GPS Update: Important new information

[lilmissbigmouth 4]

I am so happy to have found this forum and to find someone with the same surgery as me. It seems to be pretty rare. I just got my second fill Wednesday. I have a total of 4cc and I am feeling good restriction now. I have been lucky enough not to have any problems so far. The plan is for me to lose 100 to 120 lbs then convert to RNY. This is due to my higher weight and the risks of a more invasive surgery.

[meggiep 57]

I asked my doctor about the pication. He is one of the best WLS surgeons in our area, and has been doing the sleeve for a long time- worked with the surgeon who developed it. He will NOT be doing the plication- he believes the problem with lack of blood flow will be common and these complications are the tip of the iceberg.

I am not wanting to be a Debbie Downer, I am just relating what my doctor said. I had been very interested in the plication, as of course it seemed attractive to keep the rest of your stomach and reverse it when you reach your goal. Once he told me his feelings, along with some of the complications I have seen, I decided full heartedly on the sleeve.

I also wonder, considering the fact for many of us surgery is the last resort after trying everything, if reversible surgery will mean lots of weight gain ultimately.

[Lmom1980 29]

I asked my doctor about the pication. He is one of the best WLS surgeons in our area, and has been doing the sleeve for a long time- worked with the surgeon who developed it. He will NOT be doing the plication- he believes the problem with lack of blood flow will be common and these complications are the tip of the iceberg.

I am not wanting to be a Debbie Downer, I am just relating what my doctor said. I had been very interested in the plication, as of course it seemed attractive to keep the rest of your stomach and reverse it when you reach your goal. Once he told me his feelings, along with some of the complications I have seen, I decided full heartedly on the sleeve.

I also wonder, considering the fact for many of us surgery is the last resort after trying everything, if reversible surgery will mean lots of weight gain ultimately.

Nobody who decides on plication plans on getting it reversed. Obviously you would gain weight if you reversed it. The benefit is that if you decided on another WLS in the future, or needed a bigger stomach for some strange reason, you have not burned any bridges. No doctor or patient does plication thinking that they will reverse it though. I am not 100% sure that I made the right choice with plication as I am only 2 weeks out. I don't have any regrets yet though. I bet people with VSG who have had leaks or absorbtion issues are not 100% sure that they made the right choice either. It is a hard choice with pros and cons for both. Best of luck on your VSG!

[FatToPhat 83]

Nobody who decides on plication plans on getting it reversed. Obviously you would gain weight if you reversed it. The benefit is that if you decided on another WLS in the future, or needed a bigger stomach for some strange reason, you have not burned any bridges. No doctor or patient does plication thinking that they will reverse it though. I am not 100% sure that I made the right choice with plication as I am only 2 weeks out. I don't have any regrets yet though. I bet people with VSG who have had leaks or absorbtion issues are not 100% sure that they made the right choice either. It is a hard choice with pros and cons for both. Best of luck on your VSG!

Well said!!

[meggiep 57]

Nobody who decides on plication plans on getting it reversed. Obviously you would gain weight if you reversed it. The benefit is that if you decided on another WLS in the future, or needed a bigger stomach for some strange reason, you have not burned any bridges. No doctor or patient does plication thinking that they will reverse it though. I am not 100% sure that I made the right choice with plication as I am only 2 weeks out. I don't have any regrets yet though. I bet people with VSG who have had leaks or absorbtion issues are not 100% sure that they made the right choice either. It is a hard choice with pros and cons for both. Best of luck on your VSG!

You are totally right- all of these procedures have complications! I think I am resopnding to a few posts I saw saying the plication was reversible.

I just wanted to state what my doctor said- feeling tender about my WLS brothers and sisters here and not wanting to imply anything about the choices that have been made, yet wanting to have it be known what the response was to my question. I was actually very surprised by his answer- from what I had read plication seemed like an ideal thing, perhaps the next new best choice. He made it very clear he was concerned about many issues.

Best of luck and light and love to you! I look forward to seeing your great results on your journey.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

What absorption issues are you talking about?

We all know that the VSG comes with a 1% chance of a leak, but I know of no other issues with a VSG.

[lilmissbigmouth 4]

I got the band over plication as a first step in my weight loss journey. Once I lose 100 to 120 I will convert to RNY. The reason being this surgery is less invasive. So, by losing this weight first, it will make RNY safer for me since I have an extremely high BMI. I know there can be complications with any of these surgeriesa. I did a lot of research and I feel I chose the best surgeon for me. That's why I am willing to make the drive 3 1/2 hours each way to my appointments. They have an excellent staff as well. Everyone there is amazing. I am hoping for a good outcome. But I know if there are problems my surgeon will be able to resolve them.

[Tiffykins 673]

Nobody who decides on plication plans on getting it reversed. Obviously you would gain weight if you reversed it. The benefit is that if you decided on another WLS in the future, or needed a bigger stomach for some strange reason, you have not burned any bridges. No doctor or patient does plication thinking that they will reverse it though. I am not 100% sure that I made the right choice with plication as I am only 2 weeks out. I don't have any regrets yet though. I bet people with VSG who have had leaks or absorbtion issues are not 100% sure that they made the right choice either. It is a hard choice with pros and cons for both. Best of luck on your VSG!

I just want to address the bolded statement. I had a leak 2 days post my revision. I also had horrible anesthesia complications during the repair, landed on life support for 4-5 days and my prognosis was grave at best. I had an extensive 3.5 month long recovery with an additional hospitalization for abscesses, was on TPN with a central pic line for over 2 weeks with nothing by mouth for over 20 days after the leak repair. My husband was deployed, and not allowed to come home during all of this even as I lay in ICU with a 10% chance of survival. I can assure you that my recovery was pure hell, but not once did I think "oh crap what have I done!".

To this very day, I have absolutely ZERO regrets nor am I anything short of 100% certain that I made the right choice with VSG. I never once doubted that I made the "right" choice with VSG, and today, I'm even more certain that I made the best decision. I've said it many times here that I would endure every struggle and obstacle in my recovery to live the life I have today.

I just thought I would throw out my experience to give a different perspective on complications with any surgery.

[kpodle 3]

Regarding absorption and the sleeve, I was always under the impression that there was no absorption issues. Then doing research I came across the article linked below. I found it a little disconcerting. I'm not trying to bash the sleeve (as I think that's the procedure I will end up getting) but this article's findings were surprising...

http://www.springerlink.com/content/b532u2412753kp30/

[TEXAS DIVA 10]

I just want to address the bolded statement. I had a leak 2 days post my revision. I also had horrible anesthesia complications during the repair, landed on life support for 4-5 days and my prognosis was grave at best. I had an extensive 3.5 month long recovery with an additional hospitalization for abscesses, was on TPN with a central pic line for over 2 weeks with nothing by mouth for over 20 days after the leak repair. My husband was deployed, and not allowed to come home during all of this even as I lay in ICU with a 10% chance of survival. I can assure you that my recovery was pure hell, but not once did I think "oh crap what have I done!".

To this very day, I have absolutely ZERO regrets nor am I anything short of 100% certain that I made the right choice with VSG. I never once doubted that I made the "right" choice with VSG, and today, I'm even more certain that I made the best decision. I've said it many times here that I would endure every struggle and obstacle in my recovery to live the life I have today.

I just thought I would throw out my experience to give a different perspective on complications with any surgery.

Oh my goodness Tiffykins..just sitting here reading your recovery I have tears in my eyes.. I love to read your posts because they always seem so well informed. But, I never read your recovery story! I literally have a lump in my throat. Then to read that you have ZERO regrets even today! Man, I leave on Friday for plication in Mexico. I have had a rough week with self doubt, fear and overall lack of confidence in what I am getting into. Then I prayed to God to give me a sign or something. What I have gotten is just an overall feeling of peace and that everything would be all right.. Man, Tiffy, I have so much respect for your and what you have been thru. I pray that God gives me the strength to accept what may be ahead for me and give me the courage to face it. Thanks for sharing!

[oliviam 3]

I haven't been on these boards in a while, life took over after my surgery, but I am pretty disenchanted with all the banter on this thread. I have felt for sometime that the sleevers and plication patients seem to have a vendetta against anyone choosing an alternative surgery than their own. It is not encouraging and/or helpful to be told how superior your surgery is and what a bad choice another person's surgery is, especially for those of us who have already made the decision and had the surgery done. We are all WLS patients and this board is supposed to be a place of comfort and support, not a place to create constant second guessing. To be honest, this is a board for GPS patients so while I love the feedback from sleevers and their experiences, I'm not sure that we need the deterrence speeches all the time. Trash plication all you want but please do it on the sleeve board. We obviously have reasons for choosing the surgery that we chose or are choosing and I wouldn't say that a plication patient is any less intelligent than a sleeve patient. We all do our homework, agonize over the decision, and turn to these boards for help. Please do not patronize us by acting like you know better because you chose the sleeve. I think the sleeve has shown tremendous results and I am inspired by the success stories, but the sleeve has also had complications , JUST LIKE PLICATION. I am appreciative that Dr. Watkins chose to reveal his findings, but he is one doctor. My surgeon is certainly NOT a bottom feeder and when I told him of Dr. Watkins post he did not bash him but simply said that the over 300 plications he has done, not one of his patients has had any sort of necrosis or leak. These are good numbers in my opinion. Perhaps it is a difference in technique, either way, the plication has been great for me. And if it isn't, save me the "I told you so's" and just be supportive, enough already!

[FatToPhat 83]

I haven't been on these boards in a while, life took over after my surgery, but I am pretty disenchanted with all the banter on this thread. I have felt for sometime that the sleevers and plication patients seem to have a vendetta against anyone choosing an alternative surgery than their own. It is not encouraging and/or helpful to be told how superior your surgery is and what a bad choice another person's surgery is, especially for those of us who have already made the decision and had the surgery done. We are all WLS patients and this board is supposed to be a place of comfort and support, not a place to create constant second guessing. To be honest, this is a board for GPS patients so while I love the feedback from sleevers and their experiences, I'm not sure that we need the deterrence speeches all the time. Trash plication all you want but please do it on the sleeve board. We obviously have reasons for choosing the surgery that we chose or are choosing and I wouldn't say that a plication patient is any less intelligent than a sleeve patient. We all do our homework, agonize over the decision, and turn to these boards for help. Please do not patronize us by acting like you know better because you chose the sleeve. I think the sleeve has shown tremendous results and I am inspired by the success stories, but the sleeve has also had complications , JUST LIKE PLICATION. I am appreciative that Dr. Watkins chose to reveal his findings, but he is one doctor. My surgeon is certainly NOT a bottom feeder and when I told him of Dr. Watkins post he did not bash him but simply said that the over 300 plications he has done, not one of his patients has had any sort of necrosis or leak. These are good numbers in my opinion. Perhaps it is a difference in technique, either way, the plication has been great for me. And if it isn't, save me the "I told you so's" and just be supportive, enough already!

Olivam, I LOVE what you wrote here! Thank you so much for saying it! I have felt the same way and have often felt "put down" for choosing the Plication over the Sleeve. Sometimes it has just been subtle comments, but sometimes not so much. Anyway, I wont rehash it, because you said it all very eloquently.

[Mamma Litts 2]

I also wonder, considering the fact for many of us surgery is the last resort after trying everything, if reversible surgery will mean lots of weight gain ultimately.

My personal experience is that when you reverse your surgery you do regain the excess weight. I had to have my LAP band removed due to erosion in December. Since that time I have regained approximate 30 lbs. I am planning to have GPS in mid-April, though I'll be following up w/ my surgeon to discuss the recent posts re: necrosis complications before making any final commitments. My personal experience - I tried following the band removal to maintain my band eating habits, and I felt STARVED. With the band I stopped eating when I felt sated, and now, it just takes way move food to reach that sated feeling. I thought at first that I could take feeling hungy all the time for maintaining close to my optimal weight, but I just wasn't that strong in the long run.

I don't think anyone should be "planning" to have WLS as a temp fix to get to goal, with the intent of then reversing. That is the old "diet" mentally that has served us all so poorly in the past... You follow the diet and lose weight, only to return to your pre-diet eating habits and regain it all. If you reverse your procedure, you return your digestive system to more or less it's current state... WLS is meant to be a lifelong choice for those for whom non-surgical weightless methods have proved ineffective.

[TEXAS DIVA 10]

Well said Oliviam..Lord knows that I have always felt like plicators were second class citizens round here.. Thanks for your words of intellect..

[Lmom1980 29]

:rolleyes:no kidding.....you can't even mention that there are known VSG risks and problems without someone giving her 2 cents.

If a surgery nearly killed me, I am pretty sure the normal reaction would be to think "what the hell have I done." Oh no....we can't say ANYTHING negative about VSG though. Geeesh, that's a little ridiculous!