Question:
I went to a local support meeting tonite.

I went to a support meeting tonite. The doctor that I am going to see specializes in Lap surgery. I was told by members that there is a greater chance of something going wrong such as leaks or too small stoma etc. Is this true? I will still have him do it as the reports I have read say he is good but wanted to know the answer to this.    — Carol H. (posted on March 10, 2003)

March 10, 2003
You will find as you travel thru this journey that everyone, without exception, think "their" surgery is the best, their surgeon was the best, if they had lap or open, it is the best way. on and on and on, their calcium, their iron,and so forth...Now, that is not necessarily a bad thing. You need to have faith in your surgeon and your choice of procedures, etc. Study all the options, ask questions, and be comfortable with "your" decision. There are NO bad options out there, if they were bad choices, they no longer exist for the most part.
   — Dana S.

March 10, 2003
Just like the previous poster said, you will get so many different opinions on everything. There are generally good and bad things to all these surgeries and how they are performed. I've heard leaks are greater with LAP, but I heard hernias are greater with open. Either way, it is a very small percentage. Trust in your surgeon and go in with confidence. There is risk to any surgery, but LAP you can usually heal faster. I had LAP and OPEN for 2 different surgeries- I'd much rather LAP, but that is my personal choice. Goodluck to you!
   — Lezlie Y.