SammieKay

Hi ESG Community, Where did everyone go? Please continue sharing your experiences after having the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. Are you still losing weight? Are there any great tips you've learned along the way? Do you still feel that the non-surgical procedure was the way to go? There's not much info on what happens as time progresses. Anything that you can share will be helpful to those of who are traveling the road behind you.

There have been several people on this site who've said their ESG was covered by insurance. Let's see if anyone answers.

The health insurance exchange opens up again in November. Which providers cover ESG? Thank you.

I'm wondering what folks are hearing about the long term effectiveness of the ESG procedure? I've seen the 1 year study (still effective) but am curious about what the early group of ESG pioneers are experiencing today. Is it still working? Would they do it again?

I wonder if the stomach stretches if you don't feel the restriction until AFTER you've eaten more than you should have?

Yea, Belle, you did it! Glad to hear that your procedure was successful. You seem to have been out for a long time following your procedure. I wonder if others were out for 5-6 hours post-procedure. Do you think that the difficulty you experienced the first couple of days was related to the anesthesia? Was your throat sore afterwards?

Blessings to you Belle. May you have a safe and successful procedure. Looking forward to hearing your update when you're back online.

Congratulations & thanx for sharing! I'm considering having the procedure, but am concerned about the potential level of pain. On a scale of 1(low) to 5(high), how would you rate the pain that you experienced? Also, did your docs do anything specific to ensure that you wouldn't have throat pain?

Yes! It will work because you will do your part to make the most of the support that this procedure offers. May your procedure be safe, easy and super successful. Tomorrow is the beginning of a whole new and wonderful life for you. Congrats!

First, realize that you are not obligated to tell anyone anything. It's your story to tell IF, and WHEN you want to do so. If someone asks you if you had weight loss surgery you can say, " That's an interesting question. Here's what I will say: I made a conscious decision to put myself and my health first. And, that decision led me to put a plan in place that's helping me to get healthy. My focus is getting & staying healthy. And, I'm keeping the conversation at that level and not getting derailed into making this about weight". Then move the conversation along by switching topics..... A bit long, but hopefully you get the idea.

@GreenEyed, Did you also have gas "problems"? If so, when did the gas subside enough for you to feel comfortable at work? You're doing great with the weight loss! Was the 20lb loss the result of the ESG alone, or have you been working out, as well? Thank you for sharing your experience. The more info I have the better I feel about moving forward with the procedure.

Jim, The restriction is key for me too. Considering what you've shared I need to give some thought to when I want to return to the office. I can pretty much get up to walk around, as needed, unless I'm in a meeting. But, I really don't want to be at work gasing up the place! That wouldn't be good at all. I'll ask the doc if there's something I can take to lessen the effects. I, too, hope that my experience will be as "pain-free" as yours has been. Thanks, again.

Jim, thanks for sharing your progress. It's really helpful. How soon after the procedure did you feel well enough to return to work? I'm hoping I can have the procedure on a Thursday or Friday and return to work on the following Monday. Was your throat really sore afterwards? If so, did the doc give you something to ease the pain? How much weight loss were you told to expect over the first 3-6 months? And, finally, did your doc say anything about how patients who have lived with the procedure for a longer period of time are doing?

Another question: are green juices and smoothies allowed after the procedure?

Why is IV treatment needed? Does the restricted diet result in dehydration? Also, I read somewhere that the majority of the weight comes off in the first 3-6 months. Is this true? What have your doctor's told you to expect?