Question:
Has anyone had problems with Laperscopic Gastric Bypass?
I had already had my mind made up that I was going to do this laperscopic not open until I met with my surgeon-and now I am not sure. He said there has been problems with leaking and narrowing-any first hand accounts? — Rose B. (posted on December 26, 2001)
December 26, 2001
I\'m only two months post op BUT from the research I\'ve done in the past
year on the surgery I have found that most surgeons who recommend the open
do so because they do not know how to do the lap. So naturally they are
going to recommend the open. Lap-type takes special training. I knew w/o
a doubt I wanted the lap because of recovery time vs. open and less
scarring, etc. I found a fantastic lap surgeon who performs both ways. He
is a teacher of the lap and the head of surgery at his hospital. The only
time he does open vs. lap is if there is a problem with the patient and the
lap cannot be performed, such a scar tissue, other health issues. Hope
this helps. I will be checking back to see what others posts have to say
about this. Good question.
— blank first name B.
December 26, 2001
I\'m still pre-op, so I\'m speaking from my research, not my personal
experience. I chose lap RNY (scheduled 1/10/02) because of shorter
recovery time, less cutting of muscles, and less scarring. I did have a
consult with a doctor who did open only. He really talked the
\"lap\" down, and was negative about it. He talked about how he
could do the open procedure better than the lap could be done because he
could see everything. He also mentioned a few things he did that lap
surgeons \"did not do\". However, during my lap consult, I found
that the lap surgeon did the same procedure, in terms of what was
connected, how, and where the overlap and stitches were done. The only
difference I\'ve been able to find is that in Lap, my surgeon does not
insert a \"Fobi ring\" to form the stoma. He stitches it.
It seems to me that with \"open RNY\" you get more hernias
occurring. With a reputable lap surgeon, I can\'t think of any real
drawbacks to choosing lap [unless you really want a Fobi ring]. I, too,
will be interested in what others have to say on this matter.
— Kathy J.
December 26, 2001
i am still pre-op as well. But I agree, that if you have an experienced
lap surgeon, that is the way to go. I think that there are a lot of
surgeons who do the open because that has been around the longest and
therefore is what they are accustomed to.
I will be having lap myself. Good luck!
— [Anonymous]
December 26, 2001
I had a LAP 13 days ago. I feel so good!!! by the 5th day I was out
Christmas shopping. The most important thing is to find a Laproscopic
surgeon. Mine was a lap specialist, he does all kinds of lap surgeies, not
just WL. He\'s an expeet w/ his instruments. Not all bariatric doc. are
expertds in LAP and many feel more comfortable w/ open. My doc. isn\'t
even a bariatric doc.
— Cindee A.
December 26, 2001
Well I had complications but let me tell you I had the Lap done and then
had a complication and had to have open surgery and The recovery/pain is
alot less done Lap. I felt really good right after my lap surgery and was
able to even go shopping. But you yourself will have to make the decision.
Best of luck to you and if you have any questions please let me know.
— laurac82101
December 26, 2001
Well I didnt want 2 surgeries... Opens get a incisional hernia at a 30%
rate, LAPS ZERO, or thereabouts, they are extremely rare. Laps also have a
shorter hospital stay, less pain, faster recovery, one week after surgery I
walked 1.3 miles, see my profile for details.
— bob-haller
December 26, 2001
I had the Lap BPD/DS on November 7th. And it was wonderful. I was out of
the hospital the day after my surgery, and I have 5 little inches.. only
one measuring 1 inch. When I went to visit a liver doctor post op, and he
could not get over how small my incisions were. My surgeon, unless
insurance doesnt\' cover it, or other medical reasons/personal reasons only
does Laps. He has had no fatalities, and has only had very minial
complications.. 1 due to faulty staples (i forget the other). But if you
have a qualified surgeon.. who has a number of laps under his belt I
wouldnt\' hesitate to have the lap versus open done... but it is a personal
decision you have to decide on your own with your doctor. But like I said,
if you have qualified surgeon go for the LAP!!
— Andrea N.
December 26, 2001
LAP ALL THE WAY!!!! I am 9 weeks post op today and had Lap RNY Oct. 23rd,
2001. Surgery was done on Tuesday, I was discharged from the hospital on
Thursday, took a Vicodin Friday morning (last one) and my last Tylenol for
discomfort was taken Saturday morning. Monday I was sitting at home
wanting to go back to work and went back to work 13 days after surgery
(only because I wasn\'t needed before that). I have been so happy with the
result of my surgery and I know my recovery time was very short compared to
what open RNY would have been. Find a surgeon who has done lap RNY\'s and
is proficient at it. Supposedly lap takes longer to do, my surgeon has his
laps down to about 1 1/2 to 2 hours surgery time. Check out my profile for
in depth details on my post op recovery time and status. I have had no
complications to date. :)
— bamonkeefan
December 26, 2001
Hello there everyone.. well, I am having RNY Open..I have Dr. Tanaka in San
Diego, Ca., and he does lap and open. He is experienced very well in both
and has a reputation of being detailed and a perfectionist... Now, he
explained to me that because I have had a tubaligation and C-section
(Bikini Cut), I have more of a possibility of scarr tissue and if he does
surgery lap it may take longer and then he may get in there and find that
he has to do open anyway. He said that the less time a patient is
anestetised?(spelling) the better the patient recovers and with less
complications. He doesn\'t want to risk having me under longer than I
should be. I say do the OPEN.. I would rather have it done open in a
shorter amount of time, then to risk attempting a lap and have the surgery
go on for more than 2 hours etc. I am opting to go with his expertise.
Lap would be great, but in my case open is the ticket and sometimes some of
us don\'t have an option. I trust my surgeon. So, if you are open be
happy, if you are Lap be happy, but all in all be safe and the bottom line
is a safe and fast recovery with no or very little discomfort and
complications... take care all, and God bless you.. I am having mine open
on January 9th, 2002.. wish me luck.. and Happy New Years everyone..
Tricia :)
— Tricia V.
December 26, 2001
I had open RNY 17 days ago. I haven\'t suffered any for having gone with an
open. I did spend 5 days in the hospital, which probably would have been
closer to 3 if I had lap. But for me that worked out great. I have 3 young
children at home and I NEEDED that rest. Heck even if I didn\'t have any
surgery, I still NEEDED that rest lol. I have one 3 1/2 inch incision which
is healing nicely. It looks like I\'m going to have a hair-thin scar. None
of the bad gas pains I\'ve read about, no problems whatsoever. I haven\'t
been on anything stronger than a Tylenol since leaving the hospital and
haven\'t had to take even that since I was 6 days postop. My energy level
isn\'t up to what it was pre-op, but its getting close. I am being
extremely cautious with lifting, etc. so that I can prevent a hernia. I\'m
very happy with the procedure I had. I think that if you have a doctor you
trust, go with what his expertise is in. A surgeon who does only open is
not an inferior surgeon. Thats just his/her preference for their own
reasons. My surgeon is professor of surgery at a major teaching hospital,
and he is head of the surgical critical care unit. I totally trust him and
I think that is the #1 criteria for choosing who will do this procedure. In
my opinion, both get the job done and are miracles. Choose what is best for
you. Recovery from the surgery is a temporary thing. What happens on the
inside is what really counts. Good luck!!
— Donna L.
December 26, 2001
I don't think that one is necessarily better than the other, it ends up
being a personal choice, or whatever your surgeon is most capable of
performing. There are differences but I would have to say that they are
minor differences. I had lap on 11/9 and have had a great recovery. The
differences that have been mentioned here seem really minor, 2 more days in
the hospital, different scar. Open may be a little more painful, but pain
meds keep that under control. All of these things become a faint memory in
the long run. The only difference that I did't see mentioned here is that
in the lap procedure, the docs go by the images on a screen, which are
magnified. Whatever you decide, do what you feel is best for you. And if
your surgeon recommends the open, then there is nothing wrong with that.
Good luck.
— Cheri M.
December 26, 2001
I'm 7 weeks Lap RNY and could not be happier. Of course I did not have a
Open and can not compare the two but recovery has been so easy with the
lap.
— Kelly C.
Click Here to Return