Greetings - I received approval from my insurance today and the Bariatric team informed me that I will be having a robotic surgery… my surgeon will be in the room but my sleeve surgery will be performed by a robot… has anyone heard of this?????

I am about 3 weeks post Op. I had the robotic sleeve. My incisions are small and I have had no problem with pain or anything. They are close to be fully healed.

I am an operating room nurse, and I have personally watched these surgeries. No worries, your surgeon is in complete control! The surgeon sits at a console and is in control of all movements of the robot instruments. It's actually very neat to watch and the clarity is great!

4 minutes ago, Roxane said:

I am an operating room nurse, and I have personally watched these surgeries. No worries, your surgeon is in complete control! The surgeon sits at a console and is in control of all movements of the robot instruments. It's actually very neat to watch and the clarity is great!

THANK YOU!!!! It’s refreshing to get replies like this!!… I want to watch it on YouTube… thank so much

You're welcome!

On 3/16/2023 at 5:22 PM, Kim0120 said:

I had early robotic sleeve surgery in 2011. I dont think the surgery itself was that much different.

Greetings - I received approval from my insurance today and the Bariatric team informed me that I will be having a robotic surgery… my surgeon will be in the room but my sleeve surgery will be performed by a robot… has anyone heard of this?????

My surgery was done robotically and everything has been smooth sailing!

On 03/16/2023 at 17:22, Kim0120 said:

Greetings - I received approval from my insurance today and the Bariatric team informed me that I will be having a robotic surgery… my surgeon will be in the room but my sleeve surgery will be performed by a robot… has anyone heard of this?????

I’m having full gastric bypass and mine is being done by a robot also but a surgeon is assisting. Mine is on 4/20

I had the robotic assisted surgery and have had zero problems. The surgeon is in control, and the robot apparently get into positions inside that a person can't which makes it much easier and I believe less pain and stress in recovery for patient.

I had the robotic surgery 4/12. My scars look the same as the picture. 5 holes across. I have to tell you the only pain I had was the gas pain in the chest and took pain meds right out of surgery. Tylenol in the morning and nothing since then. I was up and moving. When they tell you to walk-walk it helps

10 minutes ago, Carol Memaw said:

I had the robotic surgery 4/12. My scars look the same as the picture. 5 holes across. I have to tell you the only pain I had was the gas pain in the chest and took pain meds right out of surgery. Tylenol in the morning and nothing since then. I was up and moving. When they tell you to walk-walk it helps

That’s amazing!!!! I’m so happy for you… surgery is Friday can’t wait…

Good Luck to you and welcome to the journey

Dr Charles Proctor on the program Too Large performs robotic assisted surgeries which is where I first saw one. He directs the robotic arms from a console in the operating theatre. All the usual staff seem to be there too. Sure there’d be videos online you could watch too. They aren’t that unusual.

Five incisions is what we usually end up with regardless of robotic or manual surgery. One for each of the instruments (forceps, scalpel/cutting tool, etc.) they use & the camera. Most tend to be in line with your belly button with one coming from your belly button but it may depend on your body shape and some may be higher as a result. The longer incision (about 2cm/an inch) is on the right which is where they remove your stomach.

You can always ask questions & for more information about robotic surgery if you’re feeling unsure.

Edited April 19, 20233 yr by Arabesque

I also had the Da Vinci robotic sleeve surgery and it went perfectly. There is a lot on YouTube so check it out. The doctor is in complete control the entire time in fact he is manipulating all the instruments. He sits at a high definition console and manipulates the instruments with movements of his fingers, hands, and wrists. He can see everything through the camera and is working closely with his surgical team in the room. The robotic instruments executing the procedure can rotate and move in more ways than a human hand. There are more tools working at the same time all controlled by the surgeon. It’s a fascinating watch on YouTube. My surgery was over in 45 min and incisions small looked very much like the previous poster. Don’t be afraid it’s cutting edge technology and if your surgeon is trained on it then I think that a bonus!

I had Sleeve Surgery on 4/18 with the Robot. (The Doctor controls it with both hands and foot pedals.) Only 4 incisions across my belly. And same as Carol, only gas pain immediately after and I didn't need any of the pain meds. I walked so many laps all night long. Every time I woke up, I walked..... Totally helped with the gas pain. Now 8 days later feeling pretty good, just hungry all the time, which I thought I wouldn't be.....

On 3/17/2023 at 10:27 PM, Jeanniebug said:

Thank you! I say that it looks like I've been perforated. LOL!

Just think.......we all have matching scars!!!!! PS my surgeon used the robot as well and he is the Medical director for Bariatric surgery at the hospital he works at! I trust him whole heartedly!!!!