Former MLB player claims surgery ruined his career

Former MLB player, Bobby Jenks, claims surgery ruined his career.

Jenks says his doctor performed a "concurrent" surgery on him at the time.

Fox 4 explored what those surgeries are and if they're happening in SWFL.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU FOUNDOUT YOUR DOCTOR WAS OPERATING ONYOU AND *ANOTHER PATIENT AT THESAME TIMIN THE MEDICAL FIELD -- THE NAMEFOR THOSE KINDS OF PROCEDURES IS"CONCURRENT SURGERIES."I TEAMED UP WITH FOX 4’SROCHELLE ALLEYNE -- TO FIND OUTIF THOSE SURGERIES ARE HAPPENINGIN HOSPITALS HERE IN SOUTHWESTFLORIDA.OUR SPECIAL REPORT ALSO FEATURESFORMER M-L-B PLAYER BOBBY JENKS-- WHO SAYS A CONCURRENT SURGERENDED HIS CAREER.((baseball game sound effect infinal cut))A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL CAREERMARKED BY SO MANY HIGHS -((WIPE TO))((police car siren passing infinal cut))ENDING *AFTER TWO DEVASTATINGLOWS RIGHT HERE IN SOUTHWESTFLORID((Bobby Jenks//Former MLPlayer"I was probably up to 60+ pillsa day.

And on some days I was60+ pills a day.

And on somedays I was probably on the lowside.

At that point, I was fullon addicted to the painkillers."HEADLINES CAPTURING THE FIRST OFTHOSE INCIDENTS -- AFTER FORMERRED SOX PLAYER BOBBY JENKS WARRESTED BY THE LEE COUNTYSHERIFF’S OFFICE ON DUI CHARGESIN MARCH OF 20-12.THE ARREST REPORT SHOWS THJENKS WAS PULLED OVER ONCOLONIAL BOULEVARD -- WHILEHOPPED UP ON "MUSCLE RELAXERS."HE WAS DOWN IN FORT MYERS SPRINGTRAINING WITH THE SOX AT THETIME.((need time code))Jane Monreal: "When did you hitbottom?FOX 4’S JANE MONREAL SAT DOWN TOTALK WITH JENKS TO TALK ABOUTTHE INCIDENT -- AND LEARNED THATTHERE WAS A *SECOND INCIDENTTHAT HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER--THAT *MOST DON’T KNOW ABOUT.((Bobby Jenks//Former MLBPlayer"I had another blackout.

I htaken so many pills one nightand mixing ambien with them andI blacked out.

I woke up in myneighbors car with the policeand ambulance and paramedicsaround me."JENKS WAS RELEASED FROM THE REDSOX ROSTER FOLLOWING THOSE TWOINCIDENTS -- AND LATER CHECKEDINTO REHAB TO DEAL WITH HIS PIADDICTION.BUT TO UNDERSTAND *HOW HE GOTTHERE -- WE HAVE TO TAKE YOUBACK TO 2011 -- WHEN HE WASPITCHING FOR THE *WHITE SOX IN AGAME AGAINST THE YANKEES((Bobby Jenks//Former MLBPlayer))"One day in New York, I justwent into indescribable painafter one pitch that just.

Itjust crumbled me."JENKS SAYS HIS PILL HABITSTARTED RIGHT AFTER THAT INJURYTO HIS BACK.{transitio}((hospital sounds 2 in finalcut))AFTER MANY DOCTORS VISITS -- ITWAS DECIDED THAT SURGERY WOULDBE BOBBY’S BEST BET.THE PROCEDURE WAS SCHEDULED TOHAPPEN AT MASSACHUSETTS GENERALHOSPITAL -- AT THE END OF TH2011 SEASON.AND BY ALL ACCOUNTS -- IT WENTWELL.BOBBY SPENT SOME TIME RECOVERINGIN BOSTON -- AND THEN FLEW HOMETO ARIZONA.((Bobby Jenks//Former MLBPlayer))"After I got home, a few dayslater, I was sitting on my couchrecovering.

What felt like aglass of water being dumped onmy back.

Turned out to be thebottom of my incision openingand blowing out about a quarterof an inch on the bottom,spewing out spinal fluid."HE WAS RUSHED INTO EMERGENSURGERY.ACCORDING TO JENKS --THE SURGEONTHAT PERFORMED *THIS OPERATIONSAYS A MISTAKE FROM HIS FIRSTSURGERY CAUSED A TEAR IN THE SACAROUND HIS SPINE.((Bobby Jenks//Former MLBPlayer))"That’s what led to the spinalleakage.

And ultimately causingan infection that nearly took mylife."{stand u}Jane: "Jenks says, after diggingmore into what went wrong thefirst time around -- Jenkslearned that his doctor had beenpracticing something called’Concurrent surgeries.’"Rochelle: "According to theAmerican college of surgeons --it is more or less when yourdoctor is overseeing multiplesurgeries at the same time.The A-C-S goes on to say on itswebsite that the practice ofoperating on two patients in*two different operating roomsis "Inappropriate.((Bobby Jenks//Former MLBPlayer))"We found out what the hospitalin MA is practicing, whichdirectly led into my surgerygone wrong."{transitio}((Rochelle Alleyne//Fox 4Reporter"We wanted to know if concurrentsurgeries were happening here inSouthwest Florida.

So we madesome calls, starting right herewith Lee Health.

But they toldme concurrent surgeries don’thappen here."FOX 4 ALSO REACHED OUT TO NCH,TAMPA GENERAL AND JACKSONMEMORIAL IN MIAMI.NCH SAYS THEY DON’T PRACTICECONCURRENT SURGERIES -- BUT THEYDO PRACTICE OVERLAPPINGSURGERIES.

WHICH MEANS THESURGEON’S NEXT PATIENT IS BEINGPREPPED WHILE THEY ARE STILLWRAPPING UP ANOTHER PROCEDURE.JACKSON MEMORIAL DECLINED TOCOMMENT.AND WHEN CALLING TAMPA GENERAL-- I NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO ASKTHE QUESTION BEFORE THEYDECLINED TO PARTICIPATE IN THEPIECE.((Bobby Jenks//Former MLBPlayer))"Nothing you shouldn’t be ableto ask.

Especially for myself, Ihad a hard time.

A lot of it wasego.JENKS SAYS WHEN SCHEDULING APROCEDURE --PATIENTS SHOULD BEMADE AWARE OF WHETHER OR NOTTHEIR DOCTOR PRACTICESCONCURRENT SURGERIESIT’S A QUESTION HE SAYS HEWISHED HE’D ASKED BEFORE GOINGUNDER THE KNIFE.THE COMPLICATIONS FROM HIS FIRSTSURGERY -- ULTIMATELY LED HIMHAVING A THIRD SURGERY THATMEANT THE END OF HISPROFESSIONAL CAREE((Bobby Jenks//Former MLPlayer))"It took a lot to come to termswith everything I lost.

At thesame time becoming sober arealizing that What I still haveand what I can still do andbring to my family society andthe game, is just as importantto me."HE HAS SINCE SUED THAT FIRSTSURGEON.AND IS STARTING A NON-PROFIT TORAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THESETYPES OF SURGERIES((Bobby Jenks//Former MLBPlayer"It’s important foreverything that I’ve gonethrough and the impact thesurgeries had on me, my famiand my career, that I couldn’tsit back and let it continwhen I know it’s going on."IN LEE COUNTY, ROCHELLE ALLEYNE,FOX 4, IYC.WHILE BOBBY JENKS CLAIMS HEFOUND OUT ABOUT HIS CONCURRENTSURGERY DURING HIS LAWSUITAGAINST THAT ORIGINAL SURGEON --WE WANTED TO HEAR WHAT THEHOSPITAL HAD TO SAY.EARLIER THIS WEEK -- WE REACHEDOUT TO MASSACHUSETTS GENERALHOSPITAL TO SEE IF THEY HAD ARESPONSE TO OUR REPORTTHIS MORNING THEY SENT US THEFOLLOWING STATEMENT:"WE REMAIN CONFIDENT THAT DR.WOOD PROVIDED HIGH-QUALITY ANDAPPROPRIATE CARE TO MR. JENKS.FOLLOWING THE SURGERY, WHICH WASPERFORMED IN 2011, MR. JENKSUNFORTUNATELY DEVELOPEDWELL-KNOWN COMPLICATIONASSOCIATEDWITH THIS TYPE OF SURGERY, ANDTHIS ISSUE WAS SUBSEQUENTLYREPAIRED.

IT WAS AND REMAINSTHE HOSPITAL’S POSITION THATTHIS COMPLICATION WAS NOT THERESULT OF ANY ERROR BY DR. WOODIN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEWE ALSO WANT TO MAKE CLEAR THATOVERLAPPING SURGERY PLAYED NOROLE IN THIS CASE.

DR. WOODPERFORMED THE ENTIRE SURGICALPROCEDURE━ FROM THE POSITIONINGAND OPENING TO THE CLOSING OFTHE INCISION━ AND HE ACCOMPANIED MR. JENKSINTO RECOVERY FOLLOWING THEPROCEDURE.THE MGH AGREED THAT NEGOTIATINGA SETTLEMENT WAS THE MOSTPRUDENT OUTCOME FOR ALLCONCERNED GIVEN THE ATTENTION,DIFFICULTIES AND UNCERTAINTYTHAT SUCH A HIGH-PROFILE CASEWAS LIKELY TO GENERATEROCHELLE IS JOINING US LIVE INSTUDIO.

PATRICK..

YOU WERTHERE..

DO YOU REMEMBER THISCASE?***PAT AD LIBS****ROCHELLE -- YOU DID A LOT OFWORK WITH LOCAL HOSPITALS.

WHATWAS THAT PROCESS LIKE?IT WAS TRICKY TO GET SOMEHOSPITALS TO CONFIRM WHETHER ORNOT THEY DO CONCURRENT SURGERIESAT THEIR FACILITIES.I DEFINITELY GOT THE FEELINGTHAT IT IS A TABOO SUBJECT ITHE MEDICAL COMMUNITY.AND THAT MADE IT HARD FOR YOU TOGET PEOPLE TO TALK ON CAMERAIT REALLY DID.WE REACHED OUT TO LAWYERS,DOCTORS, HOSPITALS AND EVEN THEAMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.

WEGOT A LOT OF WRITTEN AND VERBARESPONSES -- BUT NO ONE WANTEDTO DO A FORMAL INTERVIEW ONCAMERA.ALRIGHT THANKS ROCHELLE.FOR MORE INFORMA