brand-spanking-new top-notch equipment,

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/VirtualTour/VirtualTour_4.cfm>

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/VirtualTour/VirtualTour_5.cfm> kind

and friendly staff from patient registration to radiology to the lab

to the " transporters " who roll your bed from one department to

another, the best nursing staff I've ever heard of, a simply

fantastic birthing center,

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/VirtualTour/VirtualTour_7.cfm> lots

of free parking, and food that's equal to that of many restaurant

chains.

In short, I'm a BIG fan of smallish regional medical centers, and I

am fully aware of what great care they can provide. So, please re-

set your guillotine and go after somebody else's head on this one!

(;

Tom

[Guest guest]

Hi Nick:

>

> By the way, you made some comments about Delano Regional Medical

> Center that I should have responded to in greater detail.

I think you're confusing me with someone else on this point.

I've never been to Delano Regional Medical Center, but I've looked at

their website, and they appear to be similar to my favorite hospital,

San Ramon Regional Medical Center, (SRRMC).

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/home/home.cfm> I've been hospitalized

at SRRMC three times, visited the emergency room once, and been cared

for by the wound/ostomy nurse there pretty much continuously over the

past nine months, plus my nephew was born there about twenty months

ago, so I'm pretty familiar with it.

SRRMC is about eleven years old, has 125 beds, big rooms that are

nicer than a lot of hotel rooms I've seen and many of which have very

nice views,

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/VirtualTour/VirtualTour_3.cfm> wide

hallways, brand-spanking-new top-notch equipment,

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/VirtualTour/VirtualTour_4.cfm>

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/VirtualTour/VirtualTour_5.cfm> kind

and friendly staff from patient registration to radiology to the lab

to the " transporters " who roll your bed from one department to

another, the best nursing staff I've ever heard of, a simply

fantastic birthing center,

<http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/VirtualTour/VirtualTour_7.cfm> lots

of free parking, and food that's equal to that of many restaurant

chains.

In short, I'm a BIG fan of smallish regional medical centers, and I

am fully aware of what great care they can provide. So, please re-

set your guillotine and go after somebody else's head on this one!

(;

Tom

[Guest guest]

Delano Regional Medical Center (Nick)

> <http://www.sanramonmedctr.com/home/home.cfm> I've been hospitalized

> at SRRMC three times, visited the emergency room once, and been cared

> for by the wound/ostomy nurse there pretty much continuously over the

> past nine months,

Tom, you're scaring me...how much of the above visits to the hospital were

related to your DGB/DS??

alyssa

[Guest guest]

Hi Alyssa:

>

> > I've been hospitalized at SRRMC three times,

> > visited the emergency room once, and been cared

> > for by the wound/ostomy nurse there pretty much

> > continuously over the past nine months,

>

> Tom, you're scaring me...how much of the above

> visits to the hospital were related to your DGB/DS??

Um ... well ... not that many, really.

The first hospitalization was due to a wound infection after my

panniculectomy. (That took two minor surgeries and eight days in the

hospital to clear up.) This was my one hospitalization at SRRMC

prior to the DS.

After the DS...

The ER visit resulted in a preliminary diagnosis of a bladder

infection, and they sent me home with some antibiotic, (Cipro).

Later that week my labs from the ER visit came back, and it turned

out I had a rather nasty staph infection, so that was another six

days in the hospital plus four days at home on IV Vancomycin. The

thing about this one is, they never figured out where the infection

was coming from, i.e., where in my body it was centered, so I don't

know whether it was related to the DS, or if it was related to the

panniculectomy.

The DS was closer in time, but, to this day, I still have one tiny

little part of the panni incision that just can't seem to close up

completely, (it's about an inch long and only a couple of layers of

skin deep at this point), so the little buggers could have gotten in

through there as well.

The third hospitalization at SRRMC was due to a " c.dif. " infection,

i.e., " bad " intestinal floura. This was probably caused by the

Vancomycin they gave me to kill the staph infection that caused my

previous trip to the ER and hospitalization.

Most of the visits to the wound/ostomy nurse were due to the panni

infection and the rather large open wound I was left with

afterwards. A few followed the DS as well, but these were really

just precautionary.

I know that to some this sounds like an awful lot of complications,

but I actually consider myself to be quite lucky in that regard. I

didn't have too many horrible co-morbids, but a did have a few

factors that made my condition pretty risky:

Co-morbids:

-- sleep apnea (relatively mild)

-- reflux (also relatively mild)

-- joint pain all over

Other Bad Factors:

-- high starting BMI (64+);

-- I carry my weight almost entirely on my upper body, which

predisposes me for all kinds of heart problems;

-- very thick fat layer over the abdomen

I guess it's a matter of whether one sees the cup as half full or

half empty, as the saying goes. I figure it's at least half full,

because none of the problems I've experienced had anything to do with

the changes made to my insides -- no leaks, no blockages, no interior

infections, etc...

So, don't let my experience freak you out. I am, (and have been),

doing great!

Tom

Panniculectomy, Dr. Anthone, 11/10/2000

Open DS, Dr. Anthone, 03/30/2001

Goal: Lose 80% of Excess Weight

*******************************

* Starting Weight = 386 *

* " Ideal " Weight = 142 *

* =========================== *

* Total Excess Weight = 244 *

* 80% x Excess Weight = 201 *

* Goal Weight = 386-201 = 185 *

* =========================== *

* Total Needed to Lose = 201 *

* Loss To Date = 116 *

* =========================== *

* Remainder to Goal = 85 *

*******************************

Weight By Date:

11/10/2000 . . 386

03/30/2001 . . 360

04/19/2001 . . 338

05/03/2001 . . 328

05/18/2001 . . 316

06/03/2001 . . 301

06/15/2001 . . 299

06/25/2001 . . 293

07/03/2001 . . 286

07/16/2001 . . 278

07/23/2001 . . 276

07/30/2001 . . 275

08/06/2001 . . 272

08/13/2001 . . 270

USC DS Support Group: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ds_usc>

[Guest guest]

Tom, why did your doc do the panni before your DS?

And will you need another one?

I keep wishing that the doc will open me up to do the

DS and grab a few handfuls of fat while he's at it. I

mean, he's already in there, why not?

dee

--- tlarussa@... wrote:

>

>

> Hi Alyssa:

> >

> > > I've been hospitalized at SRRMC three times,

> > > visited the emergency room once, and been cared

> > > for by the wound/ostomy nurse there pretty much

> > > continuously over the past nine months,

> >

> > Tom, you're scaring me...how much of the above

> > visits to the hospital were related to your

> DGB/DS??

>

> Um ... well ... not that many, really.

>

> The first hospitalization was due to a wound

> infection after my

> panniculectomy. (That took two minor surgeries and

> eight days in the

> hospital to clear up.) This was my one

> hospitalization at SRRMC

> prior to the DS.

>

> After the DS...

>

> The ER visit resulted in a preliminary diagnosis of

> a bladder

> infection, and they sent me home with some

> antibiotic, (Cipro).

>

> Later that week my labs from the ER visit came back,

> and it turned

> out I had a rather nasty staph infection, so that

> was another six

> days in the hospital plus four days at home on IV

> Vancomycin. The

> thing about this one is, they never figured out

> where the infection

> was coming from, i.e., where in my body it was

> centered, so I don't

> know whether it was related to the DS, or if it was

> related to the

> panniculectomy.

>

> The DS was closer in time, but, to this day, I still

> have one tiny

> little part of the panni incision that just can't

> seem to close up

> completely, (it's about an inch long and only a

> couple of layers of

> skin deep at this point), so the little buggers

> could have gotten in

> through there as well.

>

> The third hospitalization at SRRMC was due to a

> " c.dif. " infection,

> i.e., " bad " intestinal floura. This was probably

> caused by the

> Vancomycin they gave me to kill the staph infection

> that caused my

> previous trip to the ER and hospitalization.

>

> Most of the visits to the wound/ostomy nurse were

> due to the panni

> infection and the rather large open wound I was left

> with

> afterwards. A few followed the DS as well, but

> these were really

> just precautionary.

>

> I know that to some this sounds like an awful lot of

> complications,

> but I actually consider myself to be quite lucky in

> that regard. I

> didn't have too many horrible co-morbids, but a did

> have a few

> factors that made my condition pretty risky:

>

> Co-morbids:

> -- sleep apnea (relatively mild)

> -- reflux (also relatively mild)

> -- joint pain all over

>

> Other Bad Factors:

> -- high starting BMI (64+);

> -- I carry my weight almost entirely on my upper

> body, which

> predisposes me for all kinds of heart problems;

> -- very thick fat layer over the abdomen

>

> I guess it's a matter of whether one sees the cup as

> half full or

> half empty, as the saying goes. I figure it's at

> least half full,

> because none of the problems I've experienced had

> anything to do with

> the changes made to my insides -- no leaks, no

> blockages, no interior

> infections, etc...

>

> So, don't let my experience freak you out. I am,

> (and have been),

> doing great!

>

> Tom

>

> Panniculectomy, Dr. Anthone, 11/10/2000

> Open DS, Dr. Anthone, 03/30/2001

> Goal: Lose 80% of Excess Weight

> *******************************

> * Starting Weight = 386 *

> * " Ideal " Weight = 142 *

> * =========================== *

> * Total Excess Weight = 244 *

> * 80% x Excess Weight = 201 *

> * Goal Weight = 386-201 = 185 *

> * =========================== *

> * Total Needed to Lose = 201 *

> * Loss To Date = 116 *

> * =========================== *

> * Remainder to Goal = 85 *

> *******************************

> Weight By Date:

> 11/10/2000 . . 386

> 03/30/2001 . . 360

> 04/19/2001 . . 338

> 05/03/2001 . . 328

> 05/18/2001 . . 316

> 06/03/2001 . . 301

> 06/15/2001 . . 299

> 06/25/2001 . . 293

> 07/03/2001 . . 286

> 07/16/2001 . . 278

> 07/23/2001 . . 276

> 07/30/2001 . . 275

> 08/06/2001 . . 272

> 08/13/2001 . . 270

> USC DS Support Group:

> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ds_usc>

>

>

>

>

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