KiwiSteve

Hi, I'm a new member of the forum and I'm not very computer friendly so I'm having quite a bit of hassle getting sorted. I'm male and 56 yrs old and have been given 6 weeks to think over whether or not I want to go ahead with a gastric bypass(non laprascopic, the full on staple job) I'm keen to hear from anyone who has had this done, benefits and problems warts and all. I'm not as overweight as most patients according to my surgeon (135kgs and 1.86m tall(or 6 feet) but I'm told it's medically the best thing for me. I've been doing the diet merry go round for 30 yrs unsuccessfully and want to do something before I end up too old for it or with heart problems, diabetes etc. Can anyone enlighten me (pardon the poor pun). Steve

LyndasRoom

Steve,
First, welcome. Does your doctor, or local hospital offer an informational seminar on the process? This is often a great way to get the particulars for the doctors office that you'll be working with. Aside from that there are many peoples stories here in the forum, and if you go to the green banner all the way at the top, you can read the technical part of the process on the doctors website. If you have specific questions...ask away! This surgery has been a life saver for many of us.

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Lynda
July 11,2006
Dr. Callery
309/198/150
Century 6/1/2007
Onederland 8/26/2007
LyndieBear

LisaBoston

I would take this time to read as many stories here as you can. Learn as much as you can about life after surgery. Its not for everyone. When you mention staples and all...can I assume that you are looking at OPEN gastric bypass vs. using the lap method. The procedure is exactly the same as far as the RNY and the results. The only difference is how they open you up to do the procedure. I had to open and did very well with it.

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Lisa
aka....Canadian Bear and her Canadian Bear Cubs!
Open RNY - Jan 30, 2006
Tummy Tuck - June 4, 2007
314/152/180
start/now/goal
BMI 45.7/22.1/26.2

pebitpeb

Squishy

Hi Steve!

My wife and I recently had open gastric bypass. We originally planned on lap, but the surgeon explained that we should consider open because at our age (45 and 46) if he is going to do surgery, he would like to make sure that they do not have to open us up again later for other things. he said that by doing it open, he can look and feel around and sometimes finds other problems.

In our cases, he did find other problems that he corrected while he was in there. My wife ended up having a hysterectomy, a small hernia repaired, her gall bladder removed (full of stones) and her appendix removed because there was evidence that she had had some scarring that indicated that she had had a mild appendicitis issue at some time. Needless to say, it was nice to have this all corrected at once instead of finding out later and having to have more surgeries.

In my case, there were some issues with some strange scar tissue that he had to resolve and also fixed a small hernia that I didn't know I had.

So in our cases, the open procedure saved us a lot of trouble later.

Obviously, with the open procedure you will have a scar from your sternum to your navel. This was really not a big concern for us though. The recovery period seems to be a little longer for open vs Lap.

The control the pain very well in the hospital. You feel really exhausted and have some discomfort, but we really did not have "pain". When we got home, we also had some good pain medicine so it was not too bad at all. Jane was able to come off the pain medication a couple days after getting home and I stayed on it for about 4 days after I came home.

Getting in and out of bed was the only thing that was a little difficult, but the physical therapists show you how to do that properly. Oh, I almost forgot...we also picked up a raised toilet seat which I would recommend to anyone who has the open procedure.

Jane is now 5 weeks out from surgery and I am three weeks. We've both lost around 28 pounds so far. We are feeling a lot stronger every day. We have no regrets and are actually really excited about our future. Jane had high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes and after only 4 weeks was near normal in both.

It is definitely a personal decision but, for us, it was the right thing to do. Best wishes in your decision!

-Mike and Jane-

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TT Squishybear

"If you are going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

05/30/07 Open RNY
430/346/240.5/225?
Highest/Surgery Date/Current/Goal
6' 2"

TT Gym Rat Club Member #65

paige52

I'm one of the unlucky ones with complications. I'm 9 months out and have been sick for most of it. I did have mine open and the doctor found a few things that needed correction while he was in there. I have returned to work after 7 months off and still have more bad days than good ones and never any completely normal ones. I have lost over 85 pounds and I'm past my goal weight. Like you, I didn't have as much to lose as some people. I'm still on the fence when asked "if I knew then what I know now would I still have the surgery".... I'd have to say no but I'm hopeful that will change for me very soon.

In contrast, my husband had his surgery LAP 2 weeks ago and is doing so incredibly well! Nausea the first day for a few hours and since then just some uncomfortableness at the incision sites, a little tired but back at work after just 1 week off. He was getting bored at home. He drinks all his protein daily (80 grams) and is taking in about 80 ounces of fluid. He is so ready to start eating... it's driving him crazy.

Read as many posts as you can, stay informed as possible and you will know what is the right decision for you. Whatever you do, do not take just my story or another persons complications as the only result, there are tons of successful stories on this board.

Best of luck in your journey

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213/110/130 Preop/Current/Goal

Open RNY 9/26/06 Height 5' 4"

KiwiSteve

Thanks for all the replies and helpfull suggestions to my query. I've been a bit slow replying because I was waiting on the next move. In two days I go to see the surgeon again after having thought it over for 6 weeks, getting lots of stuff off the net via my daughter who's better at that than me, reading the replies on this site and generally just deciding whether or not I wanted to go ahead with the op which will be an open one and not Laparascopic. Unless the surgeon tells me I'm not suitable for whatever reason I have decided to go ahead and have the op done. I'm very lucky as here in New Zealand there are chances to have it done free on our National health system. That may mean a delay or two but I couldn't afford to pay for it privately. Anyway, thanks again and I'll let you know how I get on. Steve

KarenInKali

Congrats on your decision to have surgery Steve! Let us know when the big day will be!

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Karen 273/257/249.0/160/154
beginning/surg/current/my goal/doc's goal

TT Gym rat club member #53
Journey to RNY began 07/07
RNY 05/12/08
I'm a loser!

MILA

I was 53 years old and 100 lbs overweight when I opted for the lap RNY. My co-morbidities included high blood pressure, sleep apnea, arthritic knees and a bad back. I was not in terrible physical shape, but concerned about the future implications of staying overweight.

My surgery was a good decision for me. I have lost the 100 lbs and have had no complications. All of my co-morbidities have been eliminated and I now take no medications. The weight loss has improved my knee problems as well. The weight loss came quickly for me but it took the discipline of using the tool correctly. Now a year post-op I find I can eat most foods as long as I consume small quantities and make the right choices. The new life style is fine.

Its obviously your choice and all about how important you believe it is to shed the weight. Do your research. My advice is to select a surgeon and program with good reputations and people you can trust.

Gppd luck!

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Michael

324/230/230/6'3"
surgery/dr's. goal/current/height
surgery date: 8-28-2006
RNY Lap

JenBear7

Grats on your decision.. Good luck to you!

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Jen
361/325/234/180
Start/Day of Surgery/Current/Goal

July 9, 2007.. my re-birthday!
Century Club: November 17, 2007

127 Pounds Lost... I'm not Going to Miss them or even TRY to find them.. they can stay lost!! (And if you see them... RUN.. you dont want them either!)

"Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it" ~~ Lou Holtz