POSE Surgery

[MarcusJ]

Toots - I have read all of your posts. Thank you for replying to mine! I have to say that my surgeon at Spire Leeds was very realistic and open and honest about the potential results. A good friend had a gastric sleeve done about 18 months ago and has dropped from about 15st to 9st. I did think about more drastic surgery however I thought it would be worth giving POSE a go first. I am by no means wealthy but I'm not getting into debt by having POSE and if it does fail, I will still be able to look at the sleeve or similar if I need to. That said, I am working on the basis that POSE will work. Someone said on this thread that it's more of a diet aid and I think that's probably the right way to think about it. It's probably more suitable for some than others. My problem was that I had the ability to eat really large portions at one sitting. I would have three meals a day but they would be really carolific. I have never been a grazer but if I was, even now, 4 weeks post op, I could probably consume a large amount of calories and stop losing, or even gain weight. For the moment at least, I just can't consume the same size of portions and as a result, I am losing weight. I have also stopped eating most carbs (bread being the key one). In addition, I like a few drinks but I now stick to clear spirits with a low cal mixer, rather than beers with JD and coke chasers. I am also making a concious effort to walk more and have even ordered a bike!

I will be really interested to hear how you get on with your surgeon and will keep my fingers for you!

 

[taral]

I have been thinking of a POSE but am having doubts now. What is your experience? Why do you have concerns about this procedure? Some people seem to be saying it is a rip off. Does that mean it hasn't worked? Is the band more effective? I'm really confused!

 

[stillbig]

hi everyone, got a response from my provider today and basically been told Pose was a tool to help me lose weight, and i was made aware of this from the outset,basically I am the failure not the procedure, Liz I dont have the fight in me to take this further, my self esteem is on the gutter and im struggling to cope with this, so if anyone out there is considering having the pose procedure ask yourself one question, can you deal with the real possibility of it not working, cos the effect of those anchors wears away after a short while, and its down to willpower and dieting and if you can do that you wouldnt of needed the procedure in the first place..congratulations to those who have had a positive outcome i wish you all well.

 

[Sharonimo]

hi everyone, got a response from my provider today and basically been told Pose was a tool to help me lose weight, and i was made aware of this from the outset,basically I am the failure not the procedure, Liz I dont have the fight in me to take this further, my self esteem is on the gutter and im struggling to cope with this, so if anyone out there is considering having the pose procedure ask yourself one question, can you deal with the real possibility of it not working, cos the effect of those anchors wears away after a short while, and its down to willpower and dieting and if you can do that you wouldnt of needed the procedure in the first place..congratulations to those who have had a positive outcome i wish you all well.

Out of curiosity, what happens to those anchors long term ...?

1. If you do not like the procedure or you personally think it is a failure, can they reverse it and take the anchors back out again (without damaging the stomach) ....?

2. Are the anchors made of titanium or similar?

3. Are the anchors intended to remain in for life ...?

I am just curious, even tho not a POSE patient myself. I have been interested in this thread and saddened to read so many of you feel the procedure has not worked, or is "not very useful" at best, and possibly a total waste of money at worst.

 

[LyndaB]

Hi there
Congrats marcusj, that is a great loss!

I have hit a wall weight loss wise... It may even be going in the wrong direction, bit scared to weigh in! I have been getting really hungry & eating more as a result. i am going to see my surgeon & the dietician on Friday; my surgeon noted that this had happened to others who had the POSE procedure done earlier on. He is very supportive and has also written to the manufacturer of the device for insight. He has performed revision surgery before for some patients.
I will let you all know how it goes...it is a shame that not everyone has had support like this - maybe what he says/suggests can set a precedent to take to your surgeons??
I am still lighter & happy about that, just not so thrilled about the hunger and quantity I could manage to eat
Toots x

Hi Toots,

I'd be really interested to hear what your surgeon says after speaking to the manufacturers. If your surgeon confirms that this procedure has a high failure rate due to something to do with the mechanics of the equipment or that it hasn't been thoroughly enough tested before being 'sold' then surely we have a case to pursue? My surgeon actually phoned the American manufacturer while I was in the consulting room so I heard the conversation. Basically, as he (the surgeon) had adhered to the process for doing the procedure there was nothing more that could be done. I was "just unfortunate"......!!! I said that that was not acceptable but we reached an impasse. However, there may still be further avenues to pursue.
Stillbig: I'm so sorry that you feel you don't want to follow this through. 'They' don't realise how devastating this thing is.

So far as removal of the anchors is concerned; yes, it can be done but at further cost!!!

 

[Sharonimo]

So far as removal of the anchors is concerned; yes, it can be done but at further cost!!!

Well you would need them to be removed if you were going to pursue another WLS option, like a band, bypass or sleeve ... which I am guessing some of you might be considering if you have come to the conclusion that POSE is nothing more than the Emperor's new clothes.

Wonder whether any of the clinics who do POSE would offer no charge for removing the anchors if you were taking up another procedure (with them) like a wrap or a band ....?

 

[scottt]

Hi all .I had pose and it didn't work at all .The anchors can be removed but costs around 4000 yes that's pounds .i didnt have them removed its not necessary . I had a gastric band 10 months later as I was sick and tired with all the dieting again .the difference is amazing ,although you still have to watch what things you eat you do feel really full much quicker .Hope this helps Liz x

 

[Sharonimo]

Thanks for the explanation, Liz.

I was slightly surprised -- didn't realise they could band straight over the anchors. Well I live and learn every day!

 

[DuffyDk]

didnt get pose but sleeve.

Hi

So sorry to hear that it didnt work for so many of you.

I had planned a POSE i march last year (2011), and was ready to go, but i changed it to a sleeve a few days before, and am so happy for that choice

I have the last 13 months lost 35 kg. and i am now slim/THIN my bmi is 18,5. thanks tiny sleeve stomach.

so those of you who are still considering, take an ekstra look at the sleeve surgery. it last the rest of the life, and the "effect" is the same/better than the pose, and there are minumun side effects compared to band/gby.

Hope all of you ho had a pose and didnt loose the weight you hoped for, doesnt give up.... because it IS that good to loose it as we imagine.

Good luck.

Duffy

 

[Alexandrite]

Effects of pose short term ( in my case)

Hi toots

Please can you up date us on your recent experience with pose.
Also , with your recent visit to your surgeon in relation to your findings - appetite increasing - hence eating more


I am terribly upset and disappointed with my pose op performed 4 months ago . Any effects are short lived ( I stress IN MY CASE)
I am now hungry MOST of the time ( following low gi eating plan ) provided by my surgery provider .
I have lost only 6 lbs ( which I lost on liquid only diet and had to GAIN to be deemed eligible for this surgery in the first instance )

In my humble opinion this pose is a waste of my time, effort and money .
I have made my opinions known to national obesity surgery centre in writing and have agreed to " come inboard " with weekly weigh in and telephone support .
I'm not very hopeful as it's the feeling of hunger that's such an issue . I don't remember " dieting" being this difficult .
I am back on my weight loss medication and running 3-4 times a week in an attempt to control my weight ( I have hypothyroidism so it's a struggle)

pLEASE any pose surgery patients , please post your comments , we Need to hear from you .

Thanks so much

 

[scottt]

Pose is rubbish no other way of saying it .We all had the op to stop dieting .Guess what it's back to dieting again .don't even think about having it if your reading this forum as research for surgery .Sorry to Ne negative but £8000 is toooo much to waste .Liz x

Ps I've since had a gastric band and it works .

 

[LyndaB]

I agree with everything negative that has been said about POSE. It's an absolute waste of money. All the hype about it reducing appetite and consumption is just that - hype. Having had POSE last year I can vouch for the fact that it really is ineffective. My hunger is as bad as it was before. I know they say that it's a 'tool' towards consumption but even a tool assists in the job it's meant to do. It is time that the organisations/hospitals involved with performing this procedure took on board the comments posted on this website (and other feedback they must receive) and acknowledge that it doesn't work. They should stop offering this type of bariatric surgery.

 

[Alexandrite]

I agree with everything negative that has been said about POSE. It's an absolute waste of money. All the hype about it reducing appetite and consumption is just that - hype. Having had POSE last year I can vouch for the fact that it really is ineffective. My hunger is as bad as it was before. I know they say that it's a 'tool' towards consumption but even a tool assists in the job it's meant to do. It is time that the organisations/hospitals involved with performing this procedure took on board the comments posted on this website (and other feedback they must receive) and acknowledge that it doesn't work. They should stop offering this type of bariatric surgery.

Hi lyndab and Scott

I agree with both of you .

It is sold as a "tool" for weight loss by means of restriction and reduction of gherhin ( possibly mis spelled but I mean hunger hormone )

Both of which wear off for me at aprox 3 month stage .


I hope we hear from post pose patients ( longer term ) to see how they are getting on .

Alexandrite

 

[MarcusJ]

I do feel a bit like an evil POSE-pusher, gatecrashing a POSE bashing party however many people who are thinking about undergoing this procedure will probably read this thread and therefore I think it's important to help give a balanced view. I had this procedure done 10 weeks ago. The consultant suggested that I should feel less hungry, would not be able to eat the same size portions and would lose one third of the weight I needed to lose. I do still feel hungry however that's probably fine as I absolutely cannot eat the same size portions. As a consequence, I have now lost c. 3 stone which is pretty much one third of what I need to lose. The rest is probably up to me however this was made very clear to me at the outset and indeed I am now in the process of making some lifestyle changes, primarily involving exercise, that should hopefully help facilitate further weight loss.

While it's still early days, based on my experience, the procedure has been a success.

I am genuinely sorry to hear about some of the negative experiences that people have had however to say it's 'rubbish', 'ineffective' and 'an absolute waste of money' simply doesn't reflect my experience and the experience of one individual (either negative or positive) should not define whether it is effective. If they had stopped 'offering this type of bariatric surgery', I would not be c. 3 stone lighter today.

I don't think that this surgery is suitable for everyone however I think it has a place in the bariatric surgery armoury in certain instances. I needed some help however I didn't want irreversible, highly invasive surgery and based upon the issues that I had with food, the consultant felt that the procedure was suitable and based on his reasoning I agreed. I am glad I had it.

My experience to date has been good (although as I say, it's early days). Other member's experience is very bad. Somewhere in the middle, there will probably be a silent majority whose experience is OK. This I think, confirms the need for the availibility of the procedure, under certain circumstances, where the patient's expectations are carefully managed.

 

[Tessy]

Cripes! Thank goodness I found this thread as I was seriously considering POSE. I can only afford to do this once, so what do people recommend? I weigh 224, BMI 36.

Tessy..x

 

[suzie290304]

Cripes! Thank goodness I found this thread as I was seriously considering POSE. I can only afford to do this once, so what do people recommend? I weigh 224, BMI 36.

Tessy..x

Band or sleeve do research on both and see what suites your eating habits x

 

[scottt]

Hi Tessy and Lynda .

I had a gastric band after a pose procedure and the difference is amazing .You still have to make sensible food choices after a band but you actually do feel full .It's just a matter of filling up on good choices first .I have a Freddo every other day even though I'm not really a chocolate person .Your right to do your research first .I wish I had, as do other disappointed POSE people . Lynda I will ring you this weekend .Liz (Scott)xx

 

[scottt]

Sorry, just one other thought .I have never heard a single report about pose working after the first 3-4 months and even those were small losses that were hard earned .Liz xx

 

[Fuffs]

From reading through this thread I really feel for you all who had this procedure (((hugs)))

The temporary gastric balloon seems a cheaper and longer term option (6-12 months)

For the length of time the POSE works it's very expensive and seems to have nowhere near the success of other WLS options. Really think like others have said that clinics should stop doing it. Or do it for a lot less money, stating its only good for 3 months.

Good luck to you all with your weight loss xxx

 

[Tessy]

Thank you

Thanks for all your replies. I've been checking out all options over the last few weeks. Decisions, decisions, I was only going for POSE because there is no overnight stay and I have a little one. If I wasn't such coward I'd go for the sleeve Do you need to vitamins for life with a sleeve?

There are some reports that say the band only lasts 10 years. Anyone else heard this?

One thing I will definitely do next week when I go for my consultation is mention this site and all your comments. If POSE is not working the surgeons need to take note. It seems a lot of money for little gain and very unfair on those who have put their faith in this procedure to help them on their journey.

Tessy..x