Need Some Good Opinions

[bandita 16]

Here do i begin... So i have Been thru all of the pre op stuff and insurance approval for the sleeve. I am currently banded but my port is detached and so my band has been empty for a while and unaccessable. I thought i was all prepared for the vsg until i recieved sone kinda scary news yesterday. My coworker who is a nurse in the surgical icu strongly recommended against the procedure. She said that she sees too many patients that have been severly septic 10 years after the procedure when there suture line ruptures. She said that the staple line can rupture anytime and when these people come in it is usually fatal. So now i am freaking out. I am only 37 and dont want to find myself in that situation in 10 years. I have been doing some real research and really cant find a lot regarding late complications involving staple lines but i am thinking it is because there is probablly not a whole lot available. As much as i woould like to dismiss her statements, she is usually a very reliable source. So my dilema is this....should i have my port repaired and start with the lap band program as though it is new.( i have had zero restriction for several years because of pior follow up) or should i go the more aggressive route in order to lose this excess 100 lbs? i did originally lose 50 lbs with the lap band and stopped when i got pregnant.

[IsB 209]

She might be confusing this surgery with something else. It hasn't been around for 10 years or at least as an independent procedure. There is no way she could be seeing patients 10 years out. There aren't even that many who are 5 years out. That's why some insurance companies won't cover it. They want more long term data first.

[Pookeyism 1,143]

She could be seeing stomach surgeries, but the staple line is not the only thing holding you together.

No offense, but I would question that - people have a tendency to stretch the truth when they feel justified in their positions.

I have submitted your inquiry to The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

If you have never visited their site I encourage you to do so:

http://asmbs.org/

[bandita 16]

When i spoke to her about it today she said that this surgery is comparable to a partial gastectomy and those are the complications with suture lines that she sees. I am still looking for more data and realy having trouble.

[IsB 209]

If you don't feel comfortable then you shouldn't do it. I just haven't seen any research that makes me think this is a common issue but since they only have a limited number of years of data anything is possible. Any procedure has a leap of faith element to it, this one included.

[SexySlim 107]

Sorry, I'm not buying that. That sounds like a scare tactic to me. The only way to rupture your suture line would to be to stuff yourself silly. I can't see anyone WANTING to eat more than the 1/2 cup of food the sleeve allows. I was told you are fully healed after 6 months. I know for a fact that you have scar tissue that grows over the suture line. So it can't just rupture like that. I'm 15 weeks out and only threw up once because I ate something I had no business eating 3 weeks out, and it came out my mouth and nose. Do you think I threw up ever since then? Nope. Maybe these people she's allegedly referring to didn't get the psy evaluation and behavior changes required/recommended with WLS. Just my 2 cents.

[atelux17 135]

Maybe your friend is talking about plication or gastroplasty surgery in which surgeons used to sew the stomach or fold the stomach over and then suture it. Complications arose with those surgeries because part of the stomach would die from lack if blood flow or leaks would form in between sutures. The sleeve is stapled and sometimes oversewn. The staple gun puts staples closer together than any surgeon could. I know that there are gastric cancer patients who have had gastrectomies and have survived long term. I'm an RN at a unit that routinely does gastric bypasses, lots of return visits for dehydration and metabolic disturbances. I'm afraid of the lap band due to erosion, obstruction from eating any healthy foods, and the headache/cost of constant fills. The sleeve patients I've seen seem happier & lose the majority of their weight. I'm willing to try anything at this point.

[Willow216 91]

This procedure has not been around for 10 yrs maybe she is referring to another bypass surgery she must be getting confused with some other surgery. I sure wouldn't have done this if this would've been an issue. The staple line cannot burst unless it is severely over-filled and for me that is an impossiblility. I feel uncomfortable after 6oz of food much less eating to a point of bursting.

[slim46 25]

Just a lil FYI, I've been a nurse 33yr and we as nurses see a lot! We see the bad stuff n watch the healing process in action but we don't get to see the success out there.

The gastric sleeve has not been out there 10yrs I don't believe. This is not my expertise...like with every surgery there are risks... If u don't feel comfortable then I would wait if I were u.. I was scared all the way till the put me to sleep. But after a couple of days n my progress I know I made the right decision... My health is important to me n I want to be around for my kids n grand kids.

[bandita 16]

So i have chilled out a little bit now that it has been a few days. I have read just about every post on this site and have tried to fill mt mind with as much info as i can regarding the vsg. I am back to moving ahead with thw procedure as planned but will be having a one on one with my surgeon again to address my concerns. Thank you for your support

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

I am very interested to hear what the bariatric society has to say, please post the follow up answer here. I think the OP should ask the surgeon - preop time is definately the time to ask all the tough questions.

I do want to mention that this site does have a few people who had the old fashion "stomach stapling" from decades past and have revised to the sleeve. I do know that they staple line disruption does happen in some cases. I don't mean to be rude, but it is probably incorrect to take the experience from the first few months and generalize it to years. I know that people who are several years out have to really work since the hunger does start to return. I am 7 months out and am experiencing hunger again. I can imagine a person overeating - it takes diligence to keep old habits and the hunger from driving those bad behaviors.

I am not sure I believe what she is saying (meaning, not sure it applies to this particular surgery or the actual statistical risk) but I wouldn't blow it off either. Frankly, the early warning signs were there with the lapband even a decade ago, but they were "poo-poo'd" - so I would want to understand this better.

I am in no way an expert, but looking at actual research, the main long term risks are acid reflux that gets worse over time (3+ years out it seems to peak again) and possible weight regain (a risk of all weight loss surgeries). I have NEVER heard that staple line issues and related sepsis is a statitisically significant long term risk. In fact, I have never heard of a single case - but that doesn't mean it isn't possible.

[AliveAgain 283]

My surgeon first performed the sleeve 12 years ago, and admits a lots of variations have happened to even what they do now. She may be confusing it with stomach stapling which would literally staple the stomach to a smaller portion and leave the remaining unused portion of the stomach inside. Like putting up a wall in the middle of a room with just empty space not being used on the other side. Since then the staples have improved, the "gun" that rapid fires is a major advancement, and the unused portion is removed. I agree that she should have facts before scaring you. I have a group of friends who all work in hospitals, one an ICU nurse, and that's like saying, "Don't get old. Getting old is fatal!" because that's what he sees all the time.