JimL

Having struggled with my weight most of my life (was always successful at losing just not keeping it off), I started researching different WLS for years. I was turned down back in 2013 because my BMI wasn't high enough. So the doctor put me on a low carb (Atkins) diet and of course I lost weight, but eventually put it all back on, and then some.

Some stats for me:
45 M
HW: 340
Surgery Weight: 310

I met with the staff locally (Washington University in St. Louis) in late July for the first time. I decided to do the ESG because I thought it was my best option for non-surgical WL. I had some follow up tests with a nutritionist and the endoscopic clinic to make sure I could have the procedure. All told, it has been a fairly simple process, start to finish. Some of that may be because I was self-pay (my health insurance doesn't have bariatric coverage). All-in cost is about $16k. I will try and answer an questions for people who are considering it. The procedure was painless, and quick (I think they said 49 minutes under anesthesia) and while in recovery, there was a little stomach cramping but not horrible. They threw a little pain killer in the IV and was gone right away. I had the procedure at 1:30 pm and was home by 6:00 pm. I was able to drink about 16 ounces of Water last night and a serving of the Unjury chicken Soup without much issue. I can tell if I take to big of a sip, my stomach will cramp a little. I just was a minute of 2 before attempting another swallow. Today, I've had about 16 ounces of water and 2 Protein Shakes from unjury.
Good luck to anyone else who is either looking or scheduled for the procedure.

Jim

So a quick update. I'm now onto the soft food (have been for a week) and it is a learning process for sure. If I don't measure the volume of food, it is super easy to eat a little too much. Typically a 1/2 cup of chicken salad (mayo and shredded chicken with a teaspoon of dill pickle juice) is almost too much. When I puréed that, I could take a little more, maybe 2/3 of a cup. I've lost a total of 28 pounds and am currently in a stall I guess. I lost almost 20 the first week, 7 over the next 2 weeks and only a pound this week. I guess we can have a stall the same as the VSG folks. Oh well, I know it's working and it is getting easier as I've gotten into a routine of eating about 5 small meals a day, taking my Vitamins, and walking. Hope everyone is doing well.

What I notice is that the "restriction" is delayed more for me in the puréed phase. I noticed that if I don't take enough time between bites and eat slow, I can get uncomfortable 20-30 minutes later. Happened to me twice and I finally figured out what was going on. I'm about 5 days into the puréed stage.

I said this in a post I've been updating, the only "hard" part is the liquid diet so far. My only pre-op requirement was no food, or liquid from midnight until after the procedure. My procedure was 1:30 in the afternoon so that kinda sucked but not horrible. I hope your experience goes smooth. Good luck.

Ok, so I'm 5 days post op and unless I drink too much/fast, feel, I feel normal. I am obviously still only on full liquids but never feel 'hungry'. I haven't had a random gas pain in the last 24 hours. I'm starting to walk more frequently as well because I don't feel as weak now. Hope everyone is doing well.

I actually felt well enough to return to work 2 days after the procedure. I work a desk job though and am able to walk around freely (very important the first few days because it helps the gas pains more than anything). I was not in any pain so I only took the painkillers the evening after the procedure and the first morning. My throat was a little sore, but manageable. They did have a Maalox/Lidicane mixture as one of my meds, but it was supposed to be refrigerated, and I didn't notice until I went to open it up. Honestly, didn't really need it. What we talked about was the ESG "helping" me achieve a healthy weight. The restriction is important for me psychologically, because I have always eaten large portions and I felt this procedure would stop that behavior. This morning I weighed in at 297.2 so the weight is dropping off, 12.8 pounds in 4 days. I think one of the biggest fears I had was that there wasn't a ton of long term data on this procedure. I figured if places like Johns Hopkins, mayo Clinic, and Washington University were doing it, that was good enough for me. Good luck in your journey, I hope it is as painless as mine has been so far.

Since there isn't much out there about the ESG (from a patients perspective), I will try and update every few days. I'm 3 days post-op today and other than an occasional stomach cramp (usually too big of a drink), I feel great. No pains, nausea, etc. I wasn't going to get on the scale until the 25th (one week from procedure) but it's too hard to quell the curiosity. I'm averaging about 45g of Protein and 550 calories a day. I'm also averaging about 60 ounces of liquid (including the milk/water I add to the shakes). I don't really think I could do more than that at this point. Again, if I can answer any questions, please ask away.

Since there isn't much out there about the ESG (from a patients perspective), I will try and update every few days. I'm 3 days post-op today and other than an occasional stomach cramp (usually too big of a drink), I feel great. No pains, nausea, etc. I wasn't going to get on the scale until the 25th (one week from procedure) but it's too hard to quell the curiosity. I'm averaging about 45g of Protein and 550 calories a day. I'm also averaging about 60 ounces of liquid (including the milk/water I add to the shakes). I don't really think I could do more than that at this point. Again, if I can answer any questions, please ask away.

Having struggled with my weight most of my life (was always successful at losing just not keeping it off), I started researching different WLS for years. I was turned down back in 2013 because my BMI wasn't high enough. So the doctor put me on a low carb (Atkins) diet and of course I lost weight, but eventually put it all back on, and then some.

Some stats for me:
45 M
HW: 340
Surgery Weight: 310

I met with the staff locally (Washington University in St. Louis) in late July for the first time. I decided to do the ESG because I thought it was my best option for non-surgical WL. I had some follow up tests with a nutritionist and the endoscopic clinic to make sure I could have the procedure. All told, it has been a fairly simple process, start to finish. Some of that may be because I was self-pay (my health insurance doesn't have bariatric coverage). All-in cost is about $16k. I will try and answer an questions for people who are considering it. The procedure was painless, and quick (I think they said 49 minutes under anesthesia) and while in recovery, there was a little stomach cramping but not horrible. They threw a little pain killer in the IV and was gone right away. I had the procedure at 1:30 pm and was home by 6:00 pm. I was able to drink about 16 ounces of Water last night and a serving of the Unjury chicken Soup without much issue. I can tell if I take to big of a sip, my stomach will cramp a little. I just was a minute of 2 before attempting another swallow. Today, I've had about 16 ounces of water and 2 Protein Shakes from unjury.
Good luck to anyone else who is either looking or scheduled for the procedure.

Jim

Having struggled with my weight most of my life (was always successful at losing just not keeping it off), I started researching different WLS for years. I was turned down back in 2013 because my BMI wasn't high enough. So the doctor put me on a low carb (Atkins) diet and of course I lost weight, but eventually put it all back on, and then some.

Some stats for me:
45 M
HW: 340
Surgery Weight: 310

I met with the staff locally (Washington University in St. Louis) in late July for the first time. I decided to do the ESG because I thought it was my best option for non-surgical WL. I had some follow up tests with a nutritionist and the endoscopic clinic to make sure I could have the procedure. All told, it has been a fairly simple process, start to finish. Some of that may be because I was self-pay (my health insurance doesn't have bariatric coverage). All-in cost is about $16k. I will try and answer an questions for people who are considering it. The procedure was painless, and quick (I think they said 49 minutes under anesthesia) and while in recovery, there was a little stomach cramping but not horrible. They threw a little pain killer in the IV and was gone right away. I had the procedure at 1:30 pm and was home by 6:00 pm. I was able to drink about 16 ounces of Water last night and a serving of the Unjury chicken Soup without much issue. I can tell if I take to big of a sip, my stomach will cramp a little. I just was a minute of 2 before attempting another swallow. Today, I've had about 16 ounces of water and 2 Protein Shakes from unjury.
Good luck to anyone else who is either looking or scheduled for the procedure.

Jim