I'd like to share my experience after 2 weeks of gastric plication

[Sarah Elsekhawy 42]

Hi I'm Sarah from Egypt I've done vertical gastric plication 2 weeks ago &I'm quite happy with my experience, I've lost 10 kg so far:thumbup1:I went down from 105kg to 95kg

This syrgery is still in the trial stage in Egypt ,but I've choosen it coz it's safe and has little post operation complications,I'm doing well,but I've to admit that sometimes I feel hungry but ofcourse not like before .This feeling of hunger totally disappear when I drink something &I feel full when I drink a100 ml of juice or any Fluid.< /p>

I'm ready for any question:001_smile:

[Jane_J 117]

Hi Sarah, I am very intersted in how you get on. It sounds like a good surgery. The only reservation I have is the non-removal of the grehlin secreting portion of the stomach. I am not sure how important this actually is but as I have been told this is key to the feelings of hunger. I would love your op to be better as I have a daughter who would probably need it later.

Jane x

[mila1013 0]

Sarah,

that is great, congrats on your surgery, I think in the next year or so when the clinical study is further along more info will be out there, so potentially another wls type to add to the procedures we have....

[Mw9955 2]

Hi I'm Sarah from Egypt I've done vertical gastric plication 2 weeks ago &I'm quite happy with my experience, I've lost 10 kg so far:thumbup1:I went down from 105kg to 95kg

This syrgery is still in the trial stage in Egypt ,but I've choosen it coz it's safe and has little post operation complications,I'm doing well,but I've to admit that sometimes I feel hungry but ofcourse not like before .This feeling of hunger totally disappear when I drink something &I feel full when I drink a100 ml of juice or any Fluid.

I'm ready for any question:001_smile:

Congratulations Sarah! I am scheduled for this surgery on Aug 3rd, and I am pretty worried. I totally appreciate feedback, good or bad - as I have time to back out lol, but I will be out some money.. Thanks!

[Sarah Elsekhawy 42]

Congratulations Sarah! I am scheduled for this surgery on Aug 3rd, and I am pretty worried. I totally appreciate feedback, good or bad - as I have time to back out lol, but I will be out some money.. Thanks!

Go on and don't worry &it's the best decision I've ever made,Concerning the surgery itself,the first day is the toughest one coz of all the air in the stomach,you have to walk andd let someone massage your back when you feel uncomfortable untill you get rid of the air. I didn't feel hungry during the first week at all&even I used to drink half a cup,but now I feel hungry sometimes but the hunger vanishes when I drink something.They say this surgery has little risks coz there is no cutting or stapples,but the only thing I'm not sure about is the gherlin issue .There is no studies about that till now .Does this hormone reduces or not?but actually I'm not concerned about this coz I know that the surgery is just a tool to achieve a goal that I'm sure that I would never achieve without it.Some say the sleeve is better but I was scared of the idea of leaking that's why I've choosen this surgery.Hope you make the right decision:001_smile:

Best of luck

[Mw9955 2]

Hello Sarah!

How have you been doing? Your words of encouragement have really helped calm my fears. Looking forward to hearing your updates!

Mari

[Jwright 0]

I just had my GPS surgery yesterday and would recommend this procedure over lap band any day. While I have a little soreness, I feel great.

From a cost perspective, it was the best money spent. In the two weeks prior to surgery, I was drinking a bariatric High Protein Meal Replacement powder. In three weeks, I've already dropped thirty pounds and I'm looking to drop at least another 90 pounds.

[laylasmojo 10]

Congrats on your complication free surgery!! And I comend you to be brave enough to have a surgey that is so new.

Jane_J

I am not sure where I read this but there is a though out there that with the plication the grelin levels go down a bit (not as much as VSG) the area that produces it is so squished in a small space, then the pressure on it helps slow the production of it. I dont know if it true but I guess as more of this surgery is dont the real asnwers will come out!

[DrWatkins 13]

Ghrelin, the hormone, gets a lot of attention these days.

Here is what we know about ghrelin:

Ghrelin is one of many hormones involved in appetite. We are learning that appetite is a very complex system and part of our body's survival mechanism. The brain wants us to breathe and eat - these two items are at the top of its list! The drive to eat is a very powerful biological drive.

Ghrelin is a feedback hormone and pressure in the wall of the stomach is what suppresses it. In other words, when you eat, the food activates pressure receptors in the wall of the stomach and ghrelin levels go down. If you haven't had the pressure receptors in your stomach activated for a while, ghrelin levels rise and so does hunger.

The most important way to suppress ghrelin levels is PRESSURE. Cutting out stomach that produces ghrelin doesn't eliminate ghrelin. The parts of the stomach that are left can produce lots of ghrelin but if there is pressure (food in the smaller stomach) then ghrelin levels will be low.

After gastric bypass, ghrelin levels go way down even though the entire stomach remains. After Lap Band surgery ghrelin levels are suppressed in general and get low after eating and the food creates PRESSURE in the small gastric pouch. It is the pressure reducing these levels since the entire stomach is still there.

Keep in mind that the ghrelin levels are a small part of a very complex system. When you talk to plication patients they have reduced appetite particularly after a small meal since the food creates pressure and activates the pressure receptors in the wall of the stomach.

There are probably many pharmaceutical companies working on an "anti-ghrelin" drug but it is likely that even if such a drug is created and works, the other hormones involved in appetite will increase over time reducing its effectiveness.

All this to say, the best way to reduce appetite is to stretch the wall of the stomach and if a stomach surgery has been done to reduce its size (band, bypass, plication, stapled sleeve, etc, etc) then you will get appetite reduction on smaller calories. One of the reasons weight loss operations work so well is that you are reducing appetite through normal biological channels, not a drug with side effects and decreased effectiveness over time.

Many people worry about ghrelin levels. The important question is, "does the operation reduce appetite?" If the answer is "YES" then you have a very powerful operation for weight loss regardless of ghrelin levels. We know that weight loss operations are suppressing things that float around in the blood stream that are yet to be discovered.

Vince Lombardi once said, "I don't give a #$&%! about statistics as long as we WIN!"

Brad Watkins MD

[Jane_J 117]

Brad, thanks for that postm really interesting, and I agree wholeheartedly with the Lombardi quote.

Jane x

[JudyM 2]

I too appreciate the clear explanation of what ghrelin is and what it does. I had no idea about the pressure receptors.

Thanks!

[Mw9955 2]

Hello everyone! I am waiting in my hospital room right now and I am scared to death! No to mention alone : (

I wish us all good luck and healthy healing!

Mari

[Cknorte 7]

You are going to do awesome Mari!!!!

Keep us posted.....

[JudyM 2]

I remember that feeling on the eve of my operation... but just think - this time tomorrow, you will have a teeny tummy, and ready to be a skinny minx in no time at all! I lay planning my new wardrobe to keep my mind occupied - from underwear out, for all seasons!

Look forward to hearing how it all went for you! :sad0:

[fitB450 0]

Congratulations Sarah! I am scheduled for this surgery on Aug 3rd, and I am pretty worried. I totally appreciate feedback, good or bad - as I have time to back out lol, rbut I will be out some money.. Thanks!

I had the procedure on July 12. I felt like "myself" on day 10...On day 13 I had lost 14 lbs. I started with a BMI of 31.5 so was surprised at the rapid weight loss. I really liked Dr. Corvalas, but have been a little dissapointed at the after care. However, I have no complaints, the facilities in Tijuana were excellent and I loved Dr. C's team. I have gotten lots of info on-line and really appreciate all the feed-back from participants. I love the website "the world according to eggface" she had gastric bypass, but the recipes and humor are priceless. Let me hear about your progress. Follow your surgeons advice and you will do fine. You can reach me directly at jandkbrady@comcast.net if you want to contact me directly.