Beccatatqueen

Hey everyone..... Went in at 8:15am, surgery at 9:15 and home but 1pm. Surgery went well and I have been up and walking trying to get rid of the air, which is the only issue I am having right now. I am so excited about this new journey. If anyone is interested or has questions about GP's or Gastric plication or Gastric imbrication (all is the same). I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Remember, I have only been home 3 hours so if I don't get back with you immediately......you know why.

Hey Joanie, Glad to hear you are doing well. I am doing better than I have been. I am now faithfully working out 3 times a week and that is helping. I actually look forward to it. I also, question myself before i stick something in my mouth. lol...18+pounds is great. Just think it might be slower but it is definitely coming off and that is what counts. Keep up the great work. Becca

Doing well.....I am about 7 weeks post op and really not having any issues. Like other weight surgeries this is just a tool. You still need to watch your food intake and exercise. Weight wise I believe I am a little past 30lbs. I have been able to start exercising faithfully the past two weeks so I am hoping this will help. Only problems I had was the nauseous feeling but I was able to overcome that with the help of meds from my doctor and time. I believe more than anything it was my stomach just being mad at me and trying to heal. My personal opinion is the plication over the sleeve for the fact that it is reversible where the sleeve is not. Hope I have helped. Dr. Watkins was my doctor and he has written some great information on this website regarding plication. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask and I will be brutally honest with you. The only draw back that I have is the fact that my doc fixed my stomach but I have to fix my head. There is no doubt there is an emotion that comes with food and working on that is the hard part.

Hi, I replying not because I can answer your questions but because of the question regarding emotions. I had gastric plication done from the beginning 7 weeks ago. I have lost about 35 lbs but I have been fighting the emotion thing from the beginning. I guess in my mind, I thought the weight would melt off. Don't get me wrong I am pleased with the loss but I guess, for me I just thought it would be a little easier. I mean I cut my calories in half if not by more....I am not drinking pop, hardly go out to eat and when I do I get the child's menu and now I'm working out 3 days a week and still I only lose a pound to two pounds a week. One week I gained 3 lbs and the next didn't lose any. There is no doubt this is a mind game and over coming this is harder than I thought. Emotions definitly play a part in my everyday life and I don't know how to over come the fact that food is no longer my best friend. I have good days and bad and I have never regreted my surgery. This is the side that when asked if I was ready pre-surgery.....I could have ever expected this. I don't know if this makes sense but losing weight is just not exercise and diet but it is also working out who I am and focusing on picking up better habits and not relying on food to get me through. I have read many individuals who have gone from banded to plication and have had success. I wish you all the best in your choices that you make and hope that you find what it is that you need. Becca

My doctor was Dr. Watkins located in West Chester, Ohio. My surgery was July 14th of this year.

I am 6 weeks post op on the plication and I am finally feeling back to normal the past week. I was having lots of nausea after eating no matter what I ate. That has now all but been eliminated. I have lost about 30 lb and my frustration now is I guess I expected the weight to just fall off. I went one week gaining 3 lbs and the next week not losing at all. I have chosen not to go weigh in for two weeks so not to get depressed but the truth of the matter is I need to focus on me and not just the weight. I have started to exercise the past two weeks and hope with doing this that I will start to lose some. You have to remember that your calories will be cut to about 1200 a day and that your body will eventually adjust but understand our brains are very complex and at first it will think its starving and it will hord the calories causing an increase possibly but eventually that will balance out. As far as drinking I can not gulp my drinks any more it does take me all day to get about 70 ounces of Fluid down. I think this differs for everyone. I will tell you even though I have had some struggles along the way I would do this over a million times. I am very happy now it's trying to figure out what works for me. Hope this helps. Becca

Congrats and welcome to the plication world. I am two weeks post op and love mine. I am glad that I went this route the first time. I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing how you do. Becca

Amy, Mine have been fantastic. I go in unannounced once a week to weigh in because I don't have a scale that goes up that high and they always welcome me and then come in and cheer me on including the doc. Now there's a support system. My local doctor doesn't even know I did this yet. I am self pay so I didn't have a letter from the doc. I continue to ask questions especially of them because this is a new surgery and I get such a welcome from them. Becca

Amy, This tube was due to I believe a couple different reasons. He first went down to look to make sure that I had no hernia's, polops or any ulcers because, I had such reflux problems. He also used this to fix my sphincter muscle between my esphogus(?) and stomach. Most people with reflux have stretched this out and he fixes this while completing the other procedure. Once he is done with my stomach he then uses this tube that has a camera to make sure everything is smoothe and done correctly before closing everything up. I know I have seen a list of questions along the way but I don't know if there is a certain forum. -Ask about what all is included in the price (including blood work, psych eval and sleep test) mine were included in price....specially since you are paying for it out of pocket. -ask about the reflux and whether or not they are going to fix it while they do the procedure -ask about the diet before and after -ask about the risk -pain medicine for afterwards -all doctors should have a pre-op forms and post-op of what to expect and do -feel totally comfortable with your doctor and trust him -I kept making excuses for my first doctor because I wanted the surgery soooo bad that GOD had to hit me with a bat before I went to Dr. Watkins -and read this forum from those of us who are going through it. -Don't be afraid to ask any questions there are no stupid questions -Ask about how many times you will see the doctor after surgery for check ups -ask about support groups -Therapist -Nutrionist I know there are more but this is what I have right now. Becca

Amy, I am not sure about each individual doctor but mine did not require a catheter. Not to say some don't but mine did not. But even if they do.....they will do it after you are a sleep and you won't even notice it. Just try to focus on the the pot of gold at the end. Mine did place a tube down my throat but again this was done after I was asleep and I didn't even realize it. Don't feel stupid about any questions or think it's whining. We all have done this or are about to and it is a big deal. So don't worry about the questions. Becca

Congrats and welcome to the club. We all hope to hear many success stories from you and hope you share your journey with us. Welcome! Becca

Amy, I am the same as Joanie......however, I had let my first doctor go after NOT being real happy with her or her staff. I found Dr. Watkin's because a hospital member suggested him and said he was great. I went into their office one day in tears. I was so frustrated by this other doctor and when I walked in this office was a 360 degree turn around. They were so kind in Dr. Watkins office and so helpful. Everything was explained thoroughly. I was able to transfer everything I had done already to them. Which was great. My suggestion is I believe both Cknorte and I have had two great doctors. You might want to call them both and just talk and ask questions and then you can make your decision on what is the best for you. There is no right or wrong just what is best for each one of us. I have spoken to Cknorte as well, and she sounds like her doctor was fantastic and had a great experience as did I. As for physical, I did have one done just because of my size but it was not required. I think they could tell if something was going on by the blood work that is required. Becca

Amy, I am glad you sent the Ghrelin Study. There is a lot of should I say tit for tat on this site regarding this hormone. I will say that I trust my doctor. We don't have long term studies for this surgery but we do have about 3 years and we are extremely successful. Now what I know......My doctor has said no carbonated pop one because think of it as a canister under pressure. Over time it will explode...now we won't explode but we could dialate our stomach. They say the part of the stomach that we are left with is harder to stretch but i just don't want to take a chance. Some do and seem to be fine but I wouldn't. I had to pay this out of pocket and I just don't want that chance. My doctor did state that if the pop is flat you have taken the carbonation out of it but again that would be your decision. My doctor while fixing my stomach he fixes everyones reflux problem as well. His feeling is, if he's down there he as my's well fix that problem too. Again, I have a fantastic doctor. You might want to ask your doc about this. I had reflux extremely bad and now NONE! Diary is no problem. I do have fullness longer. It's amazing that when I am hungry I am famished but 4 ounces later and I am stuff beyond belief. It does last a lot longer. I can it at 9am Breakfast, again at 1pm and again at 6pm and be happy. Each only about 4 ounces. I hope this helps. Keep sending all the questions you have. I am more than happy to at least give you my opionion on how I feel. Becca

Amy, Hi, I am Becca and I am almost two weeks post-op. I have had the Gastric Plication and I only have great things to say about it. To understand it from a doctors point of view......my doctor, Dr. Watkins posted some comments about the Gastric Plication that I think you will find very interesting. It's I believe, on this site and in this forum. Now, my point of view. Here is what I can tell you from a non professional view. The pro's......It's reversible, I have all my organs, no foriengn objects in my body, more weight loss with no worries of leakage, erosion, and slipage. The cons.......No long term data but as I have said on more than one occasion this was true for all other weight loss surgeries before plication and you see where we are now. My understanding is that this I believe started in Greece but they have done a lot of these and I should say very successfully in Mexico. You will find a lot of info on the web with a doctor in Mexico performing this procedure. Now, the hardest part for me, of course, was the two week liquid diet and everyone on this site and other sites will tell you it depends on the doctor you have will depend on what pre-op diet you will get. Yes, you should follow it.....this is for your safety and your liver's safety. So far the two weeks liquid I have lost about 8lbs and my first week after surgery I lost 18lbs.....total of 26 in 3 weeks. I am a much larger person than you and weight loss will vary depending on how good you are and of course the surgery you choose. I am now in my two weeks of mushie stage which is so it gives my stomach a chance to heal. I can eat about 4 ounces at each meal but you do not push any more. If you do it hurts and believe me you will only do it once. It's a fillness like no other. But with that said it's a fillness like no other and you aren't hungry either. What most people have to fix is the mind. Our great doctors can fix the tummy but the mind is on you. There is very few restrictions on food with this procedure and as I tell everyone I am so happy I chose this one but YOU have to find one that fits you best. Read the good the bad and the ugly. Please research your doctor, make sure you can trust them, make sure that they are there to answer ALL questions even the small ones and make sure that you are ready for a change. Amy this is going to be a journey of your life and it will be well worth everything that you had wished for. I have been waiting a long time for this and I am glad I waited because this procedure was meant for me. Good luck to you and let me know if you have any other questions.

Joan, Dr. Watkins is fantastic! You know immediately when you speak with someone that they care about what they do and want to really help and this is Dr. Watkins and his staff. My surgery went very well. My surgery was at 9:15a and I was home by 1pm. Once I got to the surgery center and they started my IV the doc and anesth both came in and spoke with me and my family at great length and joked around to put me at ease. I am now 4 days post-op and feeling pretty good. The first day, I had a lot of air in the body cavity so I walked around the house and was able to get rid of this within a few hours. Second day went grocery shopping with my mother. Probably walked a little too much. Third day was feeling it a little more but it was due to the day before and I think I did more than I should. Today has been a good day with little to no discomfort. I am worn out due to little calorie intake other than Water. I have no appetite and I don't even think about food. I hope this helps Joan. Are you too going for the GP's? I wish you the best and keep me informed.

Kamie, To answer this question for you regarding how much weight. This is still a tool and from the weight charts on a two year period people are losing about 60% of excess weight their first year. They consider this a happy marriage between Gastric bypass and the band without all the restrictions. I asked my doctor the very same question because I have about 200lbs to lose and he stated that higher bmi are doing the best and that over a two year period we all equal out in weight on all surgeries. Hope this helps. Becca

Hi Everyone, I have been going through this process for 15 years. First it was the Gastric bypass which I am glad my insurance didn't pay because had I gone through with it I would not have happy. The lap band was what I want but after reading from individuals about the complaints they have had with dialation, port issues, sweet spot, thing getting stuck, slipage, erosion and not to mention slow weight loss I didn't want that either. My doctor has started to do the plication. The reason I chose this over the sleeve is because with the plication there is no cutting, stapling and throwing away the excess stomach. I still have my large part of my stomach, the difference is that he has folded it up to look like a seam and stitched it. It is virtually without complications. I still have the restriction like anyone else and will through up if I eat too much but I no deep down if I had to undue this procedure that mine is reversible. I have no restrictions on food and I don't have to worry about slime or acid reflux because my doctor fixed that while he was in there. My post-op has been surgery perfect. Air in the body cavity and I immediately started walking in my house to get rid of that. Not much discomfort in the stomach at all and I am a baby. Now third day I am having gas discomfort again will be walking and pushing liquids to help with this. Please feel free to write me with more questions as they come up. I very excited to share my experience with everyone.

Tiffykin, I am not disputing what you said exactly as what I have seen others say both on Lapband.com and Sleevetalk. I want everyone to be aware of all risk. You can go to 50 different doctors and all of them have different opinions about all these surgeries. My suggestion is that anyone interested in learning about weightloss surgery that they need to do research and find the one that is best for them. Each to there own on what best fits them....however I find that everyone needs to go in first knowing the difference about each surgery along with the pros and cons. On the sight "Calling all TGVP" Everyone will find an interesting email from Dr. Watkins on TGVP. My concern is that everyone needs to be aware and find the best match for them. Although individuals are giving information sometimes this information is not always correct. Hope this clears up if you felt fingers were being point at you.

Ambryant, You will do great and those fears are to be expected. I had my surgery yesterday and I had the same feelings. Surround yourself with great support and a great doctor. Just think of how the new you will look soon and keep your eyes on the prize. No one said it would be easy but neither was carrying around the weight. You are in my Prayers.

Just take it easy. I had my surgery done yesterday as well around 9:15am. The most discomfort I have felt is the air in the cavity. That has pretty much disapated but now it's finding a comfortable laying position. If you have a long drive and have pain medicine you might want to take it. It really depends on your pain tolerance. You will do great and I wish you all the best.

Hey all, My only suggestion is to really be careful and make sure you are giving the right advise when it comes to different types of surgeries. I see that everyone is doing this out of the goodness of their heart however, I see a lot of information that is not correct. I had the GP's which is the newest procedure. It is Gastric Plication or Gastric imbrication. Gastric meaning stomach and Plication or imbrication because the stomach stays put. There is not stapling or removal of the stomach. Now as far as the hormone Ghrelin is concerned. Yes, this is a hormone but it is much more complex than the information given. First, although we know that this hormone is known to work with our brain causing gravings there are two hundrend more just like her out there that we haven't even started to recognize or name yet. The restriction is the same with Gastric Plication as it is with the VSG. These surgeries are not the same because VSG involves stapling and removal however the restriction is the same. Think of it this way.....you can remove Grelin from the expressway but there will be two hundred more cars out there just like her. The cons to GP's is that there are not long term statistics however, once again there were not long term statistics on the Sleeve and band in the beginning. If you do your research you will find that this procedure is reversible, very few complications if any, the continuous weightloss continues even after two years and no leakage because of no stapling and I will continue to have my stomach. Like with all these weight loss surgeries this in only a tool. I have heard success stories with all and I have heard those who have continous issues with leakage and so forth. This procedure is becoming what some doctors including John Hopkins Hospital is calling a happy marriage between both Gastric bypass and lap band without the complication. Beaware that GP's is not for the lightweight......If you look at a two year statistic on all these surgeries you will find that they all end up losing about the same. As long as one find themselves with no complications or cheating. Before choosing any weightloss surgery first, find a doctor that fits you. One that will answer your questions, supports those willing to make a change and one that is not in it for the money. Second do your research, all doctors are different....my first one I fired after jumping through hoop after hoop not to mention appointments set that they forgot to set. It took GOD hitting me with a baseball bat before I fired this doc and went to one that was everything I had been looking for. Some doctors are known to take advantage because they know that we are at our lowest point and desperate. Now, before I get any unhappy people writing me.......there are many great doctors out there as well. I am telling you to do your research for yourself. Not every doctor is for the same person. We are all in this spot for one reason and that is to fight the FAT. I send well wishes to everyone and hope that they start their journey soon to a new healthier individual. For those who have had it do I wish you nothing but success. Other than the Gastric Bypass which I don't believe in at all and believe that someday soon this will be the thing of the past due to how dangerous it is. I believe that the Band, VSG and Gastric plication all have pros and cons and that you have to find the one that fits you. If you have any other questions regarding Gastric Plication feel free to email me. Also, Dr. Brad Watkins of Cincinnati Weightloss Center in West Chester, Ohio is the surgeon that just completed my surgery yesterday morning and his office and he would be great at answering question.