Question:
Open vs. Lap RNY
After being scheduled for an open RNY on June 28 I am starting to reconsider and think about Lap RNY. Has anyone gone thru open RNY and regretted it? Thanks for your help! — Michaele S. (posted on May 1, 2002)
May 1, 2002
I just had lap on 4-29-02 and I am so happy that my doctor choose it for
me. I started walking about 3weeks before the surgery and it helped me out
alot. Right after surgery I got up and walked around the nurses station, I
was a little sore but wasnt in any pain. All of the nurses were just amazed
with my recovery. I would say lap is the way to go. Good luck to you...
— Karen M.
May 1, 2002
I had my lap done on march 20 2002 have lost 30 pounds walking day after
surgery and back at work in 10 days and I'am a food Service Manager for a
4-h center. Good Luck to you. christine
— christine G.
May 1, 2002
Would you have to wait longer to have it open? While the recovery period
for lap is shorter, the procedure is the same and the end result is also
the same. I personally would not postpone the surgery just to have lap
instead of open unless I had a really compelling reason to have lap.
— garw
May 1, 2002
You did not mention whether your doctor told you it was an option. I
wanted to have the Lap RNY done, but my BMI of 61 is considered too high
right now. My doctor's office just started doing the Lap in February and
he feels more comfortable doing the open on someone as large as me. Some
doctors won't do Lap for people with BMI's above 45, some above 50. You
need to ask your doctor about his confidence level at your BMI level. If it
was a perfect world and I had a choice I would want the Lap, but surgical
success is more important to me. Good luck to you, Liz
— lizalvarez
May 1, 2002
I am pre-op and want to have Lap because I can't afford to miss alot of
work. I hear most Laps recover faster but everything else is pretty much
the same.
— Karen W.
May 1, 2002
I had open RNY on 3-04-02 and have never regretted it. My BMI of 63 was to
high to be considered for lap (most surgeons won't do lap on patients over
45-50 BMI) so lap may not be an option for everybody. Besides, the nearest
lap WLS surgeon was over 5 hrs away. It was not as bad as I thought it
would be, and I was back to work after 3 weeks (desk-job). Also lap has a
higher complication rate for leaks or nicking something, and sometimes will
have to be converted to open if they run into problems anyway. If you have
Open RNY scheduled, I would say great. You will be loosing weight in no
time. Good luck.
— Dell H.
May 1, 2002
Hello. I was actually scheduled for a lap and woke up with a 7" open
scar. I was really upset when I first woke up, but in retrospect I guess
I'm glad he could see what he was doing really well. My scar isn't so bad-
it's kinda my badge of committment. I guess I would just suggest you
discuss posibilities with your surgeon- what is he comfortable with? Good
luck!
— Angela B.
May 1, 2002
In general LAPS have less pain, spend fewer days in the hospital, my
surgeons average is 2 days LAP. 3 or 4 open. The BIG difference is hernia
risk. 30% of opems get a incisional hernia, the chance LAP is near zero
because the muscle wall isnt cut. Hernias require another surgery, so I
waited longer for LAP. The actual job done is the SAME and end weight loss
results no different. Its only the issues I mentioned. Either way get the
surgery and join the lighter side.
— bob-haller
May 1, 2002
Michaele, I'm having open RNY next wednesday and feel it is the best way to
go for me. My surgeon explained that if you have a lot of scar tissue(i've
had two c-sections, a tubal, and an open gall bladder removal) that it is
much easier to do it open than to spend all of that extra time cutting away
the tissue. Plus, if you do end up getting a hernia, it makes the tummy
tuck more likely to be covered by insurance. Whichever one you decide to
do, best of luck to you!:)
— Trina W.
May 1, 2002
Michelle, Everyone needs to make the decision that is right for them. I
personally decided to have the open RNY because I wanted my doctor to be
able to see what he was doing. The found a tumor that no one had known
about and was able to remove it during the RNY. I am very thankful that I
did it open. Please let me know if I can help in anyway. Your Weight
Loss Pal,
— DeeDubbs
May 1, 2002
With the LAP, the surgeons can actually see BETTER than with the open.
When they are performing the LAP, everything is magnified onto a screen
that they view. My surgeon says that he will attempt the lap method and
then of course if something happens to convert to open, that he will. He
has not yet had to do that. He was the first in our state to perform this
procedure laproscopically, with years of experience of other lap
procedures. I love my lap. I was also up walking the halls in less than
12 hours, I felt great. And although everyones pain is different, mine
felt like sore muscles and I was cutting back on my pain med by day 2.
Good luck in your decision.
— Cheri M.
Click Here to Return