NEED HELP....OPEN or LAPROSCOPIC RNY GASTRIC BYPASS SURGURY!!!

Hello,just approved for gastric bypass surgury BUT I need to make the decession on how Im getting it done.My doctor tells me HE prefers open BECAUSE he said Im open....hes right in there....doing his work.....HE feels he can do it better & in the long run I will have less complacations if any.Laproscopially....he using a machine..looking at what hes doing through a monitor....HE CANT SEE AS WELL....sure,its more attractive to a patient,less scars,quicker recfovery time,BUT HES WORRIED I MIGHT GET COMPLACATIONS in the future. I would like to hear from people who had it done both ways ,why they chose that way & what complacations they had from each if any,PLEASE...HELP.....my surgury is less than a month away! I will appreacite all who take the time out to help me & answer & share there experiences with me! Thank-you,Eddie.. PS....Im leaning towards laproscopally!!!! H E L P !!!! P L E A S E !!!!

Hi Eddie: I had lap RNY on 1/10/06. I specifically searched out a doctor who performed the lap procedure. I had researched both procedures, and I felt lap would be best for me (shorter recovery period, shorter hospital stay, smaller scars). My surgery and recovery were uneventful, and I returned to work after 2 weeks. I have not had any complications to date, and I have lost 76 lbs so far. Hope this helps. Good luck!!

Eddie: Generally, the decision to do lap vs. open lies with the surgeon's skill. There *are* cases where open is the only way to go, however. My surgeon solely does lap, but you do sign a paper acknowledging that if it is a matter of patient safety, he may do open. That being said - there are plenty of very skilled surgeon who do the procedure lap and have a very low complication rate. VCNJ~

I believe it depends on the expertise of the surgeon. I just had my surgery on 04/12/06 and I choosen the LAP RNY. With the open procedure, the dr can better see the organs as opposed to the LAP procedure. I preferred the LAP because of quicker recovery time as well as less scars. Also with the LAP procedure, there is lesser chance of getting a hernia as opposed to the OPEN procedure. I do believe that if you are going to a reputable surgeon, then he knows what is best for his patients. Good Luck, Carla

Hi. I just had Lap RNY 11 days ago and I'm doing great! Besides being tired a lot, I have had no complications and had the best surgeon! Personally, I think if you like your surgeon and are confident in him, you should go with what he is most comfortable with - the open procedure. I specifically searched for a surgeon who does LAP because that's what I preferred but if your surgeon isn't as comfortable, remember, you are putting your life in his hands! Good luck. Hugs, Heather

Hi Eddie, I had my surgery February of 2003. At the consult I was offered the choice of having my RNY done Laparoscopically or with an Open incision. My surgeon told me the recovery time he was experiencing with his Open patients was the same as his Lap patients. I decided to email a dozen of his post-ops here on ObesityHelp. They confirmed a quick recovery with their open procedure. I felt if I could be back on my feet in the same timeframe I would rather have my surgeon be able to see and feel everything. Having never had major surgery before, if the only difference was an incision, I felt more secure having it done open. And I am so glad I did! With the open procedure my surgeon is able to do a technique called a VBG-RGB. This procedure adds a prolene (non-absorbable) mesh band around the pouch above the new stoma. In addition to the band, the pouch is cut into a tube shape which is more resistant to stretching. These two features add to this variation's apparent long lasting effectiveness. I lost approximately 150 lb. and continue to maintained a normal BMI as have many of my surgeon's patients. And that it saying a lot. There are a good number of post-ops who are able to eat large amounts of food 2 and 3 years after surgery. It becomes a real emotional struggle as some of the weight creeps back on.Some have opted for sclerotherapy to reduce the size of their stretch stoma. Others have gone back for a second surgery to have a Lapband added to their RNY. Anything to get back that original restriction. Eddie, I have done quite a bit of hospital visitation for post-ops of six different surgeons. I can tell you the lap patients were in no less pain than the open patients of my surgeon. In fact, lap post-ops had more pain especially on the left side. There is a thought that with open the surgeon is "cutting through all that muscle", when in fact the incision is made along the fascia, the connective tissue layer which surrounds muscles, bones and joints. It is actually the lap instruments that are going through muscle. Which can be very sore for quite some time. I had surgery on a Monday afternoon. Was home by Thursday morning and was shopping at Home Depot on Saturday! If my incision was an easy recovery, perhaps it was because my surgeon closes with internal stitches and surgical glue. It's really kind of neat. Looks like 2" wide clear tape that runs the length of the incision. No "railroad tracks" from a staple line. Eddie, I wish you well. Please feel free to email me anytime at Moges62 on AOL. I would be happy to send you the pictures of my incision at 5 days and 2 weeks after surgery. It looks amazing if I do say so myself ! My surgeon was Dr. Kamelgard. He is such an excellent surgeon! He studied with Drs. Wittgrove and Clark. Pioneers of doing this surgery laparoscopically. Having performed both, Dr. Kamelgard's experience is that the technique he is able to give his patients will serve them for the long term. It has for me. I don't struggle with eating because the restriction is still there. Best Wishes to you! Sincerely, Malinda

I'd say if your doctor feels more confident in doing open, and he sounds as though he does, then I'd go with that. My doctor does both of course, but lap is his first choice. There are other reasons he does open, such as the weight of the person he does surgery on but he is an expert in lap and that is his preference. I was 367 lbs, bigger then most who have lap, when I had my lap in March 2005 and I have been complication free. If you trust your doctor 100 % then I would take his advice and do whatever he reccomends. A scar is not a terrible thing at the end of all this. It will be so worth the "war wound". Good Luck and I wish you all the best!

The open has a much longer recovery time. I actually had a gynocologist tell me NOT to go to his hospital, because they only do the open there! I researched and found a doc who was good at the LAP RNY, and had the procedure 12/04. I have lost 180 pounds so far.

Hi! My surgeon...like yours...had the same concerns and only does OPEN. He said any surgeon is more skilled doing open because they can actually see what they are working on and not just look at a monitor. I wish you luck whichever way you go. I had open and recovered quickly but I do have a bad scar. If it werent for the scar Id say definately open. The recovery time is a little longer but not much. Hugs, Dawn

Hi Eddie, I just had my RNY on April 19th...I wanted the lap and my surgeon is very skilled....but what we did was agree to the lap but if he had any problems he was to go to the open...So happily had the lap and am doing great. Good Luck Marianne