POSE Surgery

[susu 1403]

Very exciting to hear from all of you!
I am still set for 23 March at Bushey . I ran the idea past my OH and kids - reaction not as negative as I feared. OH says why be first and he has a point but I don't see what the problem is as the procedure is well tested in the US.
I have asked Spire to put me in touch with a patient from Southampton Spire who is further down the line. My only concern is that life will be weird when going out to eat, holidays , weddings etc if I am staring at everyone else eating ! I guess that is part of the follow up for a year.
Mr Sufi says I should expect to lose half my excess weight and I have asked what that actually means! I want to lose all of it!
Sx

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[von]

Hi Susu,
I think I would be more worried about not joining in at social events or on holiday if I had had a bypass or a band. It strikes me that all we shall be restricted to is a smaller portion.
When I think about slim friends, they usually eat a lot less than me ie, when I go out to eat at a restaurant with my daughter, she rarely has a starter, may not finish her main course and eats half to two thirds her pudding. She is a healthy size 10/12. I always envy her portion control but more to the point, no one sees her attitude to food as anything but someone with a smaller apetite and perfectly normal. In fact, if I have the pudding, I know I am the one being greedy. I hope I shall be doing the same as my daughter in 3 months time.

My consultant also said up to 50% excess weight loss which for me is 3-4 stone. I also want to lose more but as he says, they can only quote on the averages achieved by the patients in the US. Well, I look at it that an average means some have lost a lot and some lost a lot less. I hope to do the former but like you have worries that I may not. Anyway, I'll give it my best shot but if I was only to lose 4 stone, I will still be 4 stone lighter than I have been for several years, will still have more energy and be healthier.

Sorry to have written so much but in a way, it's quite therapeutic to do so........lol

 

[susu 1403]

Actually it is great to be in communication! Please write as much as possible as it is so good to be able to express my thoughts and hear back.
Good luck "still big" ! Can't wait to hear how you get on.
Keep the chat going please!
Sx

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[stillbig]

hi susu , please keep us updated if you get put in touch with another pose person the more experiences the better! just booked the premier inn in cheadle so all set, promise to post as much as possible.....thinkingman your the pioneer with this, and von, april will be here before you know it !!!

 

[DuffyDk]

Hi

Im new inhere, im up for POSE to, and UK is the only place in europe i can find it ? (im from denmark)

i was thinking about the sleeve to, but POSE appears to be so much safer and less invasive. and im dont fear the surgery of a POSE as much as the thought of the sleeve.

So im listening to to your experiences inhere, and folow the nice weightloss you are getting.

if any of you who had the POSE done know how many "folds" you had done, i would also like to hear

 

[von]

Hi Stephanie,

lovely to see you on here as this is the thread we seem to have adopted for our updates. Thinkingman had the procedure recently and is updating us regularly which is great and Stillbig is the next on the list for next weekend.

I think we would all agree that with less weightloss, this procedure is far less invassive and hopefully/seemingly with less complications, although like any weightoss tool, we shall still have to work with it to achieve a good weightloss.

Have you chosen a hospital yet?

Keep in touch and let us know if you think we may be able to answer any questions.

 

[piratess]

Can i ask who you are getting your surgeries through ? I queried this procedure with wls and they told me they didnt offer it yet ..

it will be so good to follow your journeys xx

 

[von]

If you go direct to the private hospitals instead of through an agency.

I went to Nuffield Leeds, and I know that The Spire Hospitals at Southampton and Bushey are doing it as well.

There is also the national Obsesity Centre but not too sure where they are based.

 

[piratess]

So i just email the spire and ask them about it ? ive only really looked at companies

can i ask the rough cost of this surgery ?

 

[von]

Yes, just email or ring them.

Costs seem to vary as I think when it was very new it was less than £6000 but I think it may well be around £7-8000 now.

 

[susu 1403]

Hi and welcome
I have been quoted £8500 at Bushey spire to include all support after the procedure for one year. I was told that includes dietician , surgeon, support group .
Have any of you been quoted a figure like this ?
I don't think the hospital has been publicising Pose yet as they are only starting this month. It will be interesting to be one of the first . There are some videos on you tube with people who have had Pose and the reduction in appetite and cravings seems very similar to lap band and gastric bypass without the side effects and invasive surgery.
Sx

 

[eastbruce]

I am in the USA and just had the POSE procedure 4 days ago. Of course since there is no incision, the pain is fairly minor, except for the gas which make me belch a lot and hurts!

My surgeon did the Hiatal Hernia Repair and the POSE in the same surgery. I have some pain where he rebuilt the valve and a sore throat, which has eased up today.

I was told I could eat only a clear liquid diet for 2 to 4 weeks, but hope it is only the 2 weeks - I can't eat very much at one time now.

The way my surgeon explained it to me, he used about 10 connectors to make folds in the part of the stomach that expands, now that it can't expand I get full quickly.

 

[von]

Hi and welcome to this thread. It's really great to have another post op person on here.

Have you been put on the 4 weeke liquid diet because of the hernia repair or is that the normal proceure after POSE in the US?

Do you know if 10 connectors is the norm? Did the surgeon give you an idea of how much smaller your stomach is now?

I Hope you get over the discomfort of the hernia repair soon and look forward to hearing of your progress.

 

[eastbruce]

Thanks for responding to me - I feel all alone out here on this procedure as not many have had it so I have no one to compare my progress/concerns with.

The 2 to 4 weeks liquid diet is the normal recommendation for the POSE so that the connectors have time to heal. As far as the Hernia repair, there are no restrictions. I'm glad I was able to get both surgeries done at the same time - why go through it twice?

As many as 20 connectors can be used depending on the size of the stomach - 10 or so is more typical. My surgeon did not tell me how much smaller my stomach is now, but from the pictures he showed me, it looks like about 1/3 smaller. They took pictures and filmed the whole surgery.

Yesterday was the first day I did not take any pain meds all day until bedtime when I had a dose. The throat soreness has eased quite a bit and the valve replacement area is not bothering me so much. Have never had any pain from the stomach so that is good. Have had some loose bowels yesterday and today, but nothing too terrible.

Today, I still have a lot of uncomfortable gas, but I did go for a walk and watered my plants as it is spring here in Florida. Later today I will drive a couple of blocks to the bank and the library.

 

[susu 1403]

I just heard that I need to go on a 2 week liver shrinkage diet before the procedure which is cutting it a bit fine. Does anyone know what this entails? This is in case they have to do it laparoscopically. Cannot say that I am at all happy about this. Did any of you have to do this?
My OH is also being difficult - he wants me to wait until a lot more people have had it done. We are going to speak about it tonight ......
Sx

 

[eastbruce]

I had not heard of the liver shrinkage diet, but I googled it and there it was! Seems like each doctor has his own version. But they all look tasty to me since I am on broth and jello for at least two weeks

 

[von]

My consultant was quite adamant that there was no liver shrinking diet prior to the procedure, beause the procedure is not done laprascopicically. It is done through the mouth directly into the inside of the stomach.

How would they get inside the stomach to put the clips in if they are going to enter you lapascopically? It doesn't make sense.

 

[von]

Just spoken to the hospital and my procedure is booked in for the first week in April.

So glad I have a date now.

 

[susu 1403]

Congratulations!
This liver shrinkage thing is a real nuisance - I just got an email of the diet and it is Slimfast for 2 weeks! Trouble is that my birthday ( 14/03!) is in this period and I have some social arrangements - OH is already not keen on op - oh dear!
However I am going to go ahead and take the flak as it is my body. I really don't understand about the laparoscopic bit - why would that happen?
How do they do the anchors that way?
Sx

 

[von]

Hi Susu,

Yes, I'm relieved to have a date at last, although it was like getting blood out of a stone.

As for your diet, I do think there is something amiss there.
The whole point of pose is that it goes through the mouth. Alarm bells would be ringing with me if they are talking about pre op diets and incisions. I wonder if someone in the admin dept has got you confused as having one of the other wls procedures? Was it the surgeon himself who said that he might have to do this lapascopically?

I have looked up on the internet and seen the youtube of the procedure and although I don't profess to be an expert, as far as I can seem, there is no way that it could even be done lapascopically.

I would contact them asap and ask what they are on about cos I would like to know as well......!!