Stoopid Question....maybe....

I see people who still refer to their staples popping loose........ Isnt all RNY surgery done by TRANSECTING the stomach now?

Not all surgeons transect the pouch.

They still use staples to close the opening - and yes they can come loose. They are real small but they are there and can sometimes pop up and cause a stricture or other problems. Diona

Transecting, as the OP is referring to, is completely separating the pouch from the unused portion of the stomach...eliminating the chance of an SLD (Staple Line Disruption).  Two rows of staples are used, then divided between (transecting).  The surgeon then sutures both sets of staples, as well.  HTH  :-)

Thanks Sherry - thats what I thought - I am transected. Staples hold, but then the area heals and stays shut like any other wound. I just assumed that all surgeons did this now.....

But for those of us done in the dark ages, it happens.

One clue: if your surgery was lap, it WAS transected. The stapler used in the olden days is HUGE, cannot fit lap, only open. The modern staplers are like a gun, the business end is like a fat pencil, maybe. So, very tiny. It staples and cuts. The one I have puts 3 rows of staples on each side of the cut. close, fire staples, cut. Very simple and neat.

A LEAK can occur anywhere, but that's usually in the first few days.

The SLD to which you refer is way later, and not life threatening, unless you factor in the return of all the lost pounds, of course. Mine was at 5 yrs; my nearest surgery sister made it 7 yrs; my mentor made it 12 yrs (then she took NSAIDS); but most in my support group were already SLD and revised by 2 yrs out! My husband (1995) is still intact, amazingly.