hope4momof4

Love this response!! I think I’ll try it myself. I absolutely agree!!

That is great to hear. You are obviously surrounded by very caring and supportive people. I, however, know for sure that this will not be the case with me. Too many of my family members have made derogatory comments about anyone we know who’s had WLS. I could be wrong and their concern and love for me may allow them to become more open minded about this but I’m afraid to take that chance. Regardless of whether or not I want to admit it, their opinion of me matters so I can’t risk them thinking I took the easy way out or “cheated”. Of course this isn’t the easy way at all. But I believe I’ll have enough to worry about after my procedure. I don’t need their criticism on top of my struggle. I’m happy that your family and friends are supportive. You are a lucky person and must truly be loved.

I’m going to begin by posting my stats so hopefully once I have my procedure I can look back and see how much weight I’ve lost. Current weight: 198 lbs. (ouch?) height: 5’5”, Age: 43, female Biggest thing I accomplished this past week: I finally made an appointment for a consultation on 12/7 (which I will definitely update about on a different thread, lol) My biggest challenge: having the courage to tell my husband I want to do this (he’s the only one who will know besides my mom) and trying to wean myself off of phentermine which at this point is really not helping me with my appetite at all. I am too afraid to stop taking it because I will probably gain a lot of weight if I do. My biggest victory (even if it’s a very small one): realizing that I don’t need a sweet snack at night and reached for a piece of fruit instead. I hope at least some of you join me in this thread. Once I have my procedure, God willing, this will keep me accountable. Thanks for allowing me to share. ??

Thanks Smith.99. That info you provided was very detailed. I always truly appreciate any information someone who has had the esg procedure can provide for those of us preop. Your weight loss thus far has been outstanding! I think you have to remember that starting at a lowerish weight means that your weight will come off slower. If you’ve hit a stall then I would say, based on what everyone else who had the procedure has posted, that it is a completely normal part of the process. Many people have had a stall a two to three weeks postop. You are still doing great especially considering having to cook an enormous Thanksgiving meal! If I were you I’d look at it this way— at this time last year I would have had a gain of like 5 or so pounds because of the holidays so you’re really down more like 25 pounds! Lol! I’m saying this because you’re starting weight is so similar to mine (I probably be between 197-198 on the date of my procedure) so I would look at it as a bigger loss. My only advice to you would be to add some exercise now to get more weight off because it seems like you’ve got the food part down packed. I also think it is a blessing that you and your sister did this procedure together and can support and encourage each other. I think you’re both doing fantastic!!

Good evening all! I was thinking that we should start a thread on this forum where we post an update on our progress, challenges, frustrations, or just a place for us to unload about anything we want to while on this unique journey. There aren’t many esg people out there compared to the other WLS so I thought that this particular thread could help us bond together. To be honest I feel so close to so many of you that I really want to keep that relationship for as long as possible. So even if you are preop I want us each to post an update on how their week has progressed. Please write whatever you felt was important about your week pre or post esg. It could be a that you’ve moved on to solids or you’ve lost a nice amount of weight for that week or you really struggled or perhaps you are starting to revert back to the old habits that got us here in the first place. Let’s try and update every Monday starting on December 4, 2017. My hope is we will become more accountable for our food choices and possibly stop any member from falling off track. Let us all make a commitment to one another and post our week’s successes and failures. If we had a successful week then we can guide others to do the same. If we’ve had a bad week then perhaps posting it will get us back on track. I know by now most of you are hating my long posts, lol, ?? but I think if we stick to posting our progress or lack of at least once a week we can minimize failure and encourage one another. Come on gang I hope you are all with me ?????? I’ll post Monday although I’m in the preop stage. I’ll post about whatever things I’m worried about leading to my esg or something I discovered about it for the week. Looking forward to reading all of the updates every Monday on this thread. We can do this!!!!

I never doubted you for a minute my friend! Onward and upward or in our case downward. ??

You should be very proud of yourself. Also, do what I’ve promised to do which is continue to post here. It will keep us accountable. I haven’t had my procedure done yet but it will likely be late January or early February. I have made a promise to myself that I don’t want the weight to come back once I lose it hopefully ????I think if we post on this forum we can support each other and help each other get through the difficult times. I’ll be happy to annoy you nonstop ??to make sure I hear from you at least once a week. Can you promise to do the same for me please??

You go girl! You realize that since your highest weight, you are 86 pounds down. You should be proud. Love hearing about success. ?????

Way to go AmyAlexis! ????. This is exactly what I mean. People like me, preop, must live vicariously through you!!

Hey AmyAlexis! Thanks for the valuable info you are posting but can you please let us know how much weight you’ve lost? I know you are only like 9-10 Days out but for those of us still in the preop stage we really want to hear how successful you’ve been. We are basically at this point living off the success stories of you all here— Tex Slim, Melesg, belle, and all those other pioneers. Please don’t leave us hanging!??

Totally agree. You are definitely not alone. I have even tried the other prescription weight loss meds— Qysmia, belviq, metformin, and even saxenda for a brief time (way too expensive) and all of these did nothing for me long term. Some didn’t even work initially. I only stayed on phentermine because quite honestly it was the easiest and cheapest to get. And just like you Bubbles, I was terrified of what would happen if I stopped taking it. I had the same experience, I tried to wean myself off of it but the pounds would creep back on so I went back to taking it. I’m on the highest dose possible and that isn’t working anymore. It hasn’t been working for the longest but what other option did we have? I hope we can succeed with this procedure. Let’s make ourselves a promise that after we have this procedure we will continue to post about everything even after a year or two. Our victories and our defeats. We won’t be judgemental because we’ve both been through the same experience but posting will help us stay accountable and possibly get help when we feel we are falling off track. I can guarantee that this is nothing that you can post here that I haven’t done, tried to do, or seriously thought about doing. Deal?

Let me just say Bubbles that I so completely identify with you. I’ve been on phentermine for 10 years!! It stopped working for me a long, long time ago but I’m so scared of what will happen if I stop taking it. God if I added up all the $ I’ve spent on diets, diet plans, diet pills, diet supplements, and diet foods, I could have paid for this procedure 3 times over. ? well let’s hope this will be our final solution. ????

Tex that’s great! I, like Bubbles have a huge fear of how I will control my eating after the procedure. I think we can all agree that we are emotional eaters and that has contributed to our weight problems over the years. I hope like you Tex that this procedure will help me with this as it is really my major problem. I can get through most of the day or even days on end eating healthy but as soon as a stressful situation comes up I start grabbing unhealthy foods. I actually crave them even if they are not available to me at that moment. It makes me hopeful that you feel your desire for food has decreased and that you are finding the liquid diet doable after your procedure. I hope you continue to progress. ??

Thanks so much Tex Slim. I do feel ready for this. This forum and in particular, all of us in the esg group, have made me feel ready. In all honesty I’m hoping that I don’t overdo it with the questions next Thursday or the other extreme which is get cold feet and forget to ask anything, lol. But I won’t do that and I’m taking Mel’s advice that no question is too silly. I’m paying good $ for this and I’m entitled. Thanks Tex Slim. I’m adding those questions to my list. I’m such a nerd. ??

Sorry about the wait Bubbles. I know exactly how you feel. I’ll have to wait until end of January or beginning of February so I completely understand. I’m avoiding going anywhere and I hate that I feel so self conscious all the time. I do however, believe that the time we’ll have will help us get our minds ready if that makes sense. Our bodies are definitely ready to drop the weight but our minds have to catch up. So in some way this could be a blessing. Hang in there we’ll make it through together. ??

???I’m glad you figured it out if we are to become esg buddies!!

Wow, Bubbles talk about being thorough! Thank you for all that information. You did great. I hope you get approved. Please keep us updated.

Yes, Mel you are absolutely right. I’m not researching this procedure anymore (I’ve researched it to death). It is what I’ve chosen and I’m confident enough in my decision that it would only take my doctor at the consult to say I can’t go forward to convince me otherwise. I will ask those questions you reminded me of. They have been added to the list. I think that by the time I finish my consult my surgeon will be happy when I leave, lol. It’s actually starting to come together and starting to be real. ????

You’re right of course but ESG is more appropriate for people with “lower” BMIs who are not candidates for the other more invasive surgeries. It is almost the only option for people like me (BMI of 32, yo yo dieting for countless years) and who are afraid to venture out into Mexico. (I’m not putting down anyone who has taken that route by no means, I honestly wish I were that brave). Yes we are taking a chance that this may or may not work but someone like me just can’t go on like this. I’m sure many on this forum can relate.

Oh thanks for the clarification. I always thought that the RNY was the most invasive of the WLS but it was also considered the gold standard because of its success rate and effectiveness long term. Well that is also something for craven.jennah09 to think about then.

Thanks Mel! Just like I asked Tex Slim, please remind me of the important questions to ask.

I just wanted to add that RNY is much more invasive but has a proven track record. It has the best success rate of any WLS out there. It is also permanent so there’s no going back. An esg can be revised or eventually converted or revised to an RNY. I hope I didn’t confuse you more. I’m just trying to help. ??

Thanks Tex Slim. I’m depending on all of you pioneers—so to speak to help me with this. You have all been my guides thus far so I’m counting on you! Yes please help me prepare the right questions to ask. From what I’ve been told, this particular doctor gives you the one consult where you set your procedure date and then your procedure. You only go back to him one week and then one month after the procedure. This consult will be my one and only chance to ask any questions I have. Butterflies starting to build. ??

Hi there. I can only give you some advice about the esg part. I’m not sure about an RNY, don’t know much about that. I’m going on for a consult to have the esg procedure. First of all, it all depends on how much weight you want to lose. An esg is noninvasive meaning no incisions. It is performed endoscopicly, through the mouth, where the stomach is stitched together. It is a same day or outpatient procedure. It has much less downtime but it has reported less weight loss than a laparoscopic sleeve but more than a lap band. It is also a newer procedure with not much long term data. The studies done on this show promise though so I’m going this route. Also you can qualify for this with a lower BMI (as low as 30). I hope that helps. It all depends on the amount of weight you need to lose and how much recovery time you can spare I guess. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thank you so much Bubbles. Your help and support will most definitely be needed. We should be getting our procedure around the same time. We can be esg buddies. ??