tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post399875032012014930..comments2024-02-18T13:53:30.168-08:00Comments on Surgeonsblog: Pleasin' Squeezin'Sid Schwabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-84505074530745212562021-05-29T03:21:06.775-07:002021-05-29T03:21:06.775-07:00Dr. Schwab, the 4/18/12 commenter posted several s...Dr. Schwab, the 4/18/12 commenter posted several studies that indicate that hypersensitivity and also autoimmunity to the metal in surgical clips is real and yet you chose not to even look at it, it appears? When we know better we need to do better. Toothpaste used to be sold in lead tubes. Leeches used to be used to treat medical conditions. Why keep claiming metal is inert and that there are no people who are susceptible to adverse effects in the face of the growing body of evidence to the contrary? I am also one of those people in whom surgical clips were left without my consent. If they’d had the decency to ask about leaving foreign material in my body, I could have alerted them to my metal allergy. I am now faced with surgery that has been proclaimed “too risky” or this developing autoimmune condition. Dr. Vera Stejskal documented numerous cases where autoimmune illness that began after metals were left in a person was reversed after the metals were removed. Get with the program? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-9998733609104351412020-12-20T08:40:06.590-08:002020-12-20T08:40:06.590-08:00Nope. But I have six screws and a 4-inch plate in ...Nope. But I have six screws and a 4-inch plate in my ankle. Probably the equivalent of a couple hundred clips.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-73941769802378774572020-12-19T21:12:11.230-08:002020-12-19T21:12:11.230-08:00Sid, do you have any clips in your body?
MicheleSid, do you have any clips in your body? <br />MicheleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-87313757194186269952018-09-06T08:19:51.732-07:002018-09-06T08:19:51.732-07:00Ha. You're my new favorite commenter, Maria.Ha. You're my new favorite commenter, Maria.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-28849359494722497522018-09-06T07:46:34.098-07:002018-09-06T07:46:34.098-07:00Recently had a chest xray and showed clips 'pr...Recently had a chest xray and showed clips 'presumed from thyroid surgery' Yup, got it in one! I had that surgery 11 years ago. No troubles with any of them. Heck, thinking about it, I probably have tons rattling around in me from various surgeries over the years! I do have health issues but I can guarantee with them all none can be traced to the pesky clips. Causation is not correlation with the clips. <br />Btw Sid you have the patience of a saint and the droll humour of worn out surgeon. I dips me lid at ye. Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00483140712335480864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-43047603238846188172018-03-10T12:39:09.511-08:002018-03-10T12:39:09.511-08:00I chose not to download an unknown file. Can't...I chose not to download an unknown file. Can't trust anything, these days. If you'd care to share the content without requiring a download I'll have a look.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-57248139517628061512018-03-10T12:34:25.561-08:002018-03-10T12:34:25.561-08:00I came to your blog while wondering if clips used ...I came to your blog while wondering if clips used in my thyroidectomy four years ago might be migrating; I’ve started having a poking discomfort in my throat. Whatever my situation might reveal, the migration of surgical clips is a reality and clearly evidenced in trainings for imaging practitioners. <br /><br />http://pdf.posterng.netkey.at/download/index.php?module=get_pdf_by_id&poster_id=121607Dr.Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11247368811363826425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-72454226822914895622018-03-09T07:18:19.925-08:002018-03-09T07:18:19.925-08:00If you have stones in the bile ducts, these days t...If you have stones in the bile ducts, these days they can usually be removed without open surgery; i.e., with a scope passed down the throat, stomach, and duodenum. Mild sedation is usually all it takes, with no incision. <br /><br />If you have surgical clips, it should be easy to determine. And if so, it'd also be easy to determine if you have contact allergy to them, using clips of the same material on your skin.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-66210999501467653602018-03-08T22:15:15.262-08:002018-03-08T22:15:15.262-08:00I too have pain from the clips used in gallbladder...I too have pain from the clips used in gallbladder removal. I have contact dermatitis = severe allergy to metals. All metals except 14k gold and Sterling silver. I know that from severe reaction to jewelry. Hospital was aware of this allergy as it is quoted many times in my file. I've been in pain since my gallbladder operation 27 years ago. Told over and over that the pain was caused by stones in the ducts and operation was too invasive. Admitted at one point 3 times in one year to the hospital with infection. Infection they figured was linked to my gall stone issues but could not find the source. I am just now figuring it out after 27 years that clamps were used in the operation and the very thing that I am highly allergic too is the root of my illness. FYI there are approximately 10% of the general population with allergies to metals known as contact dermatitis. I don't care how far in the body an object is.. if you're allergic you will react. I'm certainly not buying any garbage otherwise. I suffered the consequences of my documented allergy being completely ignored. I for one won't be suffering fools gladly. SM1965https://www.blogger.com/profile/06584180351361932637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-2245784483724415002017-09-21T17:41:05.786-07:002017-09-21T17:41:05.786-07:00As a patient with a severe metal allergy so much t...As a patient with a severe metal allergy so much that we reviewed it multiple before surgery. After severe pain and recovery taking 3 times longer than it should have and still being in pain 9 months later. Ending up in an ER in uncontrolable pain I find out surgeon left 3 to 4 surgical clips in my pelvis. I talk to my dermatologist and he says you need to find out whst they are and there is a high probability you are reacting to them and they are causing your pain. I contact surgeon and ask him if he could tell what type of surgical clips were used so my Dermatologist and I could check for surgical allergies. He denies using them and says "never ever". I consult another doctor and they do morw testing and my lower pelvis is inflammed. Now I am still no where and meeting a new doctor to see if they can be removed as Dermatologist says they should have nevet been used with your allergy. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-80559499953495159812016-09-01T18:47:11.582-07:002016-09-01T18:47:11.582-07:00I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, korah Kora...I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, korah Korah. I'm not in a position to know or suggest what's going on, other than to say, as I wrote here, that it's extremely unlikely to be related to surgical clips. First, they very rarely cause issues, if at all. Second, since your symptoms are on the left side and the clips are on the right (but near the middle), that makes it even less likely. <br /><br />It sounds as if you have doctors working on finding a solution. My best advice is to keep working with them till it's resolved. I wish you well.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-80900760237030586402016-09-01T14:28:56.191-07:002016-09-01T14:28:56.191-07:00I am a patient whose gall bladder was removed on 2...I am a patient whose gall bladder was removed on 2013, now, since then, whenever I bend my body down in a standing position, I feel extreme discomfort on my upper left abdomen area. I have to straighten up my body or it feels as though something will be permanently damaged in there. <br /><br />It is almost like I am pushing air out of whatever it is being pressed against it, and I straighten back up immediately. I have never tried to keep bent down because my instinct tells me not to. I do not know if this is somehow related to the clips found on one of the ultrasounds recently performed on my body. Along with X-Rays, Ct Scans, and all of it came back normal. Yet I don't know what this is, everyday activities scare me sometimes. Please help. It feels as though I am going to permanently hurt something every time it happens. I am really scared. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00927044544999632661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-90622660089126508582016-08-26T19:36:01.768-07:002016-08-26T19:36:01.768-07:00Various sorts of energy devices are used in surger...Various sorts of energy devices are used in surgery. Diathermy is mainly used for some forms of dissection and for coagulating small vessels, and not really for more sizeable structures. However other devices, such as the "harmonic scalpel" or a similar device called "ligasure" are capable of sealing comparatively larger vessels. There have been studies of using the ligasure device for the cystic duct and artery and it seems safe. I don't know of a specific reason why they aren't more routinely used; based on those studies I assume there must be some surgeons using it. I'd guess the main reasons are habit, and perhaps comparative cost of those devices vs clips. There are also absorbable surgical clips which are evidently equally as effective as metal ones. Again, I'm not sure why they're not more widely used. Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-11874041570475299492016-08-26T16:15:53.447-07:002016-08-26T16:15:53.447-07:00Im about to have a Lap Chole soon, and am fascinat...Im about to have a Lap Chole soon, and am fascinated by the You tube clips of the surgical procedure, Im almost wishing I could have an epidural and watch it on screen as my surgeon operates, but fear I would be telling him what to do!!. One you tube clip shows low wattage diathermy to loosen connective tissue around the cystic duct and artery before clipping the ducts prior to cutting (3 clips if I remember, two near the junction with the common bile duct, one to close the gallbladder, cut inbetween) <br /><br />Forgive the ignorance, but if diathermy is used to seal leaking blood vessels, could diathermy be used to seal in between the clips of the cystic duct/cystic artery before cutting? so in effect sealing the ends as well as clipping them?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-41737130467655621842016-04-12T10:39:37.601-07:002016-04-12T10:39:37.601-07:00Wow I came across this site looking for what type ...Wow I came across this site looking for what type of infections can be caused by a surgical clip, I have had three Felshie Clips used in my tubal ligation. All three clips are off and have migrated for over 4 years. I have that has caused me pain for three straight years in my right upper quadrant area.... only to have been missed 5 FIVE times by radiologist that read my scans saw nothing until I got a second opinion. A new radiologist found the clip in my right upper quadrant in all 5 images. <br /><br />My right rib hurts and burns, my back aches, my stomach hurts, I have nausea and pain that I can't describe. I find out that these clips are made of Titanium Silicone and now the manufacture has stated there is NICKEL in the silicone, most women are allergic to Nickel and there are a lot of people allergic to metals.<br /><br />I got a hold of one of these clips and a rash had exploded all over my body after taping the clip to my arm, just like the rash I have been battling for years that no one can figure out, I do not think this is a coincidence. The manufacture themselves said women can be allergic to these clips...so I would say yes some surgical clips can cause pain, extreme pain especially when they are supposed to be in a permanent location in the body and not migrating around and allergies can cause all types of symptoms. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-21330458230621420512016-03-30T19:03:19.907-07:002016-03-30T19:03:19.907-07:00Peek a Boo!
Thanks for the swift reply.
I agree i...Peek a Boo!<br /><br />Thanks for the swift reply.<br />I agree it's not clips. <br />It's just a very confusing situation along with being a bit scary.<br /><br />I'm not trying to play jailhouse lawyer/Doctor, I just like to be informed and in my years have learned that talking things out with others is usually a great way to learn and make decisions. <br /><br />Yes, I am considering getting a general surgeon consult about this as well as a visit to an immunologist. <br /><br />Even if it is suture related I'm baffled at why they are so far from incision. <br /><br />Things that make me go hmmmm ....<br /><br />Happy Cutting to you and thanks for the reply and suggestion! <br /><br />🙃Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-38344118120875802342016-03-30T16:47:18.227-07:002016-03-30T16:47:18.227-07:00I can only offer very general thoughts, Teresa, si...I can only offer very general thoughts, Teresa, since I don't have the opportunity to have a look. I'd say it's highly unlikely there are clips involved in the wound closure; usually they're used to clip off vessels of one sort or another. And I have no basis for commenting on the auto immune issue regarding sutures. I've operated on lots of folks over the years with various a.i. disorders, but have never heard of or seen problems regarding special propensity to attack suture material. (I did have one case, about which I wrote on my blog, where I operated on a fellow surgeon who turned out to be allergic to catgut suture, but that wasn't an auto-immune situation.)<br /><br />Unless there's specific evidence of infection of the deep sutures, it doesn't sound like removing them is the right thing to do and I'd doubt that the sutures, per se, were the cause of pain. However, from so far away from the situation anything I say or conclude is pretty much a wild guess. Your surgeon is the best source, and if she has doubts about what to do, getting another opinion from a surgeon (I'd suggest a general surgeon) who'd have access to all the relevant info and could examine the incision area would be a consideration.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-6065070713457316992016-03-30T15:37:45.293-07:002016-03-30T15:37:45.293-07:00Greetings and Salutations!
Great reading here!
I ...Greetings and Salutations!<br /><br />Great reading here!<br />I came across this page while trying to learn about a possible infection I am having with what I understand to be dissolvable internal sutures after a vertical ab hysterectomy. <br /><br />The pain is insane! <br /><br />I have several auto immune disorders; my question relates to the possibility of infection of these sutures due to being autoimmune. <br /><br />I do not feel they are the dominately discussed clips mentioned here but unsure.<br /><br />The pain is to the right of the incision and when I walk even a little or do much movement, what looks like welts appear. This is what the GYN surgeon said would be the internal sutures.<br /><br />Having auto immune disorders would staying on antiBs and letting the remaining 8 weeks for these to dissolve be the best treatment or, remove them due to my disorder as my body will continue to attack? <br /><br />I am 5 weeks post op and GYN surgeon isn't sure of best next steps other than letting the sutures dissolve as expected. <br /><br />Since the issue is to the right of my incision, it makes me wonder - suture or clip.<br />I only ask that as my body fights everything being AI.<br /><br />I did have one of the sutures start to spit after two weeks in an entirely different area. Protruding from the actual incision. <br />She snipped the part showing & all has been well there since. <br /><br />My incision did open up day after staples were removed yet the " welt " marks I mentioned were very visible prior to the opening so I don't feel that is a possible cause.<br /><br />I actually WANT to go back to work but not with this pain. <br /><br />Thoughts Sir?<br /><br />Thank you,<br /><br />TeresaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-70016528211811943782015-11-16T18:30:16.734-08:002015-11-16T18:30:16.734-08:00Well, as the person whose blog this is, I sorta do...Well, as the person whose blog this is, I sorta do: you could upload it to a photo site and provide a URL link to that site. However, since I don't think it'd show anything but what you've already described, I don't think it'll add much to the conversation. But if you want to go to the trouble, I'll post your comment with the link.<br /><br />Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-33600824938274115052015-11-16T18:21:58.355-08:002015-11-16T18:21:58.355-08:00I have had 4 cervical fusions and there's over...I have had 4 cervical fusions and there's over 50 clips in my neck.. Just saw them on X-ray. The surgeries go from 2007 till Jan 2015. I don't like the fact there is this many in my throat area.. Would love to post a picture of X-ray on here.. Anyone know how?Ricknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-70683902471701452922015-09-05T21:21:04.002-07:002015-09-05T21:21:04.002-07:00I don't know on what basis it could be conclud...I don't know on what basis it could be concluded the clip "came loose" and "migrated." Under the liver is where the gallbladder resided and where the clips would have been applied. The likelihood is that it's where it's always been. And as I've said over and again, I know of no way clips would be responsible for your symptoms. Anything's possible, I guess; all I can say is what I know from experience and from the fact that clips are placed in various locations in various operations literally hundreds of times/day. Maybe thousands. If they were a cause of problems one would think it'd have become evident long since.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1937363409411649672015-09-05T18:33:48.021-07:002015-09-05T18:33:48.021-07:00I had gallbadder surgery about 7 years ago. For th...<br />I had gallbadder surgery about 7 years ago. For the past 4 years I've had such bad pain in my right side under my ribs, which radiates to the back that I've had lots of tests and multiple nerve blocks. One tests showed that part of the head of my Pancreas has been replaced by fat, and I was referred for an ERCP, but the manometry was normal, so they didn't do the sphincterotomy. I've been hospitalized 2 times with chest pain, nausea, and vomiting so bad they did a heart cath, but it was normal. This past week the pain became unbearable again, so the family doctor did a regular X-ray, and found that a clip had come loose from my gallbadder surgery and migrated to underneath my liver. He referred me to a surgeon, who told me that none of my chest pain and side pain was coming from that clip. It seems odd that the clip is right over where the most intense pain is located. The only abnormal lab work is an elevated alkaline phosphatase. Isn't it possible that while it was migrating to its current location under my liver that it could have caused damage to my bile duct, which in turn caused the damage to my pancreas. I was told that this test means there could be damage to the bile duct. It seems odd that I didn't have that damage when the gallbladder surgery was done.retiringsoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11660757701831393589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-60324073122724895102015-08-13T08:24:59.065-07:002015-08-13T08:24:59.065-07:00You raise important issues, Julie, and I might not...You raise important issues, Julie, and I might not be the best person to give an impartial answer. I have, after all, written this: <br /><br />http://sidschwab.blogspot.com/2008/12/ay-yi-robot.html<br /><br />My opinion has evolved to the point of recognizing that robotic surgery is, assuming the attaining of proper skills, easier for the surgeon in some ways in some operations than "regular" laparoscopic surgery. But it's still the case that studies have shown no difference in outcomes for patients other than significantly increased costs for robotic surgery. I still think that in many cases, it's about attracting patients. Admittedly, though, in my practice, from which I retired in the early days of robotics, I didn't use them.<br /><br />And I'd say that most hospitals require pretty rigorous training and then supervision on several cases before turning a surgeon entirely loose on patients. Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-55974538682897086132015-08-13T07:55:51.653-07:002015-08-13T07:55:51.653-07:00I had a robotic removal for a partial hysterectomy...I had a robotic removal for a partial hysterectomy and it was the most painful recovery ever. It took 9 months for the incision sites to not hurt. Later the doctor who is a good surgeon and person in my opinion explained he had only been doing robotic surgeries for 4 days with no real training. I have had subsequent surgeries and I have declined the robot and the doctor will still do it. I would just ask a lot of questions about robotic surgery. How long have they been doing it? We're they provided an extensive training or were they self taught. My friends who have had success with robotic surgeries had doctors with extensive training in it. The also worked as a team with a second doctor who could tell them if the robotic at a were lined up correctly. I think robotic surgery is okay but requires this type of dialogue that I wish I had with my surgeon. Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10335015322185184912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-70350231042759347212015-08-05T15:01:48.446-07:002015-08-05T15:01:48.446-07:00Mr Sims,
I can't offer much help as to what t...Mr Sims,<br /><br />I can't offer much help as to what the clips are made of; but I'm surprised at the reluctance of the docs in Germany to have your wife undergo MRI. It's been well-established that, except for aneurysm clips in the brain, there's no reason for concern. Even more so when they've been there for so long. There are some questions about clips placed into the intestinal tract using endoscopes, but that doesn't apply to her.<br /><br />http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2488678<br /><br />http://www.uwmedicine.org/health-library/Pages/abdominal-mri.aspx<br /><br />http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/articles/hemostatic-clips-and-mri-proceduressome-are-safe-some-may-not-be<br />Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.com