Question:
Ok, this sounds weird but I have a question about intestines. :)

I have a friend that had an open RNY done with a different doctor than mine. Not only was her scar ALOT bigger than mine, but her doctor removed like 5 feet of her intestines. My doctor did not remove any intestines. Anyone here have some of the intestines removed? I'm wondering why my doctor doesn't and hers did. Any comments?    — Kim L. (posted on April 25, 2003)

April 25, 2003
Every doctor does the incisions differently that's normal. However, as far as I know doctor's stopped removing the intestines with this surgery years ago and switched to just bypassing them. Which is where the term gastric "bypass" comes from. Is she sure that she had 5 feet removed or 5 feet bypassed? My bypass was 150 cm which is about 5 feet.
   — Linda A.

April 25, 2003
It may be that your friend has misunderstood what her doctor did. The RNY surgery does not involve removal of intestines, but it does involve making a cut somewhere past the duodenum (the first portion of the small intestine), bringing the bottom part of the small intestine up to attach to your new pouch, and then reattaching the duodenum further down along the small intestine. That part stays attached to your 'old' stomach, so that digestive juices produced in the old stomach still get into your digestive system. Unless there was some medical reason for having a portion of her intestine removed, that wouldn't normally be part of the procedure.
   — garw

April 25, 2003
I thought her and I were having the same thing done. I talked with her before my surgery. (she's like 12 mo post op) After my surgery, she asked me how much intestines they removed. When I told her none, she thought that was odd. She said that her doctor removed 5 ft of hers and it equaled to about 5 lbs....she kidded that she lost 5 lbs so quick. :) I guess I'll have to talk to her a little more, but she said she had the gastric bypass. Kind of odd.
   — Kim L.

April 25, 2003
ACtually, routinely removing the intestines with WLS surgery would be rather dangerous. There is no guarantee that the new reconnection will work! I ended up having about 5 feet of my intestines removed during an emergency open surgery to repair a strangulated internal hernia. My bowels had become necrotized (diseased) because of the hernia. That was the reason why my surgeon had to remove a portion. It is NOT done to healthy intestines! I had my original BPD/DS (lap) and nothing was removed (except my gallbladder LOL). All the best, (preop: 307 lbs/bmi 43 now: 153 lbs/bmi 22)
   — Teresa N.