open RNY with panni removal

went to surgeon for first consult and he recomennded doing open RNY and doing a panni removal at the same time . he said it will be about 50lbs gone right away .and will help my recovery because a will be able to move around better .. i was wondering if anyone has had this done and what there outcome was?

Wow! I've never heard of that before. What a drastic surgery that would be. And what a head start it would give you! Keep us updated, I would love to hear how it goes.

In 1980, my wife had an early form of grastric wt loss surgery, that included a lower body lift. Her surgery was OPEN and she came home with a line of staples almost 100% around her central body area.  DAVE

Never heard of that. Doesn't sound very healthy to me, first of all, and I do NOT think you will like how you look based on the pictures I have seen of people who had panni removal before they lost all their weight. 

On the other hand, maybe we ALL should have just had the fat CUT off.... that truly WOULD have been an EASY way out...

Lora

I had a Panniculectomy/hernia repair in 2000.   I  saw a Dr. about a hernia repair ( Ventral Diastasis) and found out I could get both done at once.  I am very glad I did this, but if I knew then what I know now, I doubt I'd have gone for it.  Here's why:

The incision for the Panni, went all the way across my front and around my sides and into my back, and this was intersected by an incision that ran verticle from my pubic bone to my belly button..  Everything that could go wrong did.... I was sent home from the hostipal the next day after this radical procedure.  I was vomiting that morning!

The first week was all hideous pain, nausea, fear and worry.  After the dressing came off,  and the hundred's of staples were out. I went home told that there might be some" seepage"  from the place both incisions came together.  Within days, that area opened up and bloody water would flow out like a slow urine stream - up to a quart of fluid - without warning.  I was afraid to leave the house  I was padding my wound with Sanitary napkins and still wetting the front of my clothes.

It wasn't long before the wound was almost 2 inches deep and 3 inches long and INFECTED. i went to my pcp and she hit the roof.  She called the Plastics guy and told him what condition my surgery was in.  She took over, cleaned it up and taught me and my husband how to pack my wound. It took 3 months to get back to work from all of that.

So why do I say I'm happy I did it.  Because for the past 10 years, I have not had to lift that weight on the tops of my legs when walking or going upstairs (My belly hung 2/3 of the way to my knees).  I've had far fewer back problems. No "listening" to it flap when I move fast and knowing others hear it too.  No looking at it in pictures and mirrors.  No Rashes!   I lost about 20 lbs in the surgery. I had aquired a lap.

I blame the bad recovery on the surgeon.  He never inserted a drain, and he never really liked having me for a patient, - he was the only one my insurance would approve. 

Having a Panni and RNY together?  I'm not sure.  When I asked my RNY surgeon if I would need another Panniculectomy - he said that I might - but I am 60 years old and don't have elasticity in my skin.  I am saving up for some plastics after my weight loss, but I'm not sure I ever want to be cut in two disecting incisions lines again.

Ask how long your hospital stay will be - Ask about whether you will have intersecting incisions - Ask about a drain.  (When they pulled my RNY drain line I hardly felt it) and I was so glad that fluid was out of me.

Any incision that is a "T" shaped and involves skin that is in poor condition can result in necrosis as well.  That's what happened with my tummy tuck.  By the time the surgeon did 3 rounds of debridement to cut out the dead skin and tissue, I had a giant crater in my belly that was so deep I could see the muscle fascia in one spot.  It took over 5 months of cleaning and packing it with gauze twice daily for it to heal up.

That is part of the reason that I say having a RNY and panni at the same time does not sound healthy... trying to heal from two LARGE incisions when your calories are so restriucted would be hard enough, but if there are complications like you and I had, healing will be VERY difficult.  I am surprised the surgeon recommended it, but that's just me.

Lora

I've heard of it before. I have even heard of removal of the panni before bypass surgery. In cases when the panni hinders mobility it makes it easier to move around and that makes the bypass more likely to be a success.

i dont think it would be a easy way out!  im am over 500lbs after all . he just thinks it would help me out more .  but i have not made up my mind yet i can still have it done laproscopic too.

The easy way out? Did I miss something?

I don't think anyone was putting you down.... though without the extra information about your starting weight, it's hard to get the full picture.

The closest I've heard of this is a woman who was so morbidly obese, they decided to do the Panniculectomy prior to her weight loss surgery.... and they removed (I think) 200 lbs.

She died a few days later of complications. She was in very bad shape to begin with, and the panniculectomy and scheduled RNY were both surgeries designed to save her life, as she was not going to make it much longer in any case. It was very sad.