[Elisa]

Hi, Im Elisa.

I just joined the group tonight, and I have no success story, I have though, been reading everyone's posts and find everything here so inspirational. I found this site awhile ago, bookmarked it, and have been lurking around and reading for awhile now. the before/after pics are awesome. Everyone looks truly amazing. The support for each other jumps out at me and i feel it as I read. I can feel the love!!! I cant post a before pic because i have no after pic, but maybe someday......

[mike]

Well, after all the lurking you have been doing, I am sooooooo glad that you decided to join our family. You are going to find this site to be all that you anticipated. We all give support, advice, and whatever is needed to see people through whatever life is throwing at them. GOOD AND BAD. I am mike. A 33 yr. old guy from WI. Yah, a cheesehead. Proud of it most of the time, except for living in a cold tundra in the winter time. I had open incision RNY done on 8-1-06. I started out at 247. I am currently 140#. Right where I want to be, and feel absolutely GREAT! I can't say enough about what the surgery has done for me. Tons more energy, for one. Not to mention, friends I havn't seen in a long time not recognizing me. NO LIE. It is an awesome venture to take, and with all these wonderful people here, just made it more unreal in way. Seeing the weight melt off was surreal for me. Every time I got on the scale, it said more weightloss. Practically yelled it out to me. Everyone here is doing a great job. I am proud of each and every one of them. I hope to get to know you better through you posting, now that you have finally joined here. I am so glad. Keep posting, and asking whatever is on your mind. We are all here for you. WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mike

[Elisa]

Hi Mike, and thank you for the warm welcome

Congratulations on your weight loss, you look amazing!

I do have a question for you....why did you opt for open ioncision rather than laproscopy surgery? Wouldnt the ouch have been less laproscopically? Isnt it easier? Did you have the choice?

Im in cold territory too...Toronto, although we were jipped by lack of snow this year-bah! I love the cold and the snow.

Thanks again Mike, for the warm welcome

[mike]

Thank you for the compliment. I can't honestly believe that it is me when I look in the mirror. That is like no other feeling in the world. Well, to answer your question, my surgeon didn't do lap. He considers open incision to be a better surgery. So, I went with what he said. For the record, it was a BIG ouch. Especially, the first few days. I am glad that something tremendously good came out of it. I had doubts in the beginning. I thought to myself, WHAT IN THE H*** DID I DO TO MYSELF. Now I know what. I got my life back. Thanks again, for the compliment. Here is a GREAT BIG HUG, from one family member to another.
mike
p.s. I am glad that you know the cold as well. We have lack of snow this year to.

[Elisa]

Blame NY for our lack of snow...didn't they take it all??

Another question for ya Mike....Im assuming that the staples used are metal? What exactly happens to the staples once goal weight is achieved? Do they get removed?

[DocSanae]

Welcome to the board, Elisa, thank you for joining us.
I hope this site will help you in your search and research.
(((((((HUGS))))) May your journey go well.

As for the staples, they stay in you for life.
In other words, you live the rest of your life out with a small pouch.
This surgery is a tool to help you lose weight, so long as you keep good eating habits. Make no mistake, it is not a magic wand that will let you lose weight, and allow you to eat whatever you like in whatever amount you like, once you reach goal. You have to keep on doing what you did to lose the weight, the rest of your life to stay at goal.

Hope this info helps.
Keep those Qs coming, there'll always be someone around to help you.
(((((((HUGS)))))

[Elisa]

Hi Docsanae and thank you for the welcome

Thank you for answering my question, as i have a close friend who had gastric bypass surgery about 20 years ago, and now she is going through a lot of problems with stomach pain. She is going to have reconstructive surgery on her stomach to remove the staples and I guess they are going to reverse the process?

She gained all the weight back about 5 years after her surgery. A pregnancy helped that process...so I guess she stretched her pouch? Apparantly, the staples are causing her much pain and they are going to be removed next month. I was wondering if they use the same staples now that they used back then, and I wonder how common this problem is?

I also wonder (gee, im just a bag of questions tonight lol) why open incision is still being done now that we have laproscopic methods, which are so much less invasive?

I have an appt with the surgeon on March 7. Thanks to you and this group, I think I might surprise him with what I have learned from poring over this site

PS..thanks for the hug, I really needed one tonight

[DocSanae]

Basically, the pouch will not stretch back to the former size, it will stretch on the average to 4-6oz, sometimes 8oz, but that's just about it. Physically, it's impossible to stretch any more than that, that would mean breaking the staple lines, so there's an opening to the rest of the stomach that was shut off with the staples. I wrote something in thread linked below. Also, the instruments used in stapling would be different from 10 years ago, but the basic construction and material is the same as far as I know.

http://www.renewedreflections.com/fo...s-surgery.html

As I wrote, you can sabotage the effect of the surgery in several ways, and that is probably what happened to your friend. Because, CraigT, who will have his 10 year anniversary this coming May, is very successful, and has maintained his weightloss. Your friend probably went back to old eating patterns with her pregnancy, and was unable to get back on track in regards to her eating. If you check extensively, I am sure you will be able to find people who were successful in maintaining their weigtloss after post op pregnancy.

Truth be told, 20 years ago, heck, even 10 years ago, support and knowledge on how to stay successful, was not as it is, now. The most recent issue that is getting the spotlight in this respect is addiction transfer. For an emotiional eater, it is easy to turn to something else, most often alcohol, once food is taken away as the substance of choice in dealing with emotions under stress. The rate is said to be anywhere from 5-30%, and I am inclined to think, from what I know, that the number is closer to 30 than 5.

About the revision your friend it going to have. After all these years, the staples may be imbedded deeply into the tissue, and the staple line is probably stuck completely together, so it will be impossible to open up the closure. What likely will be done, is that the stomach will be reconstructed into a different shape, I think the procedure of choice is creating what is called a gastric sleeve, but that will be up to the surgeon.
The pains she is having is probably due to adhesion, and not the staples themselves. With any surgery within the abdominal cavity, adhesion takes place. Severe adhesion will restrict the movement of the stomach and intestines causing pain.

As for lap or open, several factors are taken into consideration, and the biggest of all, is how much excess weight you carry. If you have a large amount of excess weight, the surgeon often opts for open. The reason is, with a thick layer of fat, is it difficult to operate the laparoscope to the extent necessary for the surgery, due to lack of space in the abdominal cavity, and the thickness of the fat layer itself. Think of a short tunnel and a long tunnel. Quite obviously, it will be easier to operate an instrument through a short tunnel than a longer one. Also, with open, the surgeon will have a wider field of view, which will decrease the danger of not being able to see.
Another factor is whether you have had abdominal surgery before. If you have, as I have said, one will have adhesion, which again may get in the way of the laparoscope, and can be dangerous.
Both lap and open have their merits and demerits. Which is better depends on the overall condition of the individual, so it has to be talked over with the surgeon.

If you opt for the surgery, do not go in having made up your mind completely on how you want it done, rather, make a choice of what you prefer, and keep your mind open to what the surgeon and his staff has to say, and talk over every single question and concern you have, and then decide. Most of the most important info that you will need in deciding, will come only from your surgeon, because he/she's going to be the only one who will have all and the complete medical info on you.

((((((HUGS))))))

[fr1endly2]

JUST wanted to chime in and welcome you ELISA
i look forward to getting to know you now that you
felt so comfortable to post!!!!

ITS a tough deicison to make weather to have or not have
surgery but only you can make the surgery! FOR me it was
easly at 310 lbs my health was equally at risk for heart attack
or stroke so that out weighed any sugery risks.

WELCOME to the family here its an awesome site for friendships, support
and q's answered!

[bren]

Welcome Elisa, looking forward to getting to know you through your posts. You have come to the right place to have any questions answered!!