Tex Slim 66

Hello ladies and gents! I am scheduled for my consultation December 5th. And hopefully I can get my procedure done around the 1st of January. 39 male 5'9 310lbs. Excited and scared at the same time. I guess my only real fear is not physical getting approved. The two primary reasons are acid reflux and heart palpitations. From everyone's past experiences and consultations, was either of these things a concern with the doctor? I have read nearly every thread on here and what I read was why I chose to move forward with this. If I'm able to have the procedure then I to will document my experience to try and help people the way y'all (from Tx) have helped me.

Thanks Tex Slim 66. I'm glad we all have each other to talk to about our experiences. It feels somewhat like uncharted territory and it could be quite an isolating experience having an esg due to the recency of the procedure. I imagine it will be sometime before we cross paths in our daily lives with someone else who has had an esg.

I think that's why this community is so important to us all.

I hope you are still recovering well?

Mel

Thanks for your encouragement hope4momof4. You are absolutely right, after receiving sage advise from you and others, I'm ready to take a long hard look at my eating behavior and make some changes. My goal is to eliminate sugar/flour/grains (my body has an inflammatory response to them), and eat three small meals a day and a light snack like cottage cheese for a evening snack. I have decided to come off the phentermine before my surgery to see if I can adjust behaviorally without it. I will hit the grocery store tomorrow to meal prep. Making lemonade at of lemons!!

Bubbles good luck on the consult as well!!

So cool hope4momof4!! Good luck on Dec 7, for ESG that is a large number of procedures for one Dr at this point in this relatively new technique. Don't get too stressed by the office workers, be prepped with your personal history and questions for Dr. and I found a much better response from the head nurse and Doctor in my consult. I will check back on my notes and share some of the key questions for me, you already have a good start. Keep asking if there are questions, we're here to help!

Hello out there to the endosleevers or future endosleevers. I’ve finally taken my first step to getting this procedure done. I am scheduled for a consult on Dec. 7 with the only NJ doctor who performs this procedure, Dr. Sadek. I’ve read reviews about him and most have given him a good review. His office has told me he has done over 200 endosleeves. (However, the girls who scheduled me did not sound like they were 100% sure) I actually messaged a woman who had the esg done with him and she was very pleased with the procedure but lukewarm about him as a surgeon. Nevertheless, he is the closest surgeon to me and even he is one hour and a half drive. It’s finally starting to feel real to me. I hope I remember to ask all the important questions I’ve told you all to ask during your own consultations, lol. I’m nervous but ready I think. My procedure probably won’t be for another two months which will give me enough time to prepare. Please remind me of the important questions to ask. Thanks all. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Bubbles good luck on the consult as well!!

Melesg, great post! Your thoughts and approach to life post ESG are remarkably similar to mine, it is very comforting to see the progress you have made in the last 3 months! Incredible to be half way there in 3 months.
So happy for you that you are past the stall. Agree with hope4momof4, your posts have been very valuable to me in my decision making and have provided me a clearer understanding of what life is like after the ESG procedure, thanks so much for that!!
Good luck tomorrow hope4momof4 with your your call and decision about how to proceed!! We're rooting for you!

Awww! Mel you’ve been a gift to this forum. 😘 You have given us solid ground to move forward into a territory that is now much less unknown. I don’t really think I would have had the courage to move forward with this had it not been for the encouragement and priceless info you as well as Tex Sleeves m, AmyAlexis, and belle have given me. It’s scary trying to do this almost alone (I have introduced the idea to my husband) and you can’t know how wonderful it is to have this forum. For people like me who choose to be very private it is and will remain my lifeline. Tomorrow is important as I will call to make an appointment for my consultation. As I understand it, as I have spoken to that doctor’s office a few times, if I am approved I will have my esg date at my consultation. Excitement is starting to build now. Of course I’ll keep everyone posted as I am depending on all of the brave pioneers, Melesg, Tex Slim, and AmyAlexis to do the same please.

Some great information shared here. So valuable for the many readers wondering about the days and weeks after having the esg. Great to hear how well you are going Tex Slim 66 and AmyAlexis, sounds like you are both doing so well.

I am now well over 3 months post esg procedure and can also add that the hunger I feel now is far less intense than before esg. Head hunger still tells me to eat but when I actually think about it - I'm really not hungry very often. It's far easier to eat less and I would have to say that I am less interested in food.... and I really loved food . I feel like a food switch has been flicked off in my brain and I am really satisfied with smaller portions or substitutes. I took my kids to the movies yesterday and got myself a small Diet Coke as a treat. It's was magnificent. Couldn't have cared less about the bucket of popcorn the kids demolished, my drink was awesome.

What I love about my esg is that I can still eat anything I want, I just don't to want to eat as a much or as often. It's taken me a couple of months to get my head around what I can and can't eat due to a lifetime of dieting. Portion sizes are very important now but really nothing is off my menu. I seem to look for healthier foods now, I am in love with grapes and apples and have lost my sweet tooth for candy and chocolate.< br>
My weight loss has really taken off again and I have lost a kg per week for the last 2 weeks. Remember to eat enough once you have recovered to keep your metabolism ticking along and the nutrients up to feel like exercising. My dietician has been crucial in helping me change my mind set about seeing some foods as bad and snacking as a barrier to weight loss. She tells me that carbs are not bad but how healthy some are and said that snacking to her means an opportunity to get some more nutrients in. I now have an apple, almonds and a square of dark chocolate most afternoons as my only daily snack and it's delicious.

I wish you all continued success. I am nearly half way to my goal weight after just 3 months. So grateful for the opportunity to have this procedure and change my life for the better.

And hope4momof4 - thank you for being such a encourager to all on this forum. You are a blessing to us all and it's heartwarming to see how much you want everyone to do well. Good luck with your progress in finding a surgeon who you feel is the "one" to provide your weight loss solution xo

Hey hope4momof4 the hunger question was the biggest thing that I couldn't make sense of either before I had my ESG procedure. So I'm still in the first week (day 5) but I really have not been "hungry". I realize how strange this sounds when sitting through Thanksgiving dinner and a big family Breakfast like this morning. I read about this same lack of hunger post ESG procedure in a number of posts, like AlCzervik, Belle3endosleeve, AmyAlexis and others and struggled to understand how that could be.
Here's my best guess as to why, I think it's a combination of physical and motivational reasons. The physical reason is that my smaller stomach is still adjusting to the ESG sutures and if I do drink something too quickly I can feel the gas pains I mentioned. This physical response is giving me feedback to slow down when I drink (and eventually eat), frankly this is a signal I needed as I was always the first one to finish a meal in our family (even if I ate the largest portion).
The motivational reason is having yo-yo dieted so many times before and done the research about the effectiveness of bariatric procedures and spent the $$ for ESG I am determined to make this time successful in becoming the healthier me that I have missed for the last 20+years. At this early point after my procedure I know that liquid calories, unhealthy food choices or grazing are not taking me to a place that I want to be and I do feel my willpower has been reinforced by completing the ESG procedure. It's a different level of commitment that I feel to getting my weight and body shape to a healthier place for the rest of my life.
So yes, I don't feel it has been hard to stick to the liquid diet, supportive family definitely helping as well!! I know it's a prolonged explanation, actually I found it really useful to share my thoughts, so thanks for asking!!
I took some upper body photos (where I am carrying most of my weight) and can use these for visual reinforcement when needed (not yet).
Thanks too to AmyAlexis, for your support, hope all continues to go well for you!

Hey hope4momof4 the hunger question was the biggest thing that I couldn't make sense of either before I had my ESG procedure. So I'm still in the first week (day 5) but I really have not been "hungry". I realize how strange this sounds when sitting through Thanksgiving dinner and a big family Breakfast like this morning. I read about this same lack of hunger post ESG procedure in a number of posts, like AlCzervik, Belle3endosleeve, AmyAlexis and others and struggled to understand how that could be.
Here's my best guess as to why, I think it's a combination of physical and motivational reasons. The physical reason is that my smaller stomach is still adjusting to the ESG sutures and if I do drink something too quickly I can feel the gas pains I mentioned. This physical response is giving me feedback to slow down when I drink (and eventually eat), frankly this is a signal I needed as I was always the first one to finish a meal in our family (even if I ate the largest portion).
The motivational reason is having yo-yo dieted so many times before and done the research about the effectiveness of bariatric procedures and spent the $$ for ESG I am determined to make this time successful in becoming the healthier me that I have missed for the last 20+years. At this early point after my procedure I know that liquid calories, unhealthy food choices or grazing are not taking me to a place that I want to be and I do feel my willpower has been reinforced by completing the ESG procedure. It's a different level of commitment that I feel to getting my weight and body shape to a healthier place for the rest of my life.
So yes, I don't feel it has been hard to stick to the liquid diet, supportive family definitely helping as well!! I know it's a prolonged explanation, actually I found it really useful to share my thoughts, so thanks for asking!!
I took some upper body photos (where I am carrying most of my weight) and can use these for visual reinforcement when needed (not yet).
Thanks too to AmyAlexis, for your support, hope all continues to go well for you!

Hi everyone,
I have my procedure scheduled for November 8 - one week away. I'm nervous and excited and hopeful after reading so many of these postings from people who have had ESG.
I'm wondering how people are dealing with emotional eating- I know stress can be a trigger for me.
Amy

Good luck on your upcoming surgery. I would recommend three things at your stage.

1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success.
2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery.
3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

Great suggestions James thank you!
I am a coffee lover and diet coke drinker so your tip is appreciated - and this will give my husband, who suggested the same thing - great 'I told ya so' satisfaction -

Hi Hope4momof4!
The procedure went off without a hitch. I was heading home after a few hours in recovery. No nausea (Doc prescribed anti-nausea patch which I put on the night before). The first couple of days I was a little gassy/crampy, but it really was minor and another 'scrip helped with that.
Returned Monday for blood work and xray to make sure there were no leaks- which there aren't.
I'm now one week out to the day and I am feeling great and I've dropped about 10lbs so far. yay!
I'm so happy I did this. So far so good!
Amy

Day 4 and I feel like I'm fully back to normal, all my meds will finish today as well (just anti-nausea left). I started Liquid Protein this morning, using Premier Protein chocolate flavor from Sam's club. Still staying with 1-2 ounces in sips and then wait 15 minutes. My diet has me on liquid Protein for 2 weeks and I will alternate Protein Drink the first 30 minutes of the hour and Water the 2nd 30 minutes of the hour.
I plan to do some walking with my wife this afternoon to start back towards a routine exercise regime.
One other tip my Dr. provided that I was grateful for, he suggested that the first few days it is easier for your stomach to adjust if you remain upright rather than laying down. He explained gas accumulation was less in the vertical positions than when laying horizontally.
This included sleeping sitting up through the night. I set up camp on a couch or recliner for the first two nights and it worked well for me. I was up to walk around 1-2x in the night to relieve gas pain, it took less than a minute of walking each time to feel normal again. Last night was the first night back in bed and I used a couple of extra pillows to sleep at an angle. No gas pain last night! That was awesome!!
AmyAlexis, you said it right, getting better each day! Thanks to all for the support.

Day 4 and I feel like I'm fully back to normal, all my meds will finish today as well (just anti-nausea left). I started Liquid Protein this morning, using Premier Protein chocolate flavor from Sam's club. Still staying with 1-2 ounces in sips and then wait 15 minutes. My diet has me on liquid Protein for 2 weeks and I will alternate Protein Drink the first 30 minutes of the hour and Water the 2nd 30 minutes of the hour.
I plan to do some walking with my wife this afternoon to start back towards a routine exercise regime.
One other tip my Dr. provided that I was grateful for, he suggested that the first few days it is easier for your stomach to adjust if you remain upright rather than laying down. He explained gas accumulation was less in the vertical positions than when laying horizontally.
This included sleeping sitting up through the night. I set up camp on a couch or recliner for the first two nights and it worked well for me. I was up to walk around 1-2x in the night to relieve gas pain, it took less than a minute of walking each time to feel normal again. Last night was the first night back in bed and I used a couple of extra pillows to sleep at an angle. No gas pain last night! That was awesome!!
AmyAlexis, you said it right, getting better each day! Thanks to all for the support.

I'm so happy to hear your recovery is going well. Your suggestion are so helpful, I will add them to the list I have compiled for Tuesday. It's reassuring to know that your hunger has subsided, hunger is my biggest challenge. When I'm hungry my will goes out the window. Great to hear from you. Rest up and look forward to your updates.

Hey hope4momof4, yes I definitely feel stronger and better today at day 3 than yesterday. My headaches are gone and I'm not at all groggy like on Day 1 and 2. I have completed taking most of the anti-nausea meds that were prescribed today. Dr. and lead nurse said to just take these meds and not wait until I was feeling nauseous. If you wait in taking these meds it takes a long time to recover. Really good advice form my Dr. and nurse, I followed it and it worked!
I feel really good about Thanksgiving today I stuck to my clear liquid diet, no cheat and frankly not interested in cheating at this point. There's so much of an opportunity for me to get back into a healthier life that I'm not going to miss this chance.
The holiday season may seem like a strange time to have an ESG, however for me it was important to start in this season and prove to myself I can do it. Thanksgiving to New year's eve has always been one of the worst times of the year for my weight. In the past couple of years I have gained up to 30 pounds in each of these 6-8 weeks only to work the rest of the year to lose some of it. It's not going to happen that way again!
Great question about revisions, agree this is one to cover in consultations, I did have a good discussion with my Dr. about revision. In our first session I asked about revisions, since I had read this was possible online. Dr. Wilson was clear that the basis for the ESG procedure is permanent. One of the main focuses of the initial weeks of liquid and then Protein diet is to allow the new sleeve to get settled and for tissue to build around the internal sutures. Doing this right in the first several weeks is key to maintaining that smaller area of our stomach following the procedure which provides the feeling of satiety. In speaking with a couple of other Dr's who also performed the ESG procedure I heard a similar rationale that ESG was not intended as a reversible procedure.
My Dr. has not had an ESG patient where a revision was necessary.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Bubbles, you are asking all the right questions, here are some further thoughts I hop can be helpful in your decision making. In my initial consultations I did the same thing and received a lot of information from my Dr, this encouraged me to go forward with my procedure. Be prepared, it's always good to start with asking your Dr. how many ESG's they have done. My Dr. had done ~50 procedures when I first consulted with him this summer.
Hope4momof4 has a great follow-up to this question around what complications (frequency and severity) does your Dr experience with ESG operations? Building on this I would also ask your Dr. to compare ESG complications to Vertical Sleeve Gastronomy (VSG) their patients have experienced? In my experience with the 3 Dr' I spoke to their answers were the same or less number of complications (lack of an incision being the primary factor of ESG having fewer complications than VSG. None of the 3 had experienced more severe complications with ESG.
Since the ESG procedure is fairly new, I looked for other questions to learn more about the Dr's experiences:
How frequently do they use endoscopes 2 days per week in OR completing multiple procedures was my Dr's response Do they also do Vertical Sleeve Gastronomy My Dr. has done VSG for years, many hundreds of procedures In this discussion with my Dr. I learned the internal stitching technique (OverStictch) done on the stomach walls was the same for ESG and VSG. This made me more comfortable about their experience level.
Ask your doctor about

Hey Bubbles, thanks for your note and expression of care! I continue to feel stronger this morning, not feeling "hungry" even though the last solid food for me was Saturday dinner. Small sips of Clear Liquids is definitely making a difference in the amount and intensity of gas pains going down. They are very minor now, less than 30 seconds and more of an ache than a sharp pain. Thanks to ESG forum members, I knew this would come and just treat it as normal and walk it out.
I still am taking a couple of anti-nausea meds and they are working, plan to take those pills until they run out in the next day or so. I cooked the bacon for our family Thanksgiving breakfast, it smelled wonderful, didn't have a bite or any desire to nibble.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Also thanks to Amy for your support!

Hey hope4momof4, yes I definitely feel stronger and better today at day 3 than yesterday. My headaches are gone and I'm not at all groggy like on Day 1 and 2. I have completed taking most of the anti-nausea meds that were prescribed today. Dr. and lead nurse said to just take these meds and not wait until I was feeling nauseous. If you wait in taking these meds it takes a long time to recover. Really good advice form my Dr. and nurse, I followed it and it worked!
I feel really good about Thanksgiving today I stuck to my clear liquid diet, no cheat and frankly not interested in cheating at this point. There's so much of an opportunity for me to get back into a healthier life that I'm not going to miss this chance.
The holiday season may seem like a strange time to have an ESG, however for me it was important to start in this season and prove to myself I can do it. Thanksgiving to New year's eve has always been one of the worst times of the year for my weight. In the past couple of years I have gained up to 30 pounds in each of these 6-8 weeks only to work the rest of the year to lose some of it. It's not going to happen that way again!
Great question about revisions, agree this is one to cover in consultations, I did have a good discussion with my Dr. about revision. In our first session I asked about revisions, since I had read this was possible online. Dr. Wilson was clear that the basis for the ESG procedure is permanent. One of the main focuses of the initial weeks of liquid and then Protein diet is to allow the new sleeve to get settled and for tissue to build around the internal sutures. Doing this right in the first several weeks is key to maintaining that smaller area of our stomach following the procedure which provides the feeling of satiety. In speaking with a couple of other Dr's who also performed the ESG procedure I heard a similar rationale that ESG was not intended as a reversible procedure.
My Dr. has not had an ESG patient where a revision was necessary.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Bubbles, you are asking all the right questions, here are some further thoughts I hop can be helpful in your decision making. In my initial consultations I did the same thing and received a lot of information from my Dr, this encouraged me to go forward with my procedure. Be prepared, it's always good to start with asking your Dr. how many ESG's they have done. My Dr. had done ~50 procedures when I first consulted with him this summer.
Hope4momof4 has a great follow-up to this question around what complications (frequency and severity) does your Dr experience with ESG operations? Building on this I would also ask your Dr. to compare ESG complications to Vertical Sleeve Gastronomy (VSG) their patients have experienced? In my experience with the 3 Dr' I spoke to their answers were the same or less number of complications (lack of an incision being the primary factor of ESG having fewer complications than VSG. None of the 3 had experienced more severe complications with ESG.
Since the ESG procedure is fairly new, I looked for other questions to learn more about the Dr's experiences:
How frequently do they use endoscopes 2 days per week in OR completing multiple procedures was my Dr's response Do they also do Vertical Sleeve Gastronomy My Dr. has done VSG for years, many hundreds of procedures In this discussion with my Dr. I learned the internal stitching technique (OverStictch) done on the stomach walls was the same for ESG and VSG. This made me more comfortable about their experience level.
Ask your doctor about

Hi Bubbles. I just had the procedure done with dr shariah two weeks ago. I can tell you how happy I am to have done it. I love dr shariah and the staff, nurses and other doctors at Weill Cornell are fantastic.
If you want, I’d be happy to talk to you on the phone about my experience. Just send me a private message.
Btw I started at 159 and have already lost 14lbs.