Lapband Plication Newb

[onlyspice6 20]

Hi all... I'm about to have lapband and plication this coming Tuesday the 11th of OCt.... I've been on a full liquid diet for a few days and its been pretty easy, I'm just really scared of complications and having to have more surgeries. I have never had a surgery before in my life and I'm really nervous, I'm doing this for a better life not for a more complicated scary one. I mentioned in another thread, that I DO currently have gall stones...But my doc said he doesn't want to take out the GB at the same time, because it can cause infection in the stomach... but ChowChows story of gall bladder attacks post op followed by more surgery, well it really scared me .. My doc said that my gall bladder may or may not act up post op, and that if it does, it'd be easier to take it out if i weighed less (it'd be less dangerous) .... I'm just really nervous as it is I keep hearing conflicting things from people. Any insights/encouragement would be greatly appreciated I guess i just need a little reassurance here, from some of you veterans of the game... especially if you have had the same thing as me.

[TijuanaPlication 87]

That sounds very odd. Who's your doc? I know it's standard to have your gallbladder removed during Duodenal Switch surgery and DS patients are generally very heavy.

[onlyspice6 20]

That sounds very odd. Who's your doc? I know it's standard to have your gallbladder removed during Duodenal Switch surgery and DS patients are generally very heavy.

His name is Dr. Brett Cohen in Hollywood Florida. And he didn't say that he wouldn't take it out because I'm heavy... but rather that if the GB isnt causing any problems now then he wouldnt suggest taking it out PRIOR to the plication band, (because I'm heavy) which makes surgery riskier. And he didnt want remove it DURING because it can cause infection... So he said to leave it in and if it causes trouble then remove it at a later stage, because it may not cause trouble at all and if it does, then I'll be lighter and surgery will be less risky then to do it prior.

[TijuanaPlication 87]

Ah, OK yeah, GB removal shouldn't really be necessary when performing the plication.

His name is Dr. Brett Cohen in Hollywood Florida. And he didn't say that he wouldn't take it out because I'm heavy... but rather that if the GB isnt causing any problems now then he wouldnt suggest taking it out PRIOR to the plication band, (because I'm heavy) which makes surgery riskier. And he didnt want remove it DURING because it can cause infection... So he said to leave it in and if it causes trouble then remove it at a later stage, because it may not cause trouble at all and if it does, then I'll be lighter and surgery will be less risky then to do it prior.

[BandedPlicatedDude 13]

Hi there Spice,

Did my Bandication (as someone referred to it once...) on July 14. I had a GB filled with stones for a few years and my doc knew that it had to come out; at first he did not want to remove it until months after the surgery after weight loss... Apparently it's a lot easier to remove it laparoscopically if you weigh less. I was ok with that except that my insurance did not cover any type of WLS & being broke and all I thought if the surgeries are combined, since the insurance will have to cover the GB removal part, it'll help me a lot. So I convinced him to do it. Fast forward to the day of the surgery now... Went in the OR at around 9:15 a.m., expecting to be out by 11 or so... When I woke up in the recovery room, it was 6:15 p.m. Later i learned that the surgery ended at 3:30... Almost 6.5 hrs of anesthesia... It was brutal indeed & I ended up staying at the hospital for 3 days as my heartrate was high & my potassium was low & some other things due to the length of the surgery and the GB. Surgeon later said the removal of the GB was to be blamed. It took him the most as it was "gigantic" but he still managed to do it laparoscopically, for which I was grateful. He had to fix a huge hernia which obviously contributed to the lengthiness of the surgery. It took me a good month or so to shake off the whole anesthesia and a bit more to just get adjusted to the new me--I had no nausea really and took very little liquid pain med; had 0 gas pain; but did have lots of what I want to call discomfort around my incision areas in general, but that was expected as I've always been in a wheelchair (rare birth defect totally unrelated to any of this), so transferring myself from bed to chair and other places was excruciating for a while...

Look, I am not going to sugarcoat this... It wasn't easy FOR ME at all, but I'll do it ten million times over (except I'd wait on the GB removal until after the WLS surgery) again as the prize has been well worth the trouble... I've been losing an average of 11 lbs. per month. I've lost a total of 48.5 lbs. since I started this journey in June. I'm only 33 and still cannot remember the time I weighed around 204... Been fat all my life pretty much. I'm now so used to eating very little and also to avoiding carbs and all the nastiness they offer. My carb intake is never more than 30 grams per day. I try to drink plenty of Water and eat lots of animal Protein. It's been much easier than I ever imagined to avoid sweets, etc. and it's been so rewarding... Still working on my strength to be able to add more physical activity to my routine, but definitely getting there...

Having said all this said, do not worry at all for good things (really good things) are in store for you and you don't even know the beginning of it yet... Put off the GB removal until after your WLS surgery just like your doctor suggests and I think you'll be good to go.

Good luck and keep us posted please!

[chowchows 100]

I have read that there is such a thing as "innocent" gallstones. Basically, if they are not causing you any trouble, the recommendation is to leave them(according to what I have read on the Internet). WLS is a culprit (and any weight loss in general, or just being overweight in the first place) in developing gallstones, and if you already have them and they are not causing you trouble, your doc might think that there is no reason to perform another surgery unnecessarily. That being said, if you are having any trouble, I would talk to him about it again. Looking back, I realize that I was having pains from my GB as far back as January (had surgery the end of April). I just thought they were muscle pains in my back. They actually went away for awhile after my surgery (I'm sure from the reduced fat in my diet post plication). Knowing what I know now though, I probably should have had it out with my plication, as it was already causing issues. You can also try to request a HIDA scan to see if your GB is functioning. If it's not, your doc might take that into consideration and re-think taking it out at the same time, or he may still say no. I'm not a doc, but if you are not having any issues right now and you already have the stones, and your doctor thinks you don't need to remove the GB, then he probably has a pretty good reason for not messing with it.

Whatever you and your doc decide, I wish you the best of luck!

[Jenn 27]

Spice,

good luck to you on your journey. I also have a lapband with plication, however, I am a revision patient. I was originally a banded in 2001. You can read more about it on the blog in my signature if you want more information. I have lost about 65 pounds so far and would like to lose about another 40 more. My band is completely empty and I plan on leaving it that way. Take care and please let us know how it goes.

[FatToPhat 83]

His name is Dr. Brett Cohen in Hollywood Florida. And he didn't say that he wouldn't take it out because I'm heavy... but rather that if the GB isnt causing any problems now then he wouldnt suggest taking it out PRIOR to the plication band, (because I'm heavy) which makes surgery riskier. And he didnt want remove it DURING because it can cause infection... So he said to leave it in and if it causes trouble then remove it at a later stage, because it may not cause trouble at all and if it does, then I'll be lighter and surgery will be less risky then to do it prior.

Makes sense to me!!

[onlyspice6 20]

Hi Guys, thanks for all your responses. I know its been a long time, but I wanted to tell you all that you guys were a great source of comfort to me and a big help. My surgery went great and I'm 90lbs down and I voluntarily had my gall bladder out last month. It wasn't fun, but not a massive deal either and I luckily never felt symptoms of the gall stones I just knew it'd have to come out at some point and I figured why wait for the pain. I'm lighter and fitter and i have the time so now is the time. So just incase ya'll were wondering, thats where I'm at. Thanks again everybody !!

[BandedPlicatedDude 13]

Wow! Thanks for the update. And a job well done to you! I did my band/plication in July of 2011, and have lost 110 lbs. since then. I had my gallbladder removed at the same time and had my severe hiatal hernia fixed as well--not fun, but looking back, I have no regrets whatsoever... I started at 253 and I'm down to 143 now which is about 10 lbs. below my goal.

Again, great job & thanks for the update!