JoanieW

Lena, thanks for sharing your story. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. Did they redo the plication or leave your stomach as it was before the surgery?

Hello everyone,

I came to this site because the OCC forum has deleted all of my posts. All I want is to inform people who consider plication to know what I went through and possible risks.

Let me tell you what happen to me with plication. I had it done in on Oct 2010 in Tijuana Mexico with Dr. Ortiz at the Obesity Control Center (OCC). 7 months later I had only lost 20 pounds. So, I called the OCC around mid May and told them about my lack of weight loss.

They told me that I would have to go back to OCC and redo the plication because I had what they call a loose plication.

At this time I told them that I have been having a lot of acid reflux and heartburn and that I could not make any arrangements to go until I get it under control. So, I started to take Prilosec and Zantac but they did nothing to help my condition.

Now I went to see my Dr. and he gave me prescription meds. Still, nothing worked, so he gave me stronger ones with no results.

Then in late May it was so bad that I couldn’t eat or drink Water without vomiting it up. Because of my condition I lost an additional 10 pounds in just 4 days. I made an emergency visit to my Dr. and due to my extreme dehydration and being so weak he sent me to the Emergency Room. Now all hell broke loose!

After so many test and a bariatric Dr. to review them, he determined that it was the result of my plication gone wrong. I had a herniated stomach that caused food to stay in the esophagus. This was starting a condition called mega-esophagus that would be irreversible if gone untreated immediately. My stomach had turned into itself causing blockage and wasn’t allowing food to go down. To me it looked like a volcano exploding. The bariatric Dr. told me the cause was that the plication stiches did not hold. 30 minutes after the news I was in the operation room to remove the rest of the plication stiches to correct the problem or it was going to kill me. Later after over 3 hours in the O.R and recovered, I saw a 7 inch cut in my stomach with staples along with 4 more 1 to 1and a half inch incisions for laparoscopic surgery.

All I want is to tell the ordeal I went through, so that people know that there are complications with this procedure. I don’t know why the OCC doesn’t let me post my info to inform people of this. Now, I wondering how many people have had complications with the plication tied to inform others but their posts have been deleted..

If I had known this was a potential complication I would have chosen the sleeve.

Makes me wonder what other complications Dr.’s haven’t told patients about

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND I AM NOT TRYING TO DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM HAVING SURGERY JUST INFORM YOU OF POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS

Last week was the MISS Conference (Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium) in Salt Lake City, UT . The first part of the week is laparoscopic general surgery and the latter part of the week is the bariatric surgery section. There was a lot of enthusiasm and interest surrounding gastric plication. It is now a hot topic on the agenda of these meetings and the interest is growing substantially. There was a GPS course at the meeting and surgeons advertising future courses at their institutions. We have begun GPS training courses as well. There are a lot of surgeons wanting to learn how to do GPS and offer it to their patients.

The GPS is still considered experimental/investigational since there is no long-term data in the U.S. There is longer-term data internationally that looks good and a couple of surgeons in the U.S. like us are seeing good weight loss averages with the procedure but it is certainly an early stage technology. There were surgeons at the meeting who felt that this procedure looks promising but is not ready for prime time yet due to the absence of long-term data and there were surgeons like myself at the meeting who have experience with the procedure and have successful patients and we feel it is a good operation with the caveat of long-term data.

What I see is that patients are driving the interest in GPS because it doesn't involve implants, staples or intestinal malabsorption. It is wonderfully simple - it's just your stomach, only smaller. I have also been fixing plication cases done by other surgeons so I feel strongly about proper technique.

I will keep you updated as we gain information on this new procedure.

Thanks for the info, Dr. Watkins.

Hello,

I rarely post on forums, but I am in need of more information. I was banded in 07 and got my band due to slippage in 09. I was at 125lbs-my goal weight at the time, for several months. When I found out I was pregnant, I had a complete unfill, 5months of my pregnancy, I kept get food stuck, major heartburn and at the end of my pregnancy, I was lucky to be able to drink an 8 oz Protein shake in a day. I waited until I had my baby, I did not want to go to TJ while pregnant. The emergency rooms in CA just kept saying I was dehydrated and needed more magnesium/potassium. I gave up on ER after the 5th time. Everytime I spoke about the Lap Band, they looked clueless, and the Dr. would look into it, but had nothing to say. My OB was not worried as my baby was growing perfectly and I was overweight, so I those lbs lost was not a bad thing. After 6wks of having given birth, I went back to Dr. Ortiz's office to be told I still had liquid in the band, there was never any record that I had gone before my pregnancy to get unfilled. I have plane ticket receipts to prove it. Needless to say after the unfill, my band never readjusted and I had to get it removed. I was 125lbs and very weak. I was happy to be able to eat and drink once again. A yr and so later, here I am at 184lbs, feeling awful about myself. I wasn't able to keep it off, as I had promised myself I would.

I went into Dr. Ortiz's forum and saw he now offers the plication, which I had never heard of, but am researching on it. His office is more like a clinic and not a hospital. The people there are great, except for the Dr. that did not note my unfill and did not unfill me completely like I had asked. He is no longer there. I would consider going back there, but I would like an actual hospital setting, as this surgery is more complex then the band.

Can you tell me which Dr. you had surgery with, your experience, is it a hospital setting or at least close to one? How much did it cost? I am in the early stage of research, but I would like to get this surgery before April of 2011. Your help is greatly appreciated, if there is anything else that I should ask, please include it.

By the way, I live in SF-CA, but am willing to travel in the US or Mexico.

Thanks,

Motherof3

I chose Dr. Watkins and am glad I did. He does the surgery in a surgical center on the hospital campus, so I was very comfortable with that. The first thing he does when you are under, is uses an endoscope to look at your stomach. He looks for hiatal hernias and fixes those, so no more reflux. If there are any problems in your stomach, he won't do the surgery. It has been six months, and his office is still checking in on me. I think he's very thorough and really wants you to be successful. I had a lot of scar tissue from previous surgeries that he took out also. He spent a lot more time on me than the time he allotted for the surgery. I'm very happy with my decision.

Hello,

I am new and I am very interested in this surgery. I was pretty set on the VSG and was going to be a self pay and then I heard of this procedure just days ago. So forgive me if I seem to have not done my homework , but I am actually just getting started:)

I know this and all WLS are tools and you have to do your part, but is weight loss similiar to VSG or is it much slower as some of the info I have read on a blog?

If any one has had this procedure and could share their weight loss, I would greatly appreciate it.

One other issue that scares me is throwing up, I know this sounds ridiculous but I am afraid if I have this or any WLS that I will throw up often or have what I have read as sliming?

Thank you so much and I am so happy to have found this forum, everyone seems so nice and it is such a comfort to someone trying to find their way to weight loss success.

Hi Tracy, I am down 42 pounds since August with 18 more to go. I have never thrown up. Joanie

I am scheduled to have the surgery on the 15th of February with Dr. Ortiz and I am just wondering if anyone has any regrets after having this surgery. It seems there are some people on here who aren't losing the weight with it and that concerns me some. I am curious how much weight loss people are experiencing 6-12 months out.

Hi Olivia. I have no regrets. See my post from today to KarenKaren under the topic Hungry Too Soon. I think we've all been where you are and most of us are very happy with our decision. Joanie

I would like to hear more about how people feel after plication, I just don't find enough on here. First, let me say i have no regrets. I LOVE that I get full really quick. I love that I can eat anything I want, nothing gets stuck. I love that i "fit in" at social events, meaning, I can eat what is served, just a small amount of it. (with the band I couldn't eat meat or bread or fresh veggies, which made social and business meals difficult) But, I seem to get hungry about every 3 hours. I know I can lose weight with this tool, BUT, it will take some serious work on my part. I have to really prepare, and have a healthy option readily available after 3 hours, or I find that I grab whatever I can get at work, (which is never something healthy) I guess my hope was that I could eat 3 healthy meals a day and stay full in between. I'm not drinking with meals, not eating slider foods. Christmas was tough, I'm afraid to even get on the scale. I would sure like to hear how others do in between meals,,, do you get REALLY hungry? I just hope its a healing thing yet, and someday soon I can stay full longer than 3 hours.

Hi Karen, I had my surgery in August and still get hungry every three hours as well. That's the only part about the plication I don't like. Other than that, I'm very happy I did this. The hunger is nothing like before. I'm down 42 pounds with 18 to go. It's been slow going for me because of the hunger, but it's a lot easier than without this tool. I can have something small, like a cheese stick, and it helps in between meals. I never had any vomiting, pain, or slimes and have been able to eat whatever I want. I'm happy to say that this was the answer for me. Dr. Watkins' office still checks in on me to see how I'm doing. They really want us to be successful. Joanie

Thanks Joanie...I guess I am lucky I love meat. Keep up the good work I know you;ll meet your goal. I will let you know how everything goes. Thanks again for being here for me.

You're very welcome. Do keep me posted on your progress and good luck on Monday.

I never made it back due to internet provider problems. I did have the surgery Nov 10th and spent 2 nights at nthe hospital rather than one due to vomiting and dry heaves cause by the anthesia (sp) This is fairly common for me after surgery so I should not have been surprised. Tomorrow will be a week since the surgery and my first day with soft mushy foods. I will trade a finger for a scrambled egg about now!

My biggest problem right now is being so tired and trying to get all the fluids in. I still have swelling and air so I am sure that will get better. If I take more than 2 sips of something I get full or it hurts because of the air and swelling.

Dr. Watkins and that hospital staff are top notch care givers. I am so thankful I was there.

Hey Sheila. Glad you are on the mend. I didn't know that the vomiting and dry heaves was caused by the anesthesia. It will get better. You're right, Dr. Watkins and his staff are top notch.

My Plication sugery is coming up fast, Dec 1st. Of course I'm getting nervous and a little scared. I've been reading messages from people who had the sleeve surgery, since thats about all thats out there. I'd like to hear whats different as far as recovery, and anything else you could tell me as far as what is different with this vs that? It sounds like weight loss is about the same??

I'd love to hear from those of you who have had the plication how your recovery went? I'm planning on being back to work 5 days after surgery.

Thanks!

Hi Karen. My understanding is that you do recover faster with the plication, but I'm not sure about going back to work that soon. I probably could have, because I had a fairly easy time. I was just tired for a week or so. However, my sister-in-law has had a rough time from the anesthesia and swelling in her stomach, and I don't think she could have gone back to work in five days. I chose the plication because I was afraid of leaks with the sleeve.

I'm 17 weeks post surgery and I've a simple question....How much can you eat 3 or 4 months post surgery?

I feel no restiction at all or sometimes little restiction

No weight loss

My appetite increases

2 days ago i had dinner with friends and I was able to eat a whole meduim pizza

I lost hope......Does anyone feel the same?

Hi Sarah. Have you spoken with your doctor? A medium pizza seems like an awful lot to put in that size stomach. I know I can put a lot more high calorie foods in my stomach than regular food, but I couldn't do a whole pizza.

I was wondering the same thing..have you been doing well.. I have a lot to loss and want to stay on a high Protein low card when I can eat again..Please let me know how you are doing.[

Hi Sue. I've been doing very well. Thanks for asking. I'm down 37 pounds. It's been slow going these last two months, but it's my fault. I have pretty much been eating what I want, just less of it. I don't eat red meat, fish, or pork, so my Protein sources are limited. I'm still doing the Protein drinks along with my regular meals, and that adds a lot of calories. Plus, I haven't been exercising. With all that said, I'm happy with my weight loss. I bought two new pairs of jeans the other day, size 12, and I'm off my blood pressure meds and CPAP. I have 23 more pounds to lose, if that, and I'm happy with 1-2 pounds a week. It's funny how I can sit down for a meal and only eat a little bit, but if I wanted to eat high-calorie food like ice cream, chips, nuts, Peanut Butter and crackers, etc., I can eat a lot of that, so I have to be very careful still.

Thanks and yes that is true. If I could do it on my own it would be done already! Since the surgery is so new I have to do a lot of research for them. So I am just going to tell them from here on out I am doing this either support me or we don't talk about it. My hubby has been great and he really surprised me when he said he wanted me to have it done. Said he worry's more about my health than the surgery.

I think the one that has surprised me the most with the negative has been my sister. She needs to have it done herself so not sure where she is coming from with the "You don't need to have it done." We will work it out.

Hi Sheila. Good to see you on here.

Ken, thanks for posting this.

Amy, I am so sorry you have to wait. But thank God Dr. Watkins endoscoped you before doing the surgery. Please keep us posted as to your progress.

Congrats on the WL!!! Do you mind sharing your post op diet? I really want to be successful but I'm not sure when to start what?? full liquids?? What is that? Soft food?? When and what?? Is pureed considered full liquids or soft foods?? My head is spinning!!! Please save me from this madness!!

It really depends on your surgeon. With Dr. Watkins, for the first week after surgery, I was on liquids which he considers is anything you can sip through a straw. So anything I could put in a blender and sip, like creamed or vegetable Soup, (no meat), juices including V-8 juice, milk with Carnation instant Breakfast, etc., I was able to have. I could also have pudding on this phase. I didn't have anything spicy or with a lot of fat. The second and third week after surgery, I went to mushies which is anything that's...well, mushy. I had mashed potatoes, baked potato, cottage cheese, pudding, yogurt, oatmeal, etc. I tried mac and cheese but that didn't sit well. Probably because there was too much fat. After those three weeks, I was able to eat regular food, and I haven't had any problems with that.

my name is Kamie I will be eight weeks out this next tuesday and I have lost 46 pounds.

Congratulations, Karrie. Losing 46 pounds in eight weeks is incredible! Keep up the good work.

So...got on the scale this morning and I'm down 4.5lbs....I broke 40....I am so excited...I hit 43.2 lbs today lost and gone!!!!! I am finally in the 250's (ok. 259.9) but still....especially since my "stall" or .4 gain from last week.....

woooooo hooooo

Ck, that is amazing! Congratulations! I've finallly made it into the 170s (ok 179). :-)

Oh, I got sick today. Won't be doing that again anytime soon. I ate abotu 10 McD's fries from the kids meals and then about 5 minutes later had a few sips of ice Water. Stomach felt full and hurt but I have had that before. However, about 5-10 minute slater, I dry heave a few times and still felt no better. I then felt this slick stuff in the back of my throat - gross - that continued off and on for about 15 minutes. Then it all came up ... tons of slimy mucos and the fries. I guess I have been slimed.

Just trying to figure out if it was bec I added Water on top of the food or because I ate too much. Any thoughts?

Sorry Deb, but I've never been slimed. Did you have the plication or the sleeve? I don't think that happens with the plication, but I'm not really sure. When did you have your surgery?

Hello this the husband to jg, I just wanted to fill everyone in on her behalf, she is currently in a critical state in ICU. She had to have an emergency surgery because there was a hole in her stomach leaking out food. She is very sick and heavily sedated and is now struggling to save her life. The surgeon here had to remove what he described was a dead part of her stomach. I am praying that she makes it

through.

Her worried and loving husband.

This is just horrible! I am so sorry. You will all be in my prayers. Please keep us posted as to how she is doing.

Joanie

Thank you so much for the receipe,...sounds yummy:) Well, tomorrow is the big day and I chose Dr. Ortiz at the Obesity Control Center in TJ. I went back and forth between him and Dr. Corvala, both being highly skilled and proctor's for dr's in the US and their prices were virtually the same. The only difference was the length of stay, I arrived yesterday afternoon at the hotel (which is included in my package), have surgery tomorrow and leave to go home next Saturday. He wants to observe me for a week before he sends me back to the states. This made me feel "safer"? I hope I've made the right decision. I'll keep you posted and please do the same!!! Congrats on your weight loss. Also did they put you on a structured eating plan? if so, let's share and compare. Again...love and appreciate the receipe:)

Good luck, lguidry. Keep us posted as to how you're doing.

Joanie

Hello everyone

I'm really very disappointed coz the scale isn't moving for 3 weeks now

I don't know what shall I do.....Is there something wrong with my surgery?

Why am I not losing weight anymore?I don't exercise and I eat more than before. I don't have time to exercise coz of my work..I come home exhausted....My surgeon adviced to quit eating sweets and to try to exercise,but I'm not sure if I'd find time to do that...I need your advice :wink0:

I've lost 33 pounds in 11 weeks,but I really worry if this is going to be my final result.

Sarah, so sorry to hear that you've hit a stall. Are you writing down everything you eat. I'm finding that I can get a lot of calories in my little stomach. Everyday, I write down my calories, Protein, and fluids. It makes a big difference. Also, it seems like you lost an awful lot of weight in a short amount of time. Maybe you're just catching up. It's been eight weeks for me, and I've only lost 29 pounds in comparison to your 33 pounds in 11 weeks. I don't think this is your final result.

Hi Joanie, I feel so relief to hear someone else experienced this trouble and that you are fine now. Thanks for taking the time to let me know this. I had the same feeling of regret, with some sleepless nights. Your words will help me sleep alot better tonight. I will try belching as big as I can. I just did and it felt much better than burping. I hate all this gas. I am glad you're off your BP meds, i have been off my diabetic pills from since the day of surgery, my sugar levels have dropped to normal. So if this surgery can help my diabetes where nothing else was, I am all for GPS.

Glad to help in any way I can. I'm also glad you're off your diabetes meds. Keep up the good work.:wink0:

Hi folks,

I would go into greater detail right now about my experience but as I sit here, I am fighting back major pain in my chest and am in desperate help.

For all those who have had the plication or even if you are on the boards Dr. Watkins, what can I do to help alleviate this servere tightening pain in my chest. I am on day 3 from surgery, my first day home. While I was in the hospital, the pain meds they gave me via IV worked like a charm. When I was experiencing the chest pains, they would give me the pain injection in my IV and it would go away. Now that i am at home, with supradol as prescribed by doctor, it doesn't work! I tried crushing extra strength tylenols as well at doesn't work either. Both actually cause me to be naseaus and throw up the little liquids that I have in my system. I'm not able to sleep at all with this pain and lying flat on my back, sitting up, lying sideways and even piling pillows up and lying face down on them while sitting up doesn't help.

Please if anyone can offer any help please let me know. I don't know if I can endure this pain which is causing me to have cold sweats due to how much it hurts.

JG, how are you?

Thanks so much and it is very appreciated. I love this site. Everyone has something of value to share and say:) Yes, I almost certain that I'm going forward with VSP but I have not totally ruled out VSG. I will visit more about the pros/cons with my doctor. And of course I welcome any "sleevers" comments as well. Why again was it that you elected plication over vsg?

The biggest reason for having the VSP instead of the VSG was because I was afraid of leaks. I've heard some horror stories about that, and it just scared me. The other reason is because of the fact the VSP is reversisble. I had a lot of what ifs. Most people don't worry about these things at all, but it was a big deal for me. One thing you might want to try is to make your decision for either one and then see if you can live with that decision. Try it out for a few days. If you choose the VSG, ask yourself if you can live with the risks. If it's the VSP, just ask youself about whatever concerns you may have about going this route.

Hi, sorry i didn't post anything earlier. It is 4 weeks now.The surgery went very well in TJ. I was very weak after surgery for 2 weeks. I would suggest that you have at least 20g of Protein everyday after surgery. You can get it in the powder form. I have lost 15lbs to date. I think i have hit a stall for the past week and half. I can see i am losing inches though. I still have alot of gas and i am taking nexium for it, hopefully it goes away soon. I find myself feeling hungry after every 2 hours. The doctors said i am mistaking gas for hunger, I think I would know the difference. I get my fluids in when i feel hungry. I have lots of Water and hot green tea. The hot liquids help soothe the stomach and help with the gas. I am eating solids now and i eat everything possible. Remember to chew slowly. When you are hungry you want to eat faster and you can end up overeating. It takes a few minutes for the food to hit the bottom of my stomach if i overeat I end up feeling uncomfortable in the chest area for a little while, not too long. So once you know how much you can eat you will be fine, you wouldn't make the mistake to overeat again.

My only problem is the gas and feeling hunger too soon. Is there anyone out there with this problem. Please share with me.

Hi 4My, I have had the hunger feeling two hours after I eat also. It feels like my stomach is growling. So annoying. What I started to do was make myself belch. When I do that, the feeling goes away. I felt the same way you did, but mine turned out to be gas after all. Try that and see if it helps. I'm eight weeks out, down 27 pounds, and coming off my blood pressure meds. My growling was almost constant at first and I was regretting the surgery, but now I'm fine.

I've lost 27 pounds in eight weeks. I am slowing down as well but am very happy with my weight loss so far. I am coming off my blood pressure meds, and that's a great feeling! Only 33 pounds to go!