Question:
Success Stories vs Failure Stories LAP

I read on here yesterday where someone had quoted "keep in mind that 1 in 4 lap. RNY patients fail" ~ I've never heard this. I am scheduled for Lap. RNY in April and was wondering if anyone else had heard this. I'd love to hear your Lap. RNY comment - success vs. failure.    — Lisa J. (posted on March 15, 2002)

March 15, 2002
never heard of it before. 13 months post op at goal down 173 lbs. good luck
   — Patricia C.

March 15, 2002
This may have something to do with long term weight loss success rates meaning that the person loses 80% of their excess weight and keeps it off for at least 5 years. In this case, the statistic you quoted gives a 75% chance of success. I have actually heard more like 95% success rate for all RNY sugeries. I don't think whether the surgery is lap or open has anything to do with weight loss sucess.
   — Susan B.

March 15, 2002
I had lap rny on 5/10/2001 and reached my upper goal in 7 months (boy, was I surprised!). I have only 6.5 more pounds to my lower goal and am still slowly losing. Now I just have to keep it off! I plan to eat high protein/mini-meal style forever. LOL If you want to see statistics you might visit the ASBS site. If you can't trust them, who can you trust?
   — ctyst

March 15, 2002
Don't believe everything you read. 1 in 4 fail? That's just wrong. Ask your surgeon what his success rate is. A competent lap surgeon will have the same success rate with open or lap. I would think that a surgeon that would make such a claim is a surgeon who isn't qualified to do lap procedures. <p> Oh and another urban legend, about being able to SEE better with open is also wrong. Some places now use virtual reality goggles during their lap procedures and can actually see better with the goggles than with the naked eyes.<p> There is a lot of bad information on-line. Just don't believe all you hear.
   — Frank M.

March 15, 2002
Wonder who dreampt that up? Surgery july 11th 20001 down 125 pounds:) Feel AWESOME! POST OP IS THE PLAXE TO BE, read my profile!
   — bob-haller

March 15, 2002
Yeah, when I saw that I just rolled my eyes. I get really annoyed when people make claims that are false. And I try to avoid a heated argument. Many times if I state my disagreement, I am surprised at how it hurts someones feelings and they get really defensive. But to answer your question, the claim is just ridiculous. I have to agree with the other poster that said its more like a 95% success rate, with the lap you can see better, and the success does not depend on whether you have lap or open. The end result is the same, the only difference is how they did it. And as Bob says, Post-op is the plaxe to be!!
   — Cheri M.

March 15, 2002
I have to agree that the success rate probably doesn't relate much to whether you have open or lap. There are pros and cons to both. There can also be complications for ANY major surgery. For me, it will probably boil down to which procedure my surgeon is most familiar with. I'm looking for the end result, not so concerned with how I get there.
   — garw

March 15, 2002
Completely false information.....open or lap, the RNY surgery is exactly the same on the inside. There are NO surgeries without risk. The immediate results depend on the skill and the experience of the surgeon. The overall or long-term results depend on the compliance and the motivation of the patient. Good luck!
   — Diana T.