Whats the difference?

Whats the difference in this surgery and the regular gastric bypass as far as losing weight and eating? Is it hard to find a doctor to do this surgery? How do i find one in Il.

Hi, This MGB thingy looks iteresting to me too. I'm in NYC and I don't think anyone here does it. If they do, I have not heard a word. But for U my dear, I have the website U can check for further details, the differences, etc. It's: http://clos.net/ Best of luck to you. :-}

I have done some research on several surgeries including MGB. I am not a medical person so please do your own research, but this might give you a start.  So far, I don't think any insurance covers it.  My insurance company calls it experimental, but my surgeon's office said that it is just a twist on an older surgery.  My surgeon won't do it because it involves making a "loop" or a bend or something in the intestine.  He believes that could cause harm, e.g. hernias or something.  I am not sure exactly because I didn't dig that deep once I realized it wasn't covered. Apparently, there is only one doctors' group that does the MGB and they have several offices around the country (I think, in Michigan, Texas and maybe one of the Carolinas).  The web site the last person posted is their site.  These docs are based in Henderson, NV and the main guy is Dr. Rutledge.  I seriously considered going to Dr. Rutledge, because I could stay with my sister who lives in Henderson, but I decided for reasons of follow-up, concerns about the surgery and several other reasons to go with the RNY close to home. I am lucky because we have a star surgeon locally.  If there is a complication I want to be near my surgeon. You may not have that luxury.

They boast a shorter recovery time, a shorter time under the knife and better results.  I don't think the results are verified yet scientifically since these docs are the only ones doing it, but they seem to have done a number of them.  When I checked into the actual time of surgery Dr. Rutledge's time isn't much better than an RNY my surgeon Dr. de la Torre does in St. Louis (he will be doing my RNY).  Right now, the RNY is the "gold standard" of bariatric surgeries, in addition to the lap band which is done by many for patients who have objections to stapling off such a large portion of their stomachs. It does appear that Dr. Rutledge charges much less for the MGB surgery than good RNY surgeons charge for theirs, but I didn't check to see what other services an MGB patient might be charged.   As an aside, Dr. Rutledge's web site is just a mess of text.  I felt like it was just a quickly thrown up bunch of words.  For some reason that just bothers me. I will say one thing, as an attorney I found it much easier to practice in a field where there were many other attorneys to bounce ideas off of.  When I started practicing in an area where I was one of the few I felt less secure because I didn't have anyone to consult with.  Two brains are better than one, three brains are better than two, etc.  ALL surgeons need the support of their associations, they learn from the experience of others and they compare notes all the time.  Dr. Rutledge may be a genius, but he doesn't have enough other bariatric surgeons in the country to learn from and share experiences.  This is just my opinion, but I wouldn't try a surgery where the surgeons don't have a lot of support, just like I wouldn't buy a car in its first model year.

These are just my thoughts.  If you are interested in MGB contact the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons at:  http://www.asbs.org/index.shtml or the National Institutes of Health NIH) at:  http://www.nih.gov/.  I would call them and ask questions because there is not much on the Internet other than the Dr. Rutledge and his group. Hope this helped.

I did my research, too, and finally decided on the MGB 8 months ago.  I am down 98 pounds and loving life.  I can eat any food with no ill effects.  I can still eat meat, bread, pasta -- anything.  My surgery time was short, my recovery was quick, and I have not had ONE complication.   I've talk to soooo many people and know a few personally who had the MGB and all have had the same experience as me.   If I had to make the choice again, I would pick the MGB over and over again! As far as the website, I've relayed my opinions to CLOS, as have others, but Dr. R. likes his site and doesn't see anything wrong with it, LOL.  I would really like to see the site taken over by a "professional" so it would be easier to read for newbies.  After a while, you learn to navigate the site, but I can see where a lot of people would be turned off by it.  My mother looked at it once and never went back because she couldn't understand it. BTW, I know several people personally who have chosen the RNY and have had nothing but complications, can't eat normally, and also have gained back a lot of their lost weight.  I'm glad I didn't go that route. Regardless of which surgery you chose, I wish you the best! Julie :)

Julie, I couldn't be more thrilled for you.  In fact, I am envious because I am still begging for medical records, going to doctors' appointments and trying to get my rec. letters ready for my ins. company.  I have heard nothing but good things from patients who have had MGB, and it all sounds great.  My comments above were not meant to malign any one surgery, I just wanted to convey my thought process in deciding on a surgery for me.

The statistics for MGB surgery aren't as complete because the CLOS group are the only people doing it.  So I am interested in hearing from people who have been through it.

As for the complications, there are thousands more people each year who have RNY so it would only make sense that we would run into more people with complications who have had RNY.  Still, I am no medical expert so I would like to hear more about your experience and the complications you talk about from the people who have had RNY. If you have a minute could you fill us in a little more? First, did you get insurance converage for the MGB?  Do you know of anyone who has yet?  Re:  the complications you spoke of from the people you know who had RNY, what were they?  The numbers for people *****gain weight after RNY are low.  What happened to those people (that person)?  How long did it take before they started regaining?  Did they regain it all back?

One of my concerns about MGB is that it is only performed in a limited number of areas which would require significant travel for me.  Do you live near one of their clinics or did you travel?  Did that concern you or did you have a doc back home that was familiar with what was going on in case there was a problem? Thanks again for sharing.  It is great to have this site where we can learn so much from each other.

Jennifer S.

 

 

 

Hi again!  No, I did not get insurance coverage for the MGB.  My insurance does not provide any out-of-network coverage and only covered WLS 50% last year and does not cover it all this year.  So I decided to pay out of pocket, because the copay for the surgery here would have costs over the $17,000 that I paid for the all-inclusive MGB.  That fee covers all the treatment while in the area of your surgery.  I had to stay in the hospital an extra day because my blood pressure was a little high, and that was covered in the $17,000. If you read the RNY boards, you can see all the complications these people have.  I know people who have gotten incisional hernias, ulcers, and obstructions.  MGB patients do get these problems, too, but I do not hear of them as frequently as I hear about the RNY patients.  Think about it:  There's one connection with the MGB and two connections with the RNY.  Obviously, that opens the patient up for more problems. As far as weight regain, I personally know four people that have gained back about 50% of what they lost.  I don't want to go through this whole ordeal and gain my weight back and still be vitamin deficient.  How awful would that be?  The people I'm talking about were about 2 years out when they started gaining.  They must have stretched their pouch out or something.

I live in Indiana and had my surgery done in Michigan, about 5 hours away.  It didn't really concern me, because I have a lot of faith in my family doctor and I knew she'd be able to handle whatever came up, which the only thing that happened was I got dehydrated due to my own stupidity!  She just orders my blood work and then calls Michigan if there's any questions.

If you have any more questions, please let me know!

Julie

 

my mom researched for almost 2 years before deciding on the MGB.  then my sister tried to have it but couldn't because of major scarring from previous abdominal surgeries, she had to have an open RNY.  i had the MGB 8/31/04.  my mom and i have had zero problems and zero weight gain (at least until my pregnancy) my sister has had numerous food issues and has now gone from a size 8 back up to a 14-16 and is afraid she is still gaining.  just personal experience here.

Hello Jennifer, My name is Athina, and I too have been researching WLS.  I will be having an MGB with Dr. David Hargroder in Joplin, Missouri . I live in Kansas, so this will be more convenient for me.. Dr. Hargroder was trained by Dr. Rutledge, but is not part of his medical group. As for insurance, mine will not be covered, I will self pay.  There is a hospital in Henderson(the place used by Dr. Rutledge), that has just recently approved coverage for MGB for their employees-that instills confidence!! And last but not least, if you go to www.medscape.com (it is a website for medical students-which I am not), and you can research the MGB vs. Roux-en-Y.  The study I read favored MGB.  Good luck with whichever way you decide to go! Athina

I noticed that you were from St. Charles, MO and are worried about the travel costs to go to Vegas.  You need to go to www.worryfreevacations.com they have airline packages out of St. Louis to Vegas for like $350 (roundtrip and with hotel).  They use a charter service called Ryan International.  They flight out on Sunday and return on Thursdays. 

Hello Jen. you might have a few misconceptions on the mgb. it is done elsewhere, in fact it is called the bill rothII i believe. and was first created for ulcers. it is done in Europe as well as most of the world. look a little closer on the long term after care and you will be surprised. complication wise. rny has allot of problems, long term. or can have problems.
I'm not sure what you were meaning when you said your Dr. would not do the mgb because of a loop. in fact it has less of a loop than the rny.
but if your looking to have ins. pay for it then i think rny is your only option besides a band. i think when this catches on in the states more ins. will cover it. i had mine done in tj mexico. went good paid like half of what rny cost in the states and was treated great. i fought ins. companies for years and spent more fighting them than the surgery cost me.
 well i hope the info helps your research a bit. good luck. Will