What does Less Invasive REALLY mean ?

I want to bump this up because I am sincerely looking for someone who meets this criteria.

 I just read something about what is considered, invasive, non-invasive and minimal-invasive......
       
                              A RECTAL EXAM IS CONSIDERED "INVASIVE"

But the lapband surgery is minimal-invasive. Yeah, right.

It would be a lot less painful to have my rectal cavity invaded then my stomach banded.

 No kidding

I think "laproscopic"  is overated too for wls, fill you up with gas, insert tools that may harbor germs. and play with the toys for hours.  then end up with scars that look like happy face.  only to gas pains for a week while you absorb the gas.   

To be honest, my open incision from my revision looks better than the lap scars from my fobi pouch. One clean cut ain't bad, but I hate the smiley face ****

Hijack sorry!

Was your pain level more with the open incision than the lap procedure?? The reason I ask is because I am trying to decide between 2 surgeons for my DS. One does it open, the other does it lap.  The open incision scares the crap out of me (recovery time, pain level, scars, etc) but I would prefer that surgeon.

Just wondering....

I haven't had my WLS yet, BUT I have had other surgeries done, one open and one lap and I personally would not do lap again as I found the gas pains far harder to endure than the open.   I have a high tolerance for localized pain but when that gas gets to rolling around...ugh.  That's just me, though.  You may not be bothered by it as much. 

I've had multiple open surgeries, never had one done lap. The pain was unpleasant fersure, but I would not hesitate to have another open procedure.

For my DS, and for my hysterectomy a few years before that, I had GIGANTIC open incisions, well over twice the normal size, about fourteen inches each. Some fifty staples' worth.

My verdict is that open surgeries are "not that bad" in terms of the suffering quotient.

The biggest drawback is the significantly increased risk of hernias. I did get impressive incisional hernias combined with an umbilical hernia. I was basically herniated from breastbone to pubic bone. This was beautifully repaired via my tummy tuck. Not everyone is so fortunate with repair results. 

You can't compare to me for several reasons. One is that I was a revision. And second, I am 23.

Especially considering the invasiveness of my revision, I really had little pain, but I know that is not usual. I say open is better for the DS, because the surgeon has more visibility. Go with the surgeon you feel most comfortable with.