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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

A Kick In The Teeth

I'm sorry I still don't have the April Secret Pal revelations ready. I'll try to have it ready soon.

I've made an awful discovery. In anticipation of my appointments with the RE over the next couple of weeks, I called the office of the surgeon who performed my surgery 3 years ago to request the medical records so I could carry those with me to the appointments. For those who don't know, I went in for a routine gallbladder removal 3 years ago, only to have the surgeon find an enormous cyst on my right ovary. They removed more than 2 litres of fluid from the cyst before removing it from my ovary. After the surgery, I told the surgeon The Hubs and I were trying to start a family and asked if the surgery would have a negative impact on our fertility. He told me it should have no effect on our TTC, that he had only removed a cyst.

After receiving the medical records yesterday (one of the perks of working at a hospital is that doctors' offices will go ahead and send you medical records without having to wait), I was reviewing them out of interest when I came across this paragraph in the surgical pathology report "Specimen consists of a 62.2 gram previously sectioned cystic mass, 10.5 x 9.3 x 5.0 cm. The external surface is smooth and gray-tan. The interior lining is gray pink and smooth without papillatory excrescences. The wall vaires from 0.1 to 0.3 cm in greatest dimension. There is a 4.4 cm in greatest dimension fallopian tube terminating with fimbria."

Wait a minute. What the heck?!?!

Yes, you, like I, read that right. It seems that, in removing the giant cyst, the surgeon also removed my right fallopian tube! And more importantly, never thought it important enough to tell me this!

I feel devestated and hollow inside. I know it's not impossible for us to conceive with only one fallopian tube, but I also know it makes it a lot more difficult! Particularly when you add my PCOS into the mix.

And I think the worst part is that I feel violated by someone I trusted. This surgeon is the same one who cared for my Dad for 10 weeks 4 years ago when we thought he was going to die. He has felt like part of our family since that time. And, yet, he lied to me. He didn't just fail to impart a pivotal bit of information to me - he actively lied to me when I asked him about any potential negative effect on our infertility! It is like a punch in the gut. And I feel like the last almost two years of treatment with my GYN have been wasted, both in time and monetary value.

The Hubs and I have talked and have decided we will wait and see what the RE has to say about the situation when we see him. I'm hoping he will suggest an HSG so that we can determine if the other tube is open and also see if there is any damage to my uterus or ovary. If there is any damage, I hate to say it, but I feel we will seriously have to look at whether it is sensible to bring a malpractice suit against the surgeon. Not because I lost the tube (although I do feel the fact I wasn't informed of this constitutes malpractice), but if there is other damage, I can't just let it pass.

For now, I'm going to hope there is no more damage to my reproductive system and that we can put this mess behind us and move onto the next treatment. I'm trying to take some breathing time to process, but right now it feels like too much to bear.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a thing to 'forget' to tell someone!!! But what valuable info to have. ((HUGS))

Susie said...

No way!!!! This is outrageous. Impossible! You sound like you're really handling it well, with a level head, which is probably smart. I would be so angry. I'm sorry this has happened. Hang in there!

Kristin said...

Oh Lynn, I am so very sorry. What a horrible revelation to have at this point in your journey. Lots of {{{hugs}}} and love and prayers coming your way.

NatalieLucy said...

Wow Lynn I'm sorry to hear the bad news. You should definitely think about a malpractice suit that's just insane to not inform you of the work they have done. I can't imagine how you feel right now, I would be so hurt and angry. I hope there isn't any damage done!!

Niki said...

Wow. I am sorry you have to deal with this. What that surgeon did was down right wrong. You are taking it pretty well, I understand you want to wait to see what the RE says but maybe you should call the guy and ask why he felt he needed to take it and why he didn't tell you. I hope your RE has good news for you and does the HSG test.
{{HUGS}}

Suzy, Not a Fertile Myrtle said...

Oh Lynn, that is just awful! I am so sorry. I hope you get some good news from the RE.

Life Happens said...

Wow, I can't believe he didn't even tell you!! I hope that the RE is able to have good news for you. Praying for you guys.

Do I Have to Be a D.I.N.K.? said...

Wow - that is crazy. I don't blame you for being upset with your doctor. They are usually someone we trust without question. Hopefully your RE will have a good game plan.

http://doihavetobeadink.blogspot.com/

Kelli said...

What in the world? Oh, Lynn, that is one of the craziest things ever! I don't think that I could be as calm as you seem to be right now...it would make me want to fight! :) (Of course, my temper gets me in trouble more often than not, so you might not want to take a page out of my book.)

I sincerly hope that you get good news from the RE...as always, you are in my prayers. But regardless of what he says, I'm of the opinion that the other surgeon should be held accountable in some way. You were right when you said that he LIED to you...and that is NOT acceptable!

Hope you find the answers that you need in both situations, my friend. Lots of hugs!

Mother Knows Best Reviews said...

I am just so sorry. I am sending you love - what a thing to find out. I hope the RE has great news, sweetie.

Anonymous said...

As I was reading this, my heart sank to the floor. How, Why ? I just don't understand how someone could just not tell you something that!

I hope your RE appt. goes well and you can get some answers. (((HUGS)))

PS/ I am little late in sending something to you, so please look in the mail :)

Deb said...

Wow. Hang in there and I hope that the RE appointment goes well.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to interject, but can I ask:- could you get a medical person to look at that again?
I just ask because it seems to be there's room for interpretation, that he's just describing the appearance of the tube (if it's the surgeon's description and not the pathologist's, which I'm not sure of).
Obviously I'm not sure but it might be worth checking. If the surgeon did remove your tube, what a violation of trust. That is numerous kinds of not ok.

Lynn said...

To Anonymous,

It is in the pathologist's report. The pathologist describes finding the tube. There is nothing in the surgeon's report about removing it. That was where my question lay. Since I work in a hospital, I had the pathologist here look at the report and she said it definitely states the tube was part of the cyst he removed. I'm still hopeful it was a mistake on the pathology report and that an HSG will show everything is okay, but I fear I'm wishful thinking there.

Annie said...

That's horrifying! One more reason we should all demand copies of our medical records.
I also had an enormous cyst on my right side and my tube was stretched and badly damaged by being wrapped around it. Maybe that's why he removed it? I don't see why he wouldn't have told you, though. I'm not a litigious person, but if in fact the surgeon lied to you about removing your tube and made an inaccurate surgical report he really should be held accountable.

Justine L said...

I can't believe that someone would DO something like that. I agree ... he should be held accountable.

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