MGB complications/regrets?

Hi Kahlua, I am still a supporter of the MGB. I think it is the best surgery for me and I'm glad I chose it over others.  If for nothing else, the reason it is revisable and reversable.  And I may have to take advantage of that. I have no idea why he ended up taking 6 feet on me.  His explanation was that so many people he was only taking 3-4 feet on were coming back to have more taken, that he is starting with 6 feet as a new standard starting place.  I do wish he had discussed that with me before surgery, though.  He only said that he waits until he's inside to look around and then decides how much needs to be taken.   He will revise me. He's been trying to get me to since June.  But at only 7 months out, I felt it was too soon.  I'm now at 10 months out, and slowly ruling out any other reasons for the diarrhea, so if I can't get any weight on and continue to lose, I will have it revised.  And he will charge me.  I heard he cuts his fee in 1/2 if he was the original surgeon, but I have not confirmed that.  That would mean a cost of $14,000 instead of $17,000.  You know, for $31,000 I could have stayed home and had a RNY. Ugh! I'm on some new pancreatic enzymes that seem to be helping me.  My diarrhea has really slowed down, to the point I don't have to take anti-diarrheal pills anymore.  I have gone up to 102 recently, so gained 6 lbs.  I still fluctuate right around 100 lbs., though.  I would like my minimum to be around 110-115, and ideally, my end weight, after the weight loss period and rebound, around 120-125. I'll get there, somehow.  I'm just taking it one day at a time for now. Thanks for your reply.

I did a LOT of research on this before my MGB and although it is not a CLOS guideline I would suggest anyone consider this when considering their Bypass. I think the question of how much to bypass depends on the kind of obese person you are and how much you weigh.  If you were obese in childhood and weigh over 350 for a woman and 400 for a man I would get teh 7ft bypass (GROUP1).  If you are at least 100lbs overweight and less than 350/440 then I would suggest a 6ft bypass(GROUP2).   If you are less than 100lbs overweight I would seriously question whether WL surgery is the right solution for you, UNLESS you have comorbidities such as High Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnea, Cardiac, Diabetes etc.  In which case a 5ft bypass would be my suggestion ((GROUP3).. I am not a medic but I did a huge amount of analysis on this before my MGB, I spoke to 80 to 90 MGB patients, those in Group1 who had less than 7ft lost a lot of weight but not quite enough, they were very happy but would liked to have lost more.  If you look at the how the weight is gained for group2 you find it goes up and down a lot through their lives.  I met some of these at a recent reunion and some looked as if they had never been obese, they looked healthy though.  For group3 I have concerns about whether WL is really for you, I think you will lose too much because you are not that overweight compared to someone who has 200lbs to lose. Ultimately it is a tool, if you do not use it properly (particularly in the 1st 2 years) you will impact the final result.

I fit into your Group 3.  And I always thought that I wouldn't qualify for surgery because I didn't have at least 100 lbs. to lose.  However, I was plagued with several co-morbidities and a strong family history of some diseases that are exacerbated by obesity, so I was a candidate.  It's hard sometimes, as I get quite a bit of criticism for having a WLS in the first place, but I did what I thought I needed to do for my health.  Since I had such severe complications, I guess I will never know if the trade off was worth it or if my life will or will not be lengthened because of my choices.  We all do the best we can with the information we have at the time. Even with all I've been through, I still believe that I needed WLS.  Though I might have chosen something different with the information I have now.

My Mom saw your post and wanted to respond to it.  Here's her story:

I had the MGB five years ago.  I had complications.  Dr. Rutledgedid the surgery for me in No. Carolina.  The surgery itself went well, but when I woke up I had awful gas pains in my shoulders in the hospital.  The nursing staff couldn't reach Rutledge, he was leaving town at that time.  I had them ask if one of his assistants could reach him to get me some pain killer.  It took forever to get help.  The next day, his on call doctor told me I had pneumonia.  He said I hadn't walked enough after I had the surgery.  (I walked a lot because of the gas pain so that didn't make any sense).  They didn't give me any antibiotics for it. They just wanted to get me released ASAP.  I went to my motel with my husband and was very weak and didn't feel well at all.  I had a very hard time taking the pills prescribed because I was sick to my stomach.  My husband didn't know what to do for me and thought the if it was serious surerly Dr. R's staff would do something about it.   I called and had his assistant office staff come over to see me.  I told them I had pneumonia and needed to talk to Dr. R.  They said they'd talk to him about it.....never heard from him.   Well, I finally got released to go home.  I went to my family doctor who immediately sent me to the hospital for x-rays.  i also had a temperature of 104*.  My dotor had my put on antibiotics and oxygen that night.  I became more ill and my stomach was hurting.  I threw up everything I ate and drank.  Remember, none of this aftercare is covered on my insurance.  Well, i became dehyrated on a regular basis and had to havae IV's.  I also got ulcers and had to be put on a feeding tube.  It was the worst experience of my life.  Rutledge's office was very irresponsible.

  I have lost all my weight and don't have a problem keeping it off.  I am glad I had the surgery, but would never ever go to Dr. R if I were you.  My daughter had the surgery in her hometown.  She goes and sees her doctor every three months.  They are available at all times and it has been a much better experience for her.  If I were you, I'd think about it twice - having Dr. R doing the surgery.  It was a nightmare for me and my family.  the expenses for the complications were overwhelming.  I would recommend a RNY since it is more common and complications are less like.  hope this helps. If you need anymore info just pm Christie with your email and we can talk more.

Christie's mom, Carolyn