mama-k

I am more concerned about getting a bowel obstruction or not recognizing I need to be treated at the ER afterwards.

I am a woman and have high abdomen fat too. It is so embarrassing to me. Anyway, drinking Water and Protein will help the skin sag less but if it is a problem area often it may not be to go until later. My suggestion would be to take photos and also measure...besides being active. I have surgery in a few weeks. My high fat abdomen has been big 50 lbs less so I know it will take time. I may always have a bigger abdomen. After a couple years I do plan on getting liposuction and a tummy tuck...depending on funds. You COULD have abdominal wall separation. It is more common with women who have had multiple pregnancies but I am sure it could happen with a man too. If you lay down you put your 4 fingers around or slightly above the belly button if it feels like there is separation it can be repaired with surgery and some exercises. Some people do go to the physical therapist to get the exercises best suited to them. There are also programs online to help close the muscle separation. The muscle separation makes the abdominals pop out more.

I have a lower BMI and should have had sleeve if I didn't have GERD. I take medicine for it and still have issues daily. I am self pay. Where you are having surgery was my 1st choice for quite awhile and if it didn't work at where I was going (closer to home) I would be going there. I had hoped to have surgery last fall and my oldest could have gone with but it didn't work out that way. I am having surgery in 3 weeks.

Wow! There are a lot. I just joined here. I thought it would be nice to have a smaller forum than those on FB. Still big. I am April 21st.

What are you prices like in South Carolina? In my state the prices were really high. Since I was self pay too and low BMI I really wanted an all in 1 price where I went in and got things taken care of all in a week or so. I only found a handful of places that accepted low BMI and were all in one pricing and a good price. In the south I found a doctor called Dr. Shillingford. The office staff was very professional and they gave me a good amount of information to prepare for surgery. I really was planning on going to him but with my family it just worked out to go closer to home. I found a surgery center in the next state 3 hours from me. If you do not know a "good" price for all in one pricing would be $8,000-$12,000 in the USA. Where I am going it is $12,000 for sleeve. I am getting bypass and it is $16,000. Dr. Shillingford is close to the coast and beach area. You could make a nice relaxing vacation. I believe 3 days was enough for getting testing done (at the time I was interested in sleeve), surgery and recovery. You stayed at a hotel and were to come back 1 week from surgery to get stitches out and a check....you could possibly get someone local to do that. In my area no one would take a patient unless it was 1 year after surgery. It makes me nervous. I used to go to a bariatric center local and may go back...IDK. I didn't see the doctor but the nurse. I just am not sure is all. MAYBE if I have a complication they would see me. I feel better seeing someone in bariatrics then my own PCP.

I am scheduled April 21st.

On 3/11/2019 at 4:56 PM, ESGnewbie said:

I had ESG in October 2017 and regret it. I always had a strange pain in my abdomen after I ate, despite following the diet. I had to pay out of pocket for the procedure and ended up only losing 19 pounds! I had it reversed last year and did a SADI bypass on 12/31/18.

Where did you get the SADI bypass?