Lap or Open Scar
Hi,
I am pre-op and would hope to have RNY. The Dr that I chose performs only
open RNY. I would love to have lap, but the Dr is very good. I am concerned
about a scar. Is it really big? Does it look better with time passed? For
those who had open, do you wish you had lap?
Thank you so much for you advise!
EG
August 30th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
I had open RNY on 7/3/2002 and I have never been happier. My scar
Stephanie
looked pretty ugly at the beginning, but it has faded so much over
the last year. I am just happy I was able to have the
surgery…..I’m not unhappy it was done open! As a matter of fact, I
have heard of alot of lap patients have had lots of problems…….It
doesn’t matter to me which way I went, just as long as I was able to
have it done!
open RNY 7/3/2002
Dr. Charles Rodning
Mobile, AL
285/165/130?
August 31st, 2006 at 1:15 am
I had an open 10 months ago. (By choice, cause I really didn’t care
about the scar.) The scar isn’t really big - and it does look better
as time goes by. There are parts of mine that are almost invisible -
and other parts that have a small welt. How it looks depends a lot
on how the doctor closes it - if he uses staples or large sutures
you’ll have a bigger scar. My surgeon uses a “subcuticular stitch”
which means that she sews the incision together with a suture that is
underneath the skin. There are no sutures to remove, and no little
scars like suture usually leave. It was covered with a large steri-
strip that eventually fell off. I think the reason for the “welts”
is because instead of just waiting for the steri-strip to fall off, I
kinda picked at it (I know, I know).
And no, I don’t wish I had had a lap. I’m never going to wear a
bikini or other midriff baring clothes. And I made the decision to
have an open, because I liked the idea of the surgeon being able to
actually touch and feel what she was doing. Personal preference.
Good luck to you.
Pam