Quick question on the Sleeve...vagus nerve
I keep hearing that it is cut, and that's why the old 'full' feeling is just fine after surgery.
It makes sense. And if it's true, there's at least one perk from it: we'll probably never stroke out/have a heart attack on the potty from vagus compression. It's still in the bowel, but lacking a link to the brain to communicate if severed at the tummy.
(That's speculation on my part--not a health professional, I just read a lot of medical junk for research with each book I write.)
Program Start Weight 346 | Surgery Weight 282 | CW 217 | 5'-6.3"
High Weight 376, about a year before program. I gave up diet pop(and all pop), dropped 30 pounds without trying, and kept it off. Now convinced Carbonated Beverages. Are. Evil.
DISCLAIMER: My posts often have weird typos... Because I use a tablet or Kindle to access the forums despite how much I suck at tablet typing. Apologies!
As White Dove said, some cut it, some don't, for all surgeries.
My surgeon does not. He explained that studies show positive results with cutting the vagus nerve WITHOUT the rest of the WLS. But cutting the vagus nerve adds no positive results on top of WLS.
6'3" tall, male.
Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.
M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.
Oh my goodness NO! If a surgeon severed my vagus nerve during surgery he'd by paying the price later. That paralyzes your stomach. If anyone WANTS to do that, find another surgeon! That is a last resort measure for someone with duodenal ulcers that cannot be repaired. There is NO reason to cut that nerve. That is a massive number of problems waiting to happen.
Besides, it's the vagus nerve that tells your brain that your stomach is full. If you cut that nerve that's just yet another problem it would bring on.
I had my band done in 2008 and I am a bariatric nurse so please... don't let anyone do that. I've never even heard of that except when a surgeon does it by mistake.
No, many have yhe nerve cut, and their stomachs do not get paralyzed. There may be other problems, and benefits, but that isn't one of them.
6'3" tall, male.
Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.
M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.
I had a vbloc device removed last week (I was part of the Recharge Study, that is now closing down with FDA approval of the device). I planned to have a VSG in the same procedure, but woke up to be told that I had not been able to have the sleeve. The surgeon decided to wait to see if I still had vagus nerve function after the Vbloc removal before the VSG---he said if I had no VN function I would have to have a bypass instead, because the VN is needed for sleeve function. It seems to be working fine, so I have my Sleeve procedure scheduled for next week. To find out if it was working, the surgeon asked if I felt hunger, nausea, etc., and watched my independent food intake.
You know, I haven't the foggiest idea if mine was cut or not. Hmmmm.....
I don't have huge levels of hunger, but I do know when I truly need to eat. I also know when I've eaten that one extra bite. I'll get either the hiccups or this other sort of weird feeling like a suppressed burp and hiccup all in one - very not nice!
I wonder if the bariatric MD who works with my surgeon would know. Now you've got me curious.
It is cut simply because of the location of the cuts on the stomach when doing the sleeve procedure. The RNY cuts it one place, the VSG in another place. The VN branches over the surface of the stomach from the esophagus end of the stomach and does its job all over the tissue. It is bisected and loses branches depending on the anatomy that is removed. The place it needs to NOT be cut is at the end of the esophagus.
