The Dude on the Other Side of the Screen

I am not going to bore everyone with the same thing I am sure you all have read multiple times. Yes I have struggled with my weight all my life. I have tried multiple diets and different things to try and lose the weight. As you can see from the picture nothing has really worked. Something that is a little different from others is I actually have a lap-band. You couldn't tell from the picture above but yep I have had a lap-band for close to 5 years. 

Let me touch a little on the lap-band. As a weight lose tool it was doing its job. I was down close to 100 lbs but for quality of life not so much. I could not eat at all! Meaning after every meal I would literally end up in the bathroom expelling everything I had just ate. I felt like a mother bird feeding her little ones in the nest. It didn't matter how much I chewed the food or what I was eating it was stuck. The only way I could get any of it to pass was to drink something right after I swallowed. Of course that was against the #1 rule of WLS but I had to do something. I had went back and forth with my surgeon with taking some fluid out but then I would have no restriction. It was a vicious cycle not to mention my surgeon was 2 hours away so every time I would need an adjustment I would have to take off work. I was still willing to put in the effort and make those trips but life got in the way and my job moved to Michigan. Where I was at in Michigan I could not find anybody to adjust the lap band I am just thankful it was at a level where I could actually eat. After 4 months in Michigan I moved back to Kansas but was unable to start back up with my surgeon until this past February. By then I had lived with no restriction for 3+ years and obviously from the picture above that 100+ pound loss was actually about a 20+ gain. So I decided to start the lap band back up and went to see my old surgeon. He gave me a fill but was a little concerned because the amount of fluid he saw in my band was different from what should be in the band. He went ahead and filled me and sent me home. Well on the drive home I had good restriction but the next morning it was all gone. Went back to the surgeon and sure enough most of the fill was gone. Well that tells him I have a leak. Turns out a leak is not all that uncommon. He stated he has repaired many leaks where the tube passes through the abdomen wall. The tube rubs against the wall and eventually rubs a hole in the tube. Of course he would be happy to go in and fix it but insurance will not cover it and it would be close to what I would pay for other procedures. So I weighted the options and decided not to repair but remove and convert to an MGB.

People have asked why I would want to put myself through all this again? What happens if this one doesn't work? I have to be honest here and say I really do not care what anyone else thinks or feels about my decision. I know this is not a magic bullet and I know I will have to work within the tool but it gives me a leg up. Hell I cannot even really exercise to much because my knees and back start screaming at me so the MGB will help at first to simply allow me to get up and exercising. The picture below is all you really need know why I am putting myself though this and that is for my family. I am convinced I have the best 13 year old son on the planet and I am still amazed how I was able to attract my wife but I did. It is time they get the husband and father they both deserve. 

So July 1st a new chapter will begin.That is the day my surgeon will perform the MGB. As I mentioned in an earlier post I plan on giving you the good and bad along the way. I am excited and nervous but so ready to get started. Wish me luck!

What the Heck is MGB? (Cliff Notes Version)

Some of you may already know what MGB stands for and some may not have a clue. For those that do please do not hesitate to add comments of anything I might not cover. Also some of what I am going to state is fact and some is opinion.

MGB stands for Mini Gastric Bypass and some refer to it as the Omega Loop. I want to address one thing right off the bat. No just because the word "Mini" is in the title it is in no way an indication of how much you will lose. In fact the results are impressive but I will touch on that in a little while.

In laymen's terms and my words (remember the opinion statement) the MGB takes the best of a couple surgeries and tweaks them just a little and makes them better (again opinion). Really when you look at the MGB procedure you will see the surgeon performs part of a Gastric Sleeve and part of the RNY gastric bypass.

The real beauty of the MGB is that it is 100% reversible and revisable. Unlike the Gastric Sleeve nothing is removed. The portion of the stomach that is separated stays in place and continues to live and create digestive fluid to aid in the break down of food.  Secondly similar to the RNY the surgeon bypass anywhere from 3 to 8 feet of the small intestine. It is my understanding this is a much longer bypass than the RNY but to be totally honest I cannot say because I never fully researched the RNY. This longer bypass allows for greater malabsorption which sounds like a bad thing but basically the food passes through your system faster so you do not absorb as much as you normally would without the bypass.

Now before all you Gastric Sleeve and RNY vets fill up the comment section. I have nothing against either procedure and think both are wonderful options. I just chose a different route but I promise it will not be all milk and honey for me and the MGB. I was simply pointing out how the MGB "stole" from the Gastric Sleeve and RNY.

What really sold me on the MGB is these few short "benefits" and a few others:

1. Short procedure - Usually less then 1 hour
2. Short recovery time - Usually back to work within a few days.
3. Short hospital stay - Typically overnight
4. Effective weight loss - I have heard as high as 85% of excess weight.
5. No foreign material left inside - aka Lap-Band
6. 100% reversible or revisable - I hope I don't need either but its nice to know its an option.

Now to be completely forthcoming the MGB is not a walk in the park either. Here are just a few issues with the MGB:

1. It is not a widely performed procedure in the US and finding a doctor is not easy. I got lucky and had a doctor a short 1.5 hour drive from where I live.
2. The longer bypass can lead to vitamin deficiencies. So I will be required to take a vitamin daily for the rest of my life.
3. Dumping syndrome - As you RNY vets can attest to this will not be a fun experience.
4. Bile Reflux - Yummy! Can lead to serious health problems so guess what else I get to take for a while? Yep Prilosec and Pepto for at least 3 months.

So there you have it. MGB in a short and sweet answer. I will include a link that has a lot more information as well as a link to my surgeon.

Mini Gastric Bypass Resource

My doc - David Hargroder

Hello and Welcome Aboard

Good day everyone and welcome to my blog. My intention for this blog is to not only track my progress through my pre and post op life of an MGB patient but I would like for people to be able to use this as a resource to determine if the MGB is the correct path for them. I plan on giving you the good along with the bad. I have read so many sites that mention only praise and never give you a true male perspective. Along with this I will give you a peak into diet and exercise and success or possible failure.

Some of the things I talk about might not be good dinner table discussion but it will be an honest look into a WLS patient life.

Programming Note: I am a newbie when it comes to blogging so be patient with me as I learn the ropes to becoming a blogger.