Question:
DOES EVERYONE HAVE TO HAVE THESE SURGERIES?

I am reading a lot about other surgeries post-op - Gallbladder (sp?) removal; hernia repair, or panniculectomy - is this something that will become manadatory for everyone after WLS? I really hate the thought of having more surgery. Also, how many people did not have to have plastic surgery after WLS?    — Anna M. (posted on January 3, 2004)

January 3, 2004
Well my surgeon now gives everyone a prescription for actigall to help minimize gall bladder troubles. Even those who do need their gallbladder removed report its a easy surgery and they feel better within a few days. lost it all and have some hanging skin but it doesnt cause me any trouble. As to hernias. I picked LAP surgery because my surgeon says it minimizes the incisional hernia risk to near zero. My job has heavy lifting and I didnt want to have hernia troubles. WLS sure made me a lot healthier, see my profile.
   — bob-haller

January 3, 2004
Since my WLS I have had my galbladder removed and an ulcer removed. I possibly may have to have that ulcer surgery again. Grrr... Plastic surgery would be totally for vanity reasons and I am in no hurry to have more surgeries.
   — RebeccaP

January 4, 2004
1. Gall bladder removal - most doctors prescribe actigall or something similar for the first six months of rapid weight loss to protect the gall bladder. That's my doctor's procedure and very few have had to have their gall bladder removed and some of those didn't take their meds. If the gall bladder already looks bad, the doctor will take it out at the same time as the weight loss surgery as a preventative measure. Some surgeons do it automatically at the time of WLS, having found that in the past a lot of their patients needed it out later. But I think with the preventative measures now being taken, there's a lot less gall bladder damage than there used to be. But yeah, it can still happen and gall bladder surgery is a relatively easily surgery to recover from. 2. Hernia - if you have your WLS done lap, your risk of hernia is no greater than the general population. If done open, you're at a greater risk for hernia - as any surgical patient who's cut open is. Some people actually look at a hernia as a mixed blessing, LOL, because they can get some excess skin removed for free at the same time! 3. Panniculectomy. Will everyone NEED it? Impossible to say because it's a very individual thing. Not only do we lose differently and have differing rates of elasticity in our skin, but we will all set the bar differently for what we "need". In other words, some might say "I can live with this, it's not so bad and it's a hell of a lot better than than the way I was - not worth surgery to me" and others feel strongly that they want to look as good naked as clothed and want to finally have that elusive washboard stomach. I think it's fair to say that MOST of us who lose over 100 pounds are going to have skin issues. Those of us who are younger, haven't been obese as long, and are blessed with good genetics might bounce back pretty easily and surgery would be out of the question for them. For most of us though, it's a judgement call on whether the recuperation, scars, cost of surgery is worth the trade-off of looking like we always wanted to look!
   — sandsonik