Dr. Porter in Tacoma

Hi, I'm new to this forum and I've found so much great information here. I'm looking to have the RNY and am wondering if anyone has used Dr. Clifford Porter in Tacoma and how your experience was. He removes the stomach with this surgery and that has made me a little nervous!! Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kiki

Hi Kiki, Welcome to the forum. I don't know anything about Dr. Porter nor have I heard about removing the stomach. I'd be nervous about that too. Sometimes this board is a little slow and if you wanted an answer quicker, I'd go to the main RNY board for advice. In fact I'd like to hear what others have to say about this. Good luck and welcome. Carol

Hi Carol, Thank you for the information to go to the main board. I just posted my question there so hopefully I will get some more responses. I should clarify as I did in the new posting on the main board that only the excess stomach that's not used to make the pouch is removed. That means there is no reversal, not that I would want one. I'm so happy to find this board with all this great information. Kiki

My surgeon mentioned that there was a doctor in Pierce County that removes the excess stomach. He stated that there is no real good data one way or the other about the benefits of doing this. One advantage is that it eliminates the very small risk that if you get stomach cancer in the excess stomach after a traditional RNY, it's very difficult to diagnose because you can't scope the old stomach. However, there is also the rare instance that an RNY needs to be reversed for medical reasons, and it's not possible if you remove the excess stomach. It's probably not going to make a difference one way or the other if you have the excess stomach removed. It's more an issue of how comfortable you are with this surgeon. Lisa

Kiki: This is a new one for me. Have you asked him how many procedures like this he has done and found out the success rate? It sounds like more research on the procedure might be in order. Good luck. Rudie2

Kiki - maybe you are thinking of the duodenal switch (a far better surgery than RNY, IMHO - better long term lasting wt loss) this is done using a partial gastrectomy so a portion of the stomach is removed which is a good thing - have you heard of the hormone called ghrelin? this has been found to cause hunger and is secreted in the gastric mucosa, so removing part of the stomach can be a good thing and not such a scary thing. Good luck with your plans, Lynn Kent

Kiki, I am almost a year out from my surgery. I had a resectional gastric bypass performed by Dr. Porter on 12/27/2005. I totally understand your concern about removing the stomach (what is left after the pouch is created). I will tell you that the ONLY issues I've had have been a suture infection (gee, could happy with any kind of surgery), a hernia (again, could happen anytime for any reason) and a mild iron malabsorption. Let's see...I'll have a scar revision/hernia repair with my tummy tuck (trust me, I need the tummy tuck....my belly button is frowning) and the iron issue was fixed by changing to a different form of iron. I will also tell you that these are the major problems of his patients. Many of his patients, like me, are health care professionals. The majority of his patients are referred by word of mouth. He is VERY caring and understanding...and has a fantastic beside manner, not to mention that he's very knowledgeable. He is very supportive and give great hugs, even when he knows your "cheating". I work in one of the hospitals that he practices at and have threaten to buy him a "cow bell or homing device" so that I know when he's around. Trust me, he'd love to receive either one. Back to the type of surgery that he performs. It basically is the same surgery that has been performed for many years for those people who've developed severed stomach ulcers (especially prior to all the wonderful antacids we have now). One of the results was noticeable weightloss while maintaining health....Dr. Porter will explain more and is very capable of putting it into terms you can understand. Even though I'm a nurse, I sometimes need a very basic and visual explanation. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me. I always enjoy sharing my experiences. Right now I'm down about 95lbs from my highest weight. I will be honest, I'm not always a good girl. Oh, before I forget....don't bother asking him about a goal weight....he's much more concerned about your BMI and general health. Another thing....don't be surprised if he's more excited about your progress than you are.....I don't mean this in a bad way....he's not egotistical at all.... Can you tell that I adore and love this man???? I went to several other information sessions for other physicians......I never once got the warm/fuzzies. My husband went with me to Dr. Porter's (my husband is not a big fan of physicians/hospitals) and at the end of the session he said that if I was serious about the surgery he would support me only if I had Dr. Porter do it.....(not trying to influence you.....you must do what is right for you) Good Luck, Beth PS...the first few weeks are toughest....the problem I'm having now is trying to train my eyes to agree with my stomach....