Aloha, I was glad to hear someone say the Yahoo board was a mess.  I tried threading through a few posts but found it wanting. I'm three days post a variation of the MGB called OAGB (one anastomosis gastric bypass.  It's identical to the MGB in most aspects; only when you see a side by side picture can you see the difference.  The OAGB was recommended by my surgeon, Dr. Gilberto Ungson of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. I'm reeling from the whole ordeal just now, so I can't be entirely objective, but I'll say the surgery seems to have gone well and I hope to be home in Hawaii by Monday. I chose Dr. Ungson because my wife and I have no health insurance and he was the cheapest without going to India.  I had considered Dr. Rutledge but just couldn't swing the cost difference.  What I'll be losing is follow up care.  I know that such groups exist in Hilo, so I'm going to pursue them when I get home. Aloha

I do not have a regular family physician and would like to choose one that I know would be supportive of the MGB Surgery.  Does anyone know of any in the Raleigh-Durham NC area?  Thanks!

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.

Just putting my 2 cents in (where the hell is the "cents" key anyway?). There is so much misinformation out there. Every surgeon wants to protect the integrity of "their" surgery, so when a new one comes along, they're quick to spred the propoganda. The fact that the MGB is BASED on a previous surgery--it is not the same. The bile reflux was occurring when the intestine was brought up to the level of the esophogus (imagine a RNY stomach with the intestine attached to the side)-- so of course it caused bile reflux. The MGB has it at the bottom of a cylindrically shaped stomach so gravity keeps it down. There is still the risk of some reflux, but very minimal, and easily managed. This is the only risk that is higher in the MBG than the RNY, and in all the other possible risks (including death) the MGB is LOWER! Also the MGB stomach shape and location is superior to the RNY. The part of the stomach that is the stretchiest is exactly where the RNY pouch is. The other side is thicker and harder to stretch-- just like in the Gastric Sleeve. So it is not accurate to conclude the MGB/Sleeve stomach stretches anywhere as much as the RNY. It's actually made a little bigger in the first place because it has the tendency to NOT stretch. Although some will claim the RNY is revearsable, there has been barely any successsful surgeries that can revearse it. From the RNY docs I've spoken to, it is a long, difficult, and highly risky surgery and patients are told that they can--at best-- expect a revision of some sort, because docs don't have much success or actually revearsing it. It has been done, don;t get me wrong, but I was told to not count on it at all! Canada covers the MGB, IMHO, because it isn't bogged down by all the mud-slinging, political siding that goes on here. It just looks at the data. There is so much $$ to be made in the other surgeries, that the surgeons are scared that a better and cheaper surgery might replace them. They may not want to have to join CLOS to perform it, so they will bad-mouth it to keep this negative propaganda going and preserve their big paychecks. They lobby with the insurance companies in the US and are very influential in what gets approved. Then, throw in the fact that Dr. Rutledge has rubbed some influential people the wrong way, and perhaps even over-hypes his own procedure. But that's what happens, every doc wants the credit of having the best surgery. Somewhere in between is the truth, and I think talking with MGB post ops is a great way. In fact it is manditory to talk to 10 before the doc will approve you for surgery. How often do you hear about that as a preop for other surgeries? The report on the "30 revisions" most likely was from people who had the surgery in the beginning, as Dr. R was determining the best amount of intestines to bypass. Some may have had too little, others too much. Or some may have had insatisfactory amounts of bile reflux which we know to be a higher risk than in other WLS. But 30 out of 3000? That's nothing (no disrespect to those who had to go through it-- it's not "nothing" to them). But even if another 100 were found, it is still a much smaller complication rate requiring surgery than the RNY. Just my humble opinion.

I got the MGB and was a self pay.  I am 10 months out and severely underweight. Nearly 30 lbs. underweight.  I was a lightweight to begin with and I think Dr. R. bypassed too much. That is just my personal opinion.  I suffer from severe diarrhea and have for the last 3 months.  I have tried to find other causes for this, but I am losing so fast now that revision seems the only option I have.  I don't regret the surgery, but I do wish I knew more about the amount to be bypassed and had talked to D. R. about not bypassing too much.  I only wanted to lose 80 lbs. and he bypassed 6 feet on me.  I am now 96 lbs.