Nightmare Turned Miracle By Armetta C. Landrum

From Nightmare to Miracle: Surviving the Dangers of Medical Tourism; One Woman’s Incredible Weight Loss Journey  By Armetta Landrum





Intro:

Obesity continues to weigh in as one of the nation’s top health epidemics.  According to a 2014 study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults were considered obese and those numbers continue to grow.  The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. ranks in the billions.

Many of those who are over - weight suffer from numerous health problems such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, hypertension, arthritis and even cancer. Without major government and private intervention and a sea change in many Americans’ unhealthy eating habits, the adult obesity rate could reach 50 percent by 2030, according to one study.

My name is Armetta Landrum. I was born and reared in Cleveland, Ohio.  Growing up, I was an average sized kid that loved sports and started teaching aerobic classes at the age of  nine-teen for the local YMCA.  My weight problems really started to arise in my mid-thirties. As a radio news and traffic reporter, you learn to live life on the run, eating lots of what I like to call, “street cuisine”… hot-dogs, fast foods, chips, and soda.

At the age of forty-seven and tipping the scales at four hundred and twelve pounds, enough was enough.  I suffered with joint pain, pulmonary hypertension, stomach problems and a host of other medical conditions.  Desperate, frustrated and no health care insurance left me with few options to try and fix the weight problem.  I checked into medical tourism.

The CDC states, "Medical tourism" refers to traveling to another country for medical care. It's estimated that up to 750,000 US residents travel abroad for care each year. Many people who travel for care do so because treatment is much cheaper in another country. In addition, a large number of medical tourists are immigrants to the United States returning to their home country for care.

There are numerous risks including; communication among staff, doctors may reuse needles between patients, medication may be counterfeit or of poor quality in some countries and flying after surgery increases the risk for blood clots to name a few.

Before

After

In July of 2008, I flew to Juarez Mexico for a Lap Band.  There were no complications.  Many in the medical community had hoped that the Lap Band would be a viable option for those needing to lose weight.  There were no complications from the surgery.  Unfortunately, the Lap Band proved unsuccessful for many who were morbidly obese, including myself.  At the most, I lost 50 pounds which I ended up gaining most of the weight back.

Fast forward to 2011, I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer which required a total hysterectomy.  When I asked my doctor why I got this type of cancer, he looked at me and said, “It’s because you are overweight.”  Dr. Pedro Escobar, Gynecologic Oncologist for the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio went on to explain that obesity can cause an increase in estrogen levels in the body creating an environment for cancer to thrive.

In July 2012, I left C-Town, and moved to Detroit, Michigan looking for a fresh start with a local radio station and with the hopes of building an incredible life.  Regrettably, my weight problems followed and they were getting worse. 

In the fall of 2014, I discovered that my health insurance would not cover weight loss surgery; I figured it was time once again to head for the border to see what Mexico had to offer in terms affordable weight loss methods.  I was thrilled when I found a company operating out of San Diego California that offered gastric by-pass surgery in Tijuana for under $7-thousand dollars. I thought that was a bargain. It was better than trying to pay $15-thousand dollars and up here in U.S.

Deeply concerned, my primary doctor at the time, wanted me to talk with weight loss expert, Bariatric Surgeon/Gastroenterologist and author of the book, "A Pound of Cure", Dr. Matthew Weiner of West Bloomfield, Michigan before making any final decisions.  After reviewing my medical chart, Dr. Weiner was straight forward in explaining the complications I could possibly face if I were to leave the country for any type of weight loss operation.  He painted a horrible picture. That picture later became my reality and my two year nightmare. 

“Although medical tourism surgeons operate on lots of patients, they are only aware of the immediate complications.  The issues that arise weeks or even years later occur unbeknownst to them, preventing them from learning from their mistakes, and allowing them to continue performing the same techniques that create issues down the road,” stated Dr. Weiner

Despite his stern words and harsh warnings, I packed my bags in late August of 2014 and flew to San Diego where a driver picked me up by van and took me over the border to Tijuana.  He dropped me off in front of what looked a lot like a poorly renovated Taco Bell Restaurant; however, he assured me it was a legitimate clinic.

August the 24th, the day of the operation, I was wheeled into what looked like a cafeteria setting, not an operating room.  The first red flag should have been when the anesthesiologist walked in wearing a jogging suit.  She never changed into scrubs or anything that would suggest she was part of the medical staff.

After waking up from surgery, I was told by a doctor they could not complete the gastric bypass because of my various health problems.  “Here's what I think happened,” said Dr. Weiner, “During the surgery, they had difficulty maintaining your oxygen level because of your pulmonary hypertension (which was the reason I did not think it was safe for you to have surgery in the first place).  Because of this, they changed to a sleeve and rushed through the surgery and didn't properly staple your stomach.  The staple line leaked and you became septic.  While you were in a coma, the leaking stomach contents eroded into your colon, creating a connection (also known as a fistula),” he said.

The pain was increasing and I could not keep soft foods or liquids down.   The nights were especially bad because the staff understood very little English and I could not get much help. They just kept giving me Gatorade to drink.

I couldn’t take the pain anymore and knew it was time to get to a U.S. hospital.  However, the doctors kept insisting that I was okay and should make arrangements to fly back to Detroit.  By this time, it was starting to feel like a life or death situation.  I called a friend in Cleveland and explained the situation and told her if I didn’t get help soon, I was going to die.

She called Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego which was nearby and spoke with an International Services Representative who gave her instructions on how to proceed.  She stayed on the phone with the doctor to make sure that I got over the border and arrived safely.  There were concerns that I might not make it through the night.

In early September of 2014, doctors at Sharp Memorial decided to put me in a medically induced coma because I was getting worse.  At this point, I had numerous tubes coming out of my stomach. The tubes were extracting content out of my intestine in an effort to prevent the substance from entering my over-all system.  It is still unclear as to how long I was in a coma, but I remember finally coming to and it was somewhere around Thanksgiving or a little later. 

One of the questions I get asked often is, “What was it like being in a coma?” I had lots of strange and random dreams. And the answer is … nope … I didn’t meet Jesus and I didn’t stumble into the white light; however, I believe I felt the spirit of God reassuring me that I was not going to die.  However, hospital administrators beg to differ; They urged friends and family members to come to the facility to see me.  Maybe, for the last time.

To the best of my recollection, I woke up somewhere between late fall and early winter on life support and with a device in my throat unable to speak for several weeks.  During this time my immune system became very weak.  I also had a NG Tube in my nose that kept me alive, I was unable to eat or drink for nearly seven months.  I also had a bacterial infection called C.diff along with edema, pulmonary hypertension, high blood pressure, folliculitis, fainting spells and more. Not to mention the numerous procedures doctors performed on me to try and improve my overall condition.

By December 2014, I was able to talk with the help of a speaking valve.  One of my first calls was to Dr. Weiner.  With tears in my eyes, I told him he was right about the outcome of my surgery and that I was scared.  “I’m happy you are still alive,” he said. “I will take care of you when you get back to Michigan,” he added.

On January the 5th 2015, I was flown back to Detroit with a medical escort and visited Dr. Wiener the next day.  My eyes filled with tears because I was happy to see him.  I knew I was in good hands.  He immediately began to construct a plan to try and fix the leak in my stomach.

By the way, as the plane was landing, I received a text message from my place of employment telling me I no longer had a job. I was sick, broke and unemployed.

Dr. Weiner performed surgery on March 2nd at Huron Valley Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township Michigan.  It was a success.  “Your sleeve leaked and eroded into your colon, so everything that you ate went straight from your stomach to your colon, skipping all of your intestines, preventing you from being able to absorb any nutrition - definitely life threatening," he said.

"I removed the segment of colon and connected the part of the stomach that had eroded to the small intestine, similar, but not exactly like a gastric bypass,” said Dr. Weiner.  “Armetta should be able to make a full recovery; however, I do have concerns about the way her stomach/sleeve is connected to her intestines. She could develop chronic ulceration of the intestine which could require another surgery - It's unlikely to happen, but does raise concern,” he added. Following the operation, I had to wear an ileostomy bag which was later reversed.

“Medical tourism makes sense in some situations, but not in others (like yours).  Very simple, straight forward surgeries on healthy people usually go well, but complicated procedures should be performed locally.  Since your surgery, I've operated on another patient who had a sleeve complication after surgery in Mexico thankfully her surgery was not as complicated,” he added.

In late May 2015, after 9 long months, I was finally able to return to my apartment. All summer, I worked on reclaiming my life.  I was eager to get back to work and start living life once again.

I was feeling almost like myself (minus 100 plus pounds).  All of a sudden, I began to have severe pain in my back and my legs were getting weak. Several doctors thought I just needed more time to get strong during this recovery.  In December 2015, I fell down in my apartment and could not get up.  I had no feeling from the waist down.  I lost control over my bowels and my bladder. I called 911 and was taken to The Rehabilitation Center of Michigan (RIM Center) which is part of The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) in Detroit.

There, doctor’s discovered I had MRSA in my spinal and it was causing paralysis. The proper name for the condition is osteomyelitis.  Within hours of arriving at the hospital, doctors operated and removed several bones from my back to try and relieve some of the pressure.  I spent a couple of months in a wheelchair and eventually graduating to a walker. As of  Fall of 2016, I am still using a walker but able to take some steps on my own.  I am getting stronger every day and I’m expecting a 100% recovery.  Where did the MRSA come from?  It’s hard to say.  No one really knows for sure.

This past August, Dr. Weiner performed a hernia operation.  “The hernia operation was necessary because your abdominal wall had a hole in it.  Because you were so malnourished when I operated on you, your abdomen did not heal properly and a small hole formed,” he stated.

I am in the process of recovering and doing great. I wanted to share my story because I have in many ways dedicated my life to helping others. I am also a certified Water Aerobics Instructor and Health Events Planner.  I pray each and every one who is thinking about any kind of weight loss surgery will make the right decisions.  Don’t act out of haste or desperation. First, pray about it. Talk to your doctor and listen to what he or she has to say.  They will help steer you in the right direction. God bless you all!

And by the way, how much did that Mexican surgery end up costing?  It was somewhere around $1.9 million dollars and that’s just the bill from Sharp Memorial Hospital. The bills continue to pile up.

The big question.  How much weight have I lost?  Well, I am finally under 200 hundred pounds (barely) with about 30 more pounds to go.

Say a prayer for me.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at, landrumarmetta@gmail.com.

Check out News Video link below:
http://www.wxyz.com/news/one-local-womans-fight-to-get-better-after-a-near-death-experience

2014/2015  Hospital Photos

This  device would assist me in getting in and out of a wheelchair
at the RIM Center

Waking after coma in San Diego

Sharp Memorial Hospital at Christmas 

Seeing the light of day for the first time in more than four months in San Diego

....Thank you for the opportunity to comment and, more importantly, for the opportunity to be a part of your life and to share in your success.   You are an inspiration and I am proud of you for continuing to fight , despite your many setbacks, and for facing your past and making changes to improve your future....   I celebrate with you and am grateful for your new life every day. 

Laura Kern, RN, BSN, CBN

Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital

Bariatric Nurse Navigator

Phone 248.937.3732