Congrats on getting started on your journey toward good health, Mike
Someone has already suggested the book "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies", but I just would like to second their suggestion - it's a great resource, especially if you're just starting to sort out your options and familiarize yourself with the process.
As far as the advantages of laparoscopic versus open surgeries, I don't know why other surgeons choose open procedures, but my surgeon, Dr. Monte Schwartz,
only does open RNYs. I would prefer laparoscopic, for obvious reasons (less pain, faster recovery), but I will deal with the open if I have to. Dr. Schwartz's policy is apparently not due to laziness or inexperience - he has done about 500 RNYs and a couple thousand non-WLS abdominal surgeries and was the director of a Bariatric Center of Excellence in Iowa before relocating to Tucson. From what I understand, his preference is open surgery because his open procedures are normally much shorter than laparoscopic, so his patients do not have to be under anaesthesia for as much time, which can be significantly safer for those who are super morbidly obese, as I am.
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