Scar/No Scar

Any one tell me the advantage / disadvantage of have the surgery where you get the big scar and the one you just get the little dots?

fasting healing is obvious, with lap. If they can do LAP, they will. Mine are barely noticeable. (5 little cuts) ~Michelle post op 11/21

Annie: From what I hear the open procedure is a bit more risky because of the fact that you are cut wide open and there is more cause for infection. Also, like Michelle said it takes a little longer to heal from the open procedure. Angela Dr. Burpee No date yet

I will tell you what I have read and heard through my research. I chose to have open RNY due to this. With lap your recovery time is much faster however there is a greater chance of leaks in the new and old "pouch", and that is because the Dr. is depending on a camera and a machine to do all the work rather then his or her hands. I have also been told that lap patients have more gas because they pump your tummy area full of gas so that the cameras and equpitment can fit in. The main reason I chose open RNY is because of my Doctor. He feels that if he can put his hands on what he is doing rather then seeing it thru a camera that he can be more sucessful and do it right so you have no future complications. My recovery time was very short ... I guess I heal fast. Don't get me wrong it hurt like hell ... but you get over that quick. You have to decide which doctor you feel is best for you. There is a website for the Arizona Medical Board at www.bomex.org maybe you could use that to check out your doctors records. I also went to my doctor because several people I know personally had great stories to tell about him and how caring he is. I hope this site will help you decide the best choice for you, I know this WLS site has been and was my life line when I was going thru this process. Do a lot of research and make sure you can live with the choice you make ... it will be a life long change! The BEST ever! Tina

May I ask who your doctor was and a phone number. Thanks Susan

Hi Annie, Depending on whether the person had open or lap, you're going to get responses most likely that their way was the best method. There are in fact pros and cons to either method and like Tina suggested, you really need to do research and decide which one is best for you. I was convinced I wanted lap and lap only until I started doing some research. What I learned was that you're typically under anesthesia longer with lap (I had asthma so I wasn't thrilled about this...I wanted it done as quickly as possible), there tends to be a higher risk of leaks with lap because the surgeon's view is through a camera rather than actually seeing up close what he/she is doing (I personally was more interested in no leaks than a bigger scar on my belly), you do have a bigger incision with open (I never wore a bikini before and don't plan to even when I hit my goal weight ), and sometimes you have a longer recovery period with open than lap (however, I used ZERO pain meds after one day and I know some lap friends who were in pain for weeks afterwards so everyone is different). These were the items I took into consideration when I did my research. Based upon that, although my surgeon offered to do lap, I opted for open and have never (and never will) regret my decision as I did the research and made the best decision for ME. I hope you will do the same and best of luck to you! Tammy Open RNY 11/21/03 - 118 pounds

Tammy and Tina pretty much summed it up. I chose open RNY as well and I healed very nicely. No bikini here either. Sandra

Ok, I am with Michelle. I had lap RNY in January and do not regret one bit my decision to have it done that way. I personally have a huge scar from my belly button down from having 3 c-sections. So I did not want a matching one going upward. I did not have any pain meds after the first day and have healed beautifully. As for having more pain because of gas. It did not happen for me. I have heard pros and cons on both procedures. It is like everyone else has said a personal decision that should be made after loads of research. My best to you, Tammy Lap RNY 1/8/04 326/240/135