On The Fence!

[Tisha38 1]

Hi! I am new here. I would like to feedback on getting the gastic sleeve plication or labband. Advantages and Disadvantage, please! Also, I think when I do decide which one to do I am going to Dr. Ortiz. ANY info please! Thanks!

[lap_of_luxury 7]

I had gastric plication with Dr. Ortiz on feb. 3. I lost 10 pounds pre op and 12 pounds post-op. i am 9 days post surgery right now and am having problems with diarrhea. I called the nutritionist at OCC and she advised me to discontinue milk based Soups and use rice milk in my Protein Shakes. I am recovering well and have found the OCC staff to be very helpful even though they are far away. I decisded for this surgery becasue it is reversible and the sleeve is not. The lap band has too many complications for me. So far, this has been exactly as I expected it. Good luck!

[Tisha38 1]

Thanks! I have been reading up on both, but I am really going back and fourth. Why you didn't think the band was for you?

[Shellyac 22]

I have both, when I started researching WLS I initally wanted the just the band but because my original surgeon put some doubt in my mind I started researching other options. I then found out about plication and I was excited about it but at the time I didn't know on any doctors in my area that preformed plications at all and I was also discouraged that even if I could find someone that preformed plications it would most likely not be covered by insurance. I then found out that some doctors are preforming banded plications also called iBand and that the procedure is covered by insurance. One of the things that I am enouraged by is that initial studies show that getting the iBand helps to reduce some of the complications of the band alone, like slippage and erosion, that fills are needed less often, and that the band serves as a back up to the plication because if I ever get to the point where I'm either not feeling restricted or I start getting hungry between meals, I can get a fill to help with the weight loss.

I have about 5 weeks post surgery and so far I am happy with the results, I rarely feel hungry, even if I have gone a long time between meals, I usualy eat very little but I am not restricted in what I can eat. and I haven't had any stuck episodes

[Chevron 49]

First things first: I'm not a doctor and I believe I did a decent amount of research before deciding on which option was best for me. However, my research may be flawed or incomplete, I don't know.

The options for me were lapband, sleeve, bypass or plication. I was not comfortable with getting a sleeve or bypass because:

- too much cutting and stapling - so a much higher risk of leakage and higher mortality rate

- I've read a lot about bypass patients getting extremely smelly gas (google it and you'll find a lot about this)

- the nutrient malabsorbtion in some patients is so extreme that they have died and I'm not seeing why this happens to some and not others (eg seems like chance)

- dumping syndrome - yikes! I don't like the idea of being incapacited in public with the shakes and needing to lie down, especially if this is coupled with vomiting or diahrea (sp?).

Bypass patients can also experience hairloss - the pics show women going bald in the middle of their head like men (ie, not thinning hair). Apparently this is only temporary. This wasn't a factor for me but I know some women would freak out.

The lapband idea I discarded because there seemed like too much restriction on what you could eat afterwards. Plus I am likely to move away from where I live in the future so won't be able to go see the same doctor all the time for fills.

Using all of this, plication was the way to go for me. I really liked the idea of it being reversible "just in case" and the stomach not being cut.

I lost 3kg pre-op. I'm less than 2 weeks post-op and have lost a further 10kg.

Very happy with the surgery now that I'm out of hospital. Those first day or two after surgery were hell though!

[Tisha38 1]

Thanks for the info! If I have the lapband I can't keep going back and forth to Mexico for fills. Hopefully I can find a good dr. where I live. That's why I was thinking about the plication. Do you all think one have more restruction then the other?

[Tisha38 1]

Shellyac - why didnt' the band really work for you?

[Shellyac 22]

I have both the band and plication at the same time. Right now the band doesn't have any Fluid in it so I guess it may be fair to say that it's not doing anything for me now but it is there as a back up to the plication. I have pretty good restriction from the plication, and I also don't feel hungry between meals so there isn't a reason for a fill right now.

I could have gone with just the band alone but my orginal surgeon made it seem like it wasn't the best surgery for me because I'm diabetic but I also knew that the other procedures (bypass and sleeve) weren't for me. Ideally I think I would have liked a stand alone plication but it wasn't covered by my insurance but the band/plication combo was covered. I am happy with the combo because it seems that some people aren't fully happy with the plication so knowing that I have the band to rely on if the plication stops working gives me some comfort

[Tisha38 1]

As I read, I see some people are not satisfied with both as you said. I read more about people with lap band with not having any restriction, then I know 2 people that have the lap band who lost alot of weight. I am really confused about which is best for me.

[Sandi Wall 1]

Hi there. I had a sleeve plication in April of 2011. Have lost about 70 lbs. Still need to lose about 30 more. It is getting more difficult, because the head hunger has kicked in. I chose the plication, because I did not want any foreign objects left inside me. Dr Ortiz did my surgery. He is wonderful. Nine months out and everyone there is still very accomodating, willing to answer questions and be supportive. I have not had any problems with my surgery. Would do it again for sure. I know a few people who have been banded, a few have done very well, a few have not. I personally think it is the mindset of the person having the surgery. None of these procedures are cure all's for obesity. They are a tool. It is up to you how you use it. Good Luck on your decision. Let us know how you are doing. Blessings, Sandi

[Kika79 64]

Sandi- Congrats on your weight loss. 70 pounds is amazing!!

do you know anyone else almost a year in? It's been hard to find people on this website, or YouTube with any feedback after 8 months. Thanks again for the info and good luck!

KIKA

[Lmom1980 29]

I would do the sleeve. I really really wish I would have done the sleeve gastrectomy.

[Tisha38 1]

Lmom1980 - I am leary to have my stomach cut.