HI! Im new here and need advice about choosing an surgeon

HI everyone,

  I'm new here and have been all over the OH site reading, reading and reading!  I have been wanting to have Lap Band surgery for over 3 years, but my insurance will not cover it, so I started my surgery fund 2 years ago and have finally saved up enough to have surgery.  WOOHOOO!  Anyway, now I'm undecided between lap band the the sleeve, but am still leaning more towards the band b/c it' seems to be so much safer and less invasive.  

  Any advice from anyone who has had band to sleeve revision would be appreciated.  Actually, all advice is appreciated.  

  I am also leaning towards surgery in Mexico (Monterrey area since it's so close to me) and would like advice on how you went about choosing your surgeon, your experience while in Mexico and all the normal questions all of us "newbies" ask.  

  Thanks and best of luck to all of you too!

Dusty - AKA  Dustyranchgal             

Check out Dr. Rumbaut in Monterrey.  I have read and heard nothing but good things about him.    He was recommended by my original surgeon.  I also went to Mexico because insurance would not cover my RNY.

Archman

I had my vertical sleeve done in Tijuana in June 08 and am down 100 lbs and have had no real problems post op. My surgeon was great, my surgery and immediate post op were unremarkable with very little pain and my results have been incredible.
Feel free to PM me if you want more info about my procedure, my surgeon or my recovery.

I know it's a personal decision, but I would get the VSG/ sleeve over the band.  I've done a lot of research into the different surgeries, which has led me to seek out the DS.  When I first made the decision to get WLS, I also wanted the band b/c it's safer, least invasive, & reversible.  The band has been done in the US for about 8 years now, but it's been done in Europe & Australia for about 10-12 years now.  There's a lot of long-term research emerging on the band that there's long-term failure rates, where you fail to lose or have regained at least 50% of your excess weight.  This failure rate depends on the year assessed, but generally runs 45-60% of the people who have the band at 7-10 years out.  I've also heard a disproportionate # of people complaining about vomiting with the band.  The other negative about the band in long-term research is that for every year you have the device inside of you, the risk of complications increases.  Complications such as the band slipping so that it's not cinching your stomach, your stomach flipping over/ontop of the band (very painful from what I've read), & the band eroding into your stomach.  From the many people who I have heard who had the band & got a revision to some other WLS, ALL of the surgeons tell them how difficult the revision was due to scar tissue caused by the band.  Scar tissue is common around the band, but can form lesions in which the scar tissue then adheres to other adjacent organs.  I wish I could remember which one it was, but one of the leading manufactures of the band made an official statement that their device (that is commonly used) is not designed to last longer than 10 years.  Who wants another surgery down the road???

Ofentimes the sleeve works well for people to lose the weight, but there's a definite risk of regain the further out you go b/c your stomach will stretch some.  One of the greats things about the sleeve is that the outer curvature that is removed is also the stretchiest portion of the stomach, so that what's left doesn't stretch quite as much as a normal stomach could, but it stretches some.  If you don't want the DS, or there's cost concerns, then one good option would be to get the sleeve & if you do gain the weight back down the road, you can always add in the second portion of the DS where your small intestines get rearranged so that you don't absorb as much food.  The DS has the sleeve & the intestinal rearrangement.

The RNY also bypasses a portion of the intestine but has NOWHERE near the amount of malabsoption that the DS has.  I hope that was helpful!

I forgot to add, you should post the question on the revision board too to get the insight from those who had the band removed to revise to a sleeve.

Hi Dusty,

  Highfive to the lonestar state!  I hope  to be living there again within the next year to be near my family in Fort Worth/Arlington area.  

  If you are in Laredo, check into surgery with Dr Guajardo.  He does his surgeries in Monterrey, but also has an alternate location in Nuevo Laredo for consults and post op follow up which would be really convenient for you.  His office number is 800-545-8757 
   
  He has a profile here on OH.  Here is the link: 
http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+p rofile+Horacio+Guajardo+tqq.html 

Good luck!

 

I went to Dr. Joya in Puerto Vallarta. He did my Sleeve last March. I think hes an excellent surgeon and very nice as well. I also loved being able to recover at the beach and enjoy the scenery. The hotel and grounds are just glorious.
I dont want to say much about the particular surgeries....thats a very personal decision, one that u have to make on ur own after doing research. I will say that I have seen so many people with the Bands that have had so many problems...utlitmately having revisions. The reason I chose the Sleeve is because it was the least problematic to my body....theres no foreign objects left in there, theres no re-routing of my intestines.. Its also been around for a long time, just not as a weight loss surgery.
I love my Sleeve. Ive lost almost 100 lbs in less than a yr. I wish I could have lost more, but its really hard changing 40 yrs of eating habits.
Good luck.

I also agree with what Lisey said.  I've spent a LOT of time researching the various types of surgery and also talking to folks who've had the band, and I've chosen the sleeve. 

My coworker had the band, and she didn't lose any weight at all and wishes she'd never had it done.  There are also approximately 5 others where I work who had the band, and they are all still fat.  (Although I'm sure there are people who've had the band at our job that me or my friend don't know about who have been successful....so my observation is not at all scientific!).

Also, I'd recommend you speak to Susan, who is Dr. Alvarez's coordinator.  She is also a nurse (LPN).  She had the band, hated it and had a lot of complications, and went to Dr. Alvarez to get it taken out and to get the sleeve.  She loved him so much and was so impressed that she started to work for him.  She told me on the phone that she wouldn't/couldn't recommend the band.

Only you can decide what is right for you.  Please research thoroughly.

All the best ~

Ginger