Advice regarding "Omentum Separation"

[Gerberdayzee 0]

Hey Banders … I’m a long-time reader, but a first-time poster and I’m very excited to be joining your awesome community! With that, I am seeking some advice.

I had my initial meeting with my surgeon today and it went great. He seems like a very good doctor and comes highly recommended. He said that I am a “beyond ideal” lap LB candidate. YAY! My stats are: 5’8’’, 248 pounds (BMI around 38), hypertension and PCOS (insulin resistant and pre-diabetic), and thanks to LB Talk and friends, an understanding that LB is a tool to help my reach my weight loss goals. Needless to say, I’m super excited to be starting my journey into health!

And when I asked him about metabolic issues, such as PCOS, and LB success, he said that his practice is conducting a study regarding Omentum Separation during LB surgery. He says they have had great results and that these patients have lost an avg of 12 percent more then patients with LB alone. He thinks it would be perfect for me. Here’s an excerpt from the dr’s website—although he explained it better in person:

Omentum Separation

The omentum is a large fatty structure that hangs down from the stomach. As food is absorbed, some of the sugar passes down through veins into the omentum, where it is stored.

The omentum releases a variety of substances into the blood stream, including inflammation chemicals and appetite-stimulating chemicals.

When the omentum is separated from the food supply as is seen with a gastric bypass or sleeve, there is a rapid improvement in diabetes.

The Purpose of this study is to determine the potential benefit of separating (dividing) the blood vessels that drain down into the omentum from the stomach during the time that a Band is placed.

Sounds great, also because it may help with any rheumatoid arthritis genes I may have inherited from my mom. And, best of all it would just add five min to the surgery and it would done at no additional charge.

Anyway when I got home, I of course started googleing the omentum and learned that it also has something to do with the cortisol and other stress hormones. This is where I start to get a little nervous.

Back in 2004 when I was diagnosed with PCOS I was put on Metformin (took for about six months) and began having anxiety and panic attacks. I’m not totally sure if it was the meds, my unhappiness about my impending thirtieth birthday, or a combination of the two that caused them, but whatever it was, I never want to go through that again. My fear is that if we do the Omentum Seperation it will mess with these hormones, and bring back the anxiety and there won’t be any way to go back and fix it.

Of course, I’m planning on talking to the dr about my concerns because really, who am I? I'm no doctor ... just a girl with internet access. But in the meantime, I thought I'd see if anyone has heard of this procedure and what y'all would do in this situation:

Stick with regular LP or opt for the additional procedure that may enhance the LP tool and better help the metabolic issues, but could also possibly (more fear then fact for now) screw up some hormones?

Thanks!

Edited April 2, 2009 by Gerberdayzee

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I wouldn't want to be a guinea pig unless I just absolutely HAD to, as in using a drug to save my life when all others failed. If I wanted things cut up and rerouted, there are surgeries that have been "tried and tested" (like the sleeve, bypass, the duodenal switch) for me to choose from. I wouldn't mess with my omentum. For me the beauty of the band is that my "innards" remain intact.

Only you can decide this. Personally, I'd say no.

(San Antonio has a LOT of "clinical trials". Usually the patients receive the med or procedure, and concommitant medical care for free, PLUS some compensation. Will they cover your surgery, if you are willing to be the experimentee? What is "plan B" if it does you damage? I'd ask this, if I decided maybe to proceed!)

[DiDi 0]

I say do more research, sounds very interesting to me. I think it would probably decrease rather than increase stress hormone levels. Ask more questions & let us know!

[HeatherO 7]

I would never consider it unless I knew a whole lot more about the protocol in the clinical trial.

Clinical trials are going on everyday throughout the world, however only a fraction of the procedures, medical devices and medications are every approved . . . why is that? Because of either lack of success in the trial or the side affects far outweigh the benefits. Perhaps you can google more information on clinical trials pertaining to omentum separation or even more about the whole process of performing clinical trials.

Just be careful in your decision making . . . it is your body and you will be the person living with either the positive or negative results of this trial if you decide to move forward.