Newbie Seeking Guidance

There is no guarantee with any laproscopic surgeon whether you will indeed have the surgery this way.  You usually have to sign a waiver saying that you are willing to have them OPEN you up if they have complications during the lap procedure.  That being said, Dr. Lester Cooperstone (a he not a she) ONLY DOES HIS RNY OPEN (not lap).  He ALSO inserts a ring around the end of the esophogus (also not sure of spelling here) leading into the stomach so that food is restricted from entering the new pouch without being thoroughly chewed.  My surgeon did not agree that this additional feature (the ring) was necessary and I opted for a surgeon who did not do this as part of his RNY procedure.  Which surgery to have, lapband vs. Roux-n-y?  That is to be determined by your BMI...how much weight do you have to lose and how disciplined are you with your diet habits?  At my age 47, I decided to go for the plumbing re-routing because you can cheat the lap band by drinking highly coloric foods.  If there is a way to cheat, I have taught myself that I WILL DO IT.  The lapband however is safer and reversible (if that's an issue for you).  Why would you want to reverse it?  Probably because down the road you may want to go full throttle and get the RNY so you will need to have the band removed.  With the RNY there is no turning back.  Once your stomach is cut and the intestine re-routed, you will not be able to undo this.  I believe the RNY weight loss is more rapid and alot more restrictive as there is usually "dumping syndrome" associated with some of the foods you may try to go back to afterward, like fats and surgary foods.  They may make you feel nauseus with this procedure which can be a good deterrent at staying away from them.  In my case, I am lucky (unlucky) to have never dumped, although I do tend to reach my limit quite quickly and don't wish to continue with the "bad" food choice.  The best way to decide on surgery is to attend their informational meetings and meet the surgeon personally.  Most of them host their own info meetings and will explain the kind of surgery they do.  Dr. Geiss only does lapband, I don't know if he does this only OPEN or Laproscopically.  But I do know that Dr. C only does RNY OPEN and both surgeons work out of North Shore LIJ in Syosset.  I heard the staff is great too.  Try out the other surgeons recommended in your area also for comparison.  Your insurance will probably have some influence on whether you need to do that 6 month supervised weight loss process first.  I did not require it with my insurance (thank goodness).  I wanted a permanent solution and the idea of having a foreign object in me that had to be "adjusted" periodically was not attractive to me.  You have to go for what they call "fills" on a lapband, meaning they empty it and refill it with solution to tighten the band around the stomach.  Do you want to have to do that on a periodic basis?  I didn't so chose permanent replumbing (RNY).  The choice is a personal one you will have to weigh your options.  

Thanks Trish... You have given me many good points to ponder! Joe

Joe, Welcome and congrats on taking the very first step at taking back control of your life! This is a crazy journey but SOOO worth it. We are here for you with anything you need hun, please do not hesitate to ask anything. I have to agree with Lori, Dr Garber and Holover are great and I would recommend them myself. i wish you the best hun and keep us posted!

Dear Ms. Moozy,

Thanks for the double endorsement. Do these docs do BOTH lap band and Roux-en-Y laproscopically? or does eachone only do one form of the surgery?

Also, which hospitals do they operate out of? Sincerely, Joe P.S. You live in Mountaindale?? My family has been living there, in the summer for years! The Katz family.... Small world!

Joe, They do both and they work out of Mercy Hospital, very good team!!!! We are up near the oil tanks, do you know were that is? Anderman I think.....

I vaguely remember that the tanks are on the left side of the road as you make the turn into the town.... I haven't been there in years but my family goes there every summer. I saw on their website that Drs. Holover and Garber have privileges at North Shore Manhasset. Do you know anything about that? Joe

Love Dr. Cooperstone!  Had surgery with her two years ago, down 139 pounds!  Love every minute of being thin.  Call his office, go to a support meeting and you too will be in love!

Hi Geniene, Thanks for writing! We're talking about Dr. Lester Cooperstone, right? I just wanted to make sure, since you referred to the doc as "her". The last thing I want to do is blunder like that before I start, lol!

Now another poster replied to me saying that Dr. C. only does open Rous-en-Y and not laproscopically. Is this accurate? What made you decide to go with this doc, even if he did the open version? Did it not matter to you? Was it more important to use a skilled and pleasant doc even if the kind of surgery he performed was more conducive to infection and longer healing time? Or was it simply necessary because of your particular medical situation? Sorry for all of the questions, but I want to do this right Sincerely, Joe

Hi Joe, yes Dr. C is a he.  Sorry a typo.  Why did I go with Dr. c.  - I interviewed other doctors, one who did with not incision and my opinion, after all my research, there are bigger chances of leaks when you are not open.  I did not want to go back for complications.  My scare is small, I never wore a bikini and I never will so I didn't care about that. I wanted the dr. to be able to see what ever he needed to see.  Two of my friends had it done closed and they both were in the hospital a day longer and I too because they needed to have the procedure tested. I went in on a Tuesday and had the surgery and I was out Friday morning.  I was not in pain, it was annoying but no pain.  It was a pulling feeling, I was shopping in the mall the next day.  Three weeks I was completely myself.   A lot of people dont want to be open because of the scare and I must tell you the two friends that had it closed have four holes in their stomach.  So they don't have the line I have but they do have four holes. It is what you feel comfortable with.   Good luck to you. Geniene

Dear Geniene, Thank you for your information. You mention that your research indicated to you that there are greater risks of leaks when undergoing the surgery laproscopically.  I'd appreciate it if you could direct me to the source of these opinions. Sincerely, Joe