Guest guest Posted October 3, 2000 Report Share Posted October 3, 2000 Hi Cindy: I chose MGB over Lap RNY because my primary doctor, who is a gastroenterologist, recommended that I do so. I have a long history of acid reflux and ulcers. He's been treating me for nearly 20 years. Thus, I am at higher risk for esophageal cancer and stomach cancer. Ulcers, according to him, pose the major threat for the development of gastric cancer. He explained that since it is more likely that the MGB will cure the acid reflux than the RNY and Dr. R's method of hook up is well known to be used for ulcer patients, that my risk of developing gastic cancer could actually be reduced by the MGB over the RNY. He wouldn't really say anything bad about RNY either...but thought that I should consider both carefully. I have two friends who had RNY a few weeks before I had my MGB. One had open, one had lap. The friend who had lap clearly did better and recovered faster than the one who had open. The one who had open has battled problems with her incision for five months and is still not healed completely. I gathered from the tone of your email that you aren't even considering open. Most of us who want surgery really want lap and it sounded like you do too. So, in a sense, that is positive in that it's one less decision that you have to make..you've already eliminated open. The friend who had lap is running right along with me for recovery in terms of time down, energy level, etc. Her weight loss is as good as mine. She appears to feel as good as I do. She appears to be doing as well as me. She still has acid reflux, I don't. She burps all the time, I don't. I potty far more often than she does. This is not to say it is because of the type of operation...everyone's body is different...and this could be associated with how she's eating and drinking. (I don't do soda, she still has her Diet Pepsi). Eventually, I got so confused on these lists trying to decide what to do that I just put it in the hands of my doctor and told him that I needed him to make the decision for me. He wouldn't. But he pointed out the pro's for me as a person with a long history of gastric problems with the MGB over the RNY...then pointed out the pro's of getting surgery close to home..such as with the lap RNY...and left it up to me. I opted for the MGB because after I weighed what I'd read and what he told me, I felt that I was reducing my risk for gastric cancer with the MGB. This in no way is meant to tell you that MGB is the way for you or anyone else to go. For me, it boiled down to wanting to improve my health and my biggest physical discomfort (besides my arthritis which I felt both would cure) was my digestion problems. And I felt that the MGB was the best surgery for that discomfort, and for the long term. The other consideration was physician competence and I felt that by a mile Dr. Rutledge had anyone else that I considered beat. Flo in land > ** Original Subject: RE: reflux /cancer odds > ** > ** Original Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2000 09:56:20 -0600 > ** Original Message follows... > > << Please calm down, and realize that there are about 200 people telling you > all kinds of good things about Dr. Rutledge and his procedure, and about 2 > that seem to be disgrutled, angry, unhappy people. > Not such bad odds, for surgery now are they? >> > > > I am not questioning what the people here are saying about Dr. R, or that Dr. > R is a good doctor... from every post op I have contacted I have heard > nothing but great reviews. However, what I am questioning is the huge pile of > articles I have found ( Not on Dr. R's site) about the Billroth II and cancer > studys. > > I am already at a high risk for cancer because it runs in my family ( > grandparents died from brain tumor and lung cancer), I'm over weight, have > ulcers, etc. But do I want to add another risk to my list? I am going to do > as someone else mentioned and check out Dr. R's site for articles showing > that the Billroth II doesn't cause cancer. > > I would also be interested in hearing the reason why some of you choose the > MGB over the Lap RNY. ( I am leaning toward it because it is easier to > reverse) Feel free to email me direct at hsmotherof4@.... > > Cindy > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 3, 2000 Report Share Posted October 3, 2000 I'd like to hear the answers to those great questions myself. Thanks, Kaufmann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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