Plication?

[MamaMelly 97]

Hey everyone, so I am scheduled to be sleeved on August 2nd. Doing research, I just read about the sleeve plication which sounds like it's less risk and slightly more successful than the gastric sleeve. Anyone else wondering if a plication is better? I don't even think my surgeon does them, and I hate to start the process over again. I wish I had heard about ths procedure sooner.

[O.T.R. sleever 3,386]

Hey everyone' date=' so I am scheduled to be sleeved on August 2nd. Doing research, I just read about the sleeve plication which sounds like it's less risk and slightly more successful than the gastric sleeve. Anyone else wondering if a plication is better? I don't even think my surgeon does them, and I hate to start the process over again. I wish I had heard about ths procedure sooner.[/quote']

Do more research on this one. I've found many cases where the stomach that was folded over suffered from lack of blood circulation and then required further surgeries to remove that portion as it had died. Just my 2¢ but it just is not the proven surgery that the sleeve is. It does seem less invasive on the surface, but best I can tell is much more likely to have complications.

[UTGal99 327]

I agree with O.T.RSleever. My dear friend's sister passed away from complications from the plication. Same thing happened to her. The part of the stomach folded over lost blood circulation and caused a serious case of gangrene. The gangrene turned her septic and she passed away.

I would talk further to your surgeon on the risks associated. I am sure with all surgeries anyone can have complications. But my friend's sister was 7 months out from surgery before this happened. Just when you think you are doing well and then this happens.

The plication just isn't worth it to me. I want to know once my incision site has healed and I am out of the woods on leaks and other complications I can move forward with my life.

Just my 2 cents...

[UTGal99 327]

One last thing: why are you considering plication over the sleeve? Just because the plication doesn't seem as permanent?

I look at it this way - if I had cancer and had to have a portion of my stomach removed to survive I would do what I need to do. That portion of the stomach is doing none of us with a weight problem any good, just causing heartache. Take it out!

Good Luck with whatever decision you make.

[MamaMelly 97]

One last thing: why are you considering plication over the sleeve? Just because the plication doesn't seem as permanent?

I look at it this way - if I had cancer and had to have a portion of my stomach removed to survive I would do what I need to do. That portion of the stomach is doing none of us with a weight problem any good, just causing heartache. Take it out!

Good Luck with whatever decision you make.

Hey everyone, i really appreciate the replies. I'm not necessarily even considering the procedure, how I came across it actually is that I was looking up the wikipedia article on sleeving to show a coworker as I thought it could help me explain to her the surgery I was having done as she had never heard of it. I saw a reference to the plication during my research and just did some brief reading on the plication site that is sponsored by the same people as this site. At the surface, it was portrayed as less risky and that was my draw. I'm terrified of complications, so my immediate reaction was to want to do something safer. Obviously, this isn't necessarily the case. I appreciate your insights! Yes, i will just continue with my process and will be gettings sleeved on August 2nd!

[UTGal99 327]

You will do great no matter what decision you choose, MamaMelly! Good Luck to you and post your findings if you speak to your surgeon about plication. I understand that each procedure has their own unique complications. You just have to do what is right for you.

[kyllfalcon 768]

I went in thinking I wanted the Lap Band, then when I saw how many folks were having theirs removed, I moved on to wanting plication. I was in dread fear of having such a large portion of my stomach permanently removed.

My surgeon had done a total of 24 plications, but had done thousands of sleeves. He was quite willing, but he did say the plication was once thought to be reversible, but history is proving that not to be the case. So what's the point?

And most importantly, all the workers at the clinic told me behind their hands in whispers not to do the plication. When I asked why, they said it just doesn't produce the results the sleeve does, just don't do it.

Nuff said. I got the sleeve.

[IsB 209]

From my research it looks like the plication is often coupled with a lap band. if you go to a band board you will see a lot of topics about this procedure and get some feedback from those who have done it. I did ask my surgeon about it and he told me that it is not something that he does. In his opinion there are just too many possible complications associated with that procedure. He said that someone considering the band plus plication is better off with the sleeve or bypass.

[Rootman 1,101]

My advice is similar to kyllfalcon above, I started out considering the band and could not overcome the dread of having a plastic gizmo in my gut that would eventually have to be removed - and that's the untold secret of the band - it's temporary and WILL have to be removed at some point. Maybe 5 years, maybe 10 or 20 but it WILL have to come out. Erosion happens, slippage happens, bladder failure happens. Cost and frequency of fills also threw me off.

I actually set up plication at first thinking that I really didn't want 3/4 of my stomach cut away. Little info was around about it at that time (almost 2 years ago now) but I just saw potential problems. The afore mentioned circulation and tissue death was one of them, how can you fold up and sew something and not have at least part of it shrivel up and die? I was also concerned about food / etc getting caught in the folds and spoiling and causing infection. Also what keep the points at which the stomach is pierced from eventually leaking? Granted it's pretty stable but what if you over indulge a few times, would that be enough to move the suture and cause the suture hole to stretch and leak stomach contents into the abdomen? And what if the sutures break? Too many question and no good answers.

I took a deep breath and decided it was the sleeve or nothing. You can see the results below in my signature.

[Aaron in Tulsa 147]

I totally agree with Rootman. Plication seems like much too much of a gamble.

[ebonisekim 1,713]

I read in my policy where they did a study on this on 17 ppl most of them had to get revise to sleeve and two if them stomach unfolded and my insurance does not consider this surgery