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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
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Woman Says Tummy Tuck Turned Into Gastric Bypass

DALLAS (CN) - A surgeon gave a woman a second gastric bypass surgery instead of a tummy tuck, and now she has to "eat" through a port in her abdomen, she claims in court.

Rolanda Dickerson sued Dr. John H. Alexander and Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas County Court.

Dickerson claims that it was understood that she was to receive a tummy tuck in June 2009: that she had informed Alexander that she had had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 2006.

Nonetheless, she says, Alexander gave her a vertical sleeve gastric bypass and had to operate on her again in March 2010 to repair the damage.

She claims that as a result of the second surgery her condition deteriorated and she had to seek emergency surgery from another surgeon.

"It is medically inappropriate to perform a sleeve bypass surgery where a Roux-en-Y bypass has previously been performed," the complaint states. "Dr. Alexander's actions in performing this type of surgery on Ms. Dickerson constituted a breach of the medical standard of care."

Dickerson claims she has since been hospitalized several times and suffers painful digestive and medical issues on a near-weekly basis.

"Dickerson is unable to eat food and drink liquids in the normal way. Instead, she has had to have a port installed in her abdomen," the complaint states. "The port is attached by tubing to a backpack that she must carry with her at all times. ...

"A pump in the backpack periodically dispenses 'food' and water into Rolanda's abdomen for digestion. She is advised that she will likely have to maintain this feeding regime for the foreseeable future, and perhaps permanently."

Dickerson seeks damages for medical negligence and fraudulent concealment.

She is represented by Barrett Stetson of Dallas.

Follow @davejourno
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