Michigan Mother Fights Back From Life-Threatening Complications
For years, Jennifer Marshall had struggled to lose weight without long-term success. At 40 years old, the Michigan mom decided to have weight loss surgery, specifically a sleeve gastrectomy. While all seemingly went well, three months later she developed fever, nausea, vomiting and severe stomach pain. Thinking she had a kidney stone, Jennifer drove herself to MyMichigan Medical Center Tawas in Tawas City.
There, imaging revealed she had a serious abdominal perforation and infection, causing fluid to buildup in her abdomen. She underwent emergency surgery to clean out the infection and drain the fluid. Her condition quickly became critical, and she was intubated and transferred to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.
When she arrived, doctors discovered she had a hole in the wall of her stomach and a blood clot in her abdomen. In addition to treating her with antibiotics and blood thinners, doctors placed special tubes in her stomach to stop its contents from leaking into the abdominal cavity. Once her condition stabilized, she no longer needed a ventilator to breathe and was moved out of the intensive care unit (ICU).
In the weeks that followed, Jennifer experienced more complications. She needed surgery to repair a hole in her small intestine, returning her to the ICU. Unable to eat, she got her nutrition through an IV. She also had an open abdominal wound that required daily dressing changes and a wound vacuum, a medical device that uses suction to promote healing. Throughout her 71-day hospital stay, Jennifer remained critically ill.
More time to heal
Based on the recommendations of her care team, Jennifer transitioned to Select Specialty Hospital – Ann Arbor, a critical illness recovery hospital that specializes in treating medically complex patients. Shortly after she arrived, her physician-led multidisciplinary team developed a personalized treatment plan focused on her goal of returning home in time for son’s birthday.
“I was very weak, had a lot of drains and the abdominal wound was very large,” says Jennifer, remembering how she had a hard time caring for herself.
From the start, Jennifer received advanced wound care from specially trained nurses who provided daily dressing changes, managed her drainage systems and coordinated her medication regimen. As her wound gradually improved, she no longer needed the wound vacuum. Instead, she was fitted with a system that drained her small bowel leak into an ostomy bag, marking a key step in her recovery.
At the same time, Jennifer’s physical and occupational therapy teams immediately began working to rebuild her strength, range of motion and balance. Since she needed help at first to walk short distances, physical therapy focused on leg exercises to build her endurance while helping her move safely with her medical drains and ostomy bag. With each session, Jennifer grew stronger. By the time she was ready for discharge, she could climb stairs and ride a stationary bike independently.
Occupational therapy complemented this progress by helping her regain independence with daily self-care tasks such as washing and dressing while also supporting her adaption to living with an ostomy and promoting wound healing.
Back home
As Jennifer’s pain decreased, her motivation and self-confidence steadily increased. In just 30 days at Select Specialty Hospital, she had rebuilt her strength and learned how to manage her ostomy, IV nutrition and medications on her own.
“I’m feeling better, have less pain and a smaller wound,” Jennifer said.
Describing the staff as caring, Jennifer looked forward to a belated celebration – she missed her son’s birthday by one day – and seeing her dog again.
“I’ve been taught how to help myself so I can go home and continue to heal … I always knew I would make it home. I just needed more time to heal and to get stronger.”