Hellpppppppp!

Hey everyone! I only have 2 weeks and 4 days till I have my lap RNY! He said I may have to have it open, if I can't loose 10 lbs. by surgery. Have any of you had this sort of advice. He said my liver is fatty, and that I have really high liver enzymes. I am 5'8 250lbs. I am having my surgery done at BTC Ypsilanti, with Dr. Schram. I am a little hesitant to have it done Lap, after I read the higher complication rate. This doctor has been doing general laparoscopies for over 12 years, but bariatric lap(he has only done about 40) he has done over 1000 open RNY, last night on 48 hours, they said the complication rate goes down after the doctor has performed 100 laps. Do they mean 100 bariatric laparoscopies? Anyway BTC has excellent doctors, but I am so so so scared. Can anyone give advice Kristy

Kristy! Calm your nerves. I'd just be thankful that my doctor told me he would be willing to change in order to do what is best for me. I did *choose* open vs. lap for a couple of different reasons. FIRST and foremost... If they are going to be cuttin' and rearrangin' stuff in my innerds, I want them to be able to see what they are doing perfectly Second, the actualy surgery time is less and I don't want to be under any longer than absolutely necessary. I am sure you'll do just fine Karla 3 days and counting

Kristy, Im having the same thing March 15.MY doctor put me on a special diet to shrink the fatty liver. Its kind of a low carb, no fat diet.(2 weeks before surgery)Ive lost about 5 lbs. so far & the diet isnt hard!Let me know if u want it & Ill get it to u, Linda N.

Kristy, I saw the show last night and believe they were referring to 100 bariatric laps. They were really just talking about a learning curve and 100 is not a hard and fast number. However, if your surgeon is skilled in general laparascopy that is certainly a good thing. I wouldn't be alarmed just yet. Why not ask your doctor about the 40 or so patients he's done lap. How are they doing? Have any of them died from complications? Are they living with any bad consequences about the surgery? Also, see if any of his lap patients are here on this website. At 5'8 and 250 pounds I think you are a very low-risk patient. I'm 5'7 and about 290 now and I'm considered a relative "light-weight". That's good for us. Also, see the link I posted. You can actually watch a lap RNY done. My feeling about the 48 hours show last night was that the doctor they focused on was awful. However, I think the important thing to glean from it is to do a little research about your surgeon. From your post, it sounds to me like he knows what he's doing. Don't fret. If you watch the surgery from the link I posted, I think you'll be a bit more at ease. Caboose

Hi Kristy, I'm having Lap done. While my doc said it would assist in the surgery if I lost some weight, he didn't mandate it. I'm 5'4" and was 320 when I last saw him. I think I've lost some, but I find out Monday when I have my pre-op exam. I agree with Rob's advice. Just hang in there! mgm 10 dtg

If you are desparate, get a colon prep #3 (ask the pharmicist for the one for colonoscopy) 2 days before weigh in. I can't see any way you wouldn't lose 5 lbs! And your plumbing will be shiny clean! Joy

I read a short summay about the 48 hour show that was posted on this site and decided not to watch it. I do not need to see horror stories at this point. I am having the open RNY. At first I wanted the Lap but when I was told about the risk of accidently nicking something causing more problems, I decided I wanted my doctor to have all the room he needed. Plus I understand the doctor on the show did not have a lot of experience. Mine does. And with all the test I had this week, I am more convinced I made the right choice for me. I want every I dotted and all T's crossed before I get on that operating table.

I am having open but my surgeon calls it a "mini laparotomy" and it is only about 4 inches, but she wants to look around at prior surgeries and lap scars that I had...sounded good to me, plus I like the less time in surgery even though the pain may be more at first. I haven't seen Rob's video yet, but I found a great video demo in drawings and graphics with narration of both surgeries on a bariatric website that I can share if anyone wants it...