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

15 hours ago, SammieKay said:

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

I'm not so sure that the delay isn't a normal part of this. I think that for me, allowing the sensation of being full stop me from eating is part of the "training". I remember many times where I would over-eat and feel miserable prior to the procedure. I'm sure the stomach has some elasticity after the procedure, we just have to be careful not to potentially cause damage until it's healed all the way. Probably not as big an issue as with the VSG, but an issue none the less.

Jim - Thank you for the sharing your progress. I'm contemplating EGS, and was worried I would not feel "back to normal", but it sounds like you are well on your way. Congratulations.

So I'm a few days into the puréed stage and noticed I have to be very conscious of eating slow and taking time between bites. I wasn't feeling the restriction as I thought I would and may have over eaten once or twice and then you feel that pressure, haha. I'm measuring my food to make sure I stay unde a cup in volume to avoid it and it seems to work well for me. I still haven't felt hungry. It's kind of weird because I can remember every decision about food being based on quantity, pre-procedure. Hopefully this is the start of a new life where I eat what my body needs and not what my mind believes. Good luck to everyone.

JimL - the second last sentence of this post is exactly what I needed to read. Thank you so much, I really needed to read that.
I have started eating a few "slider foods" in between my meals and can see that they go down easily. I was feeling really disappointed with myself but now realise that this procedure requires a big mental shift to make it work, no point being weighed down with self pity - I need to go for a big walk and start today with a fresh perspective. It's not going to work without me making the change to choose healthy food. I'm down 22 lbs and am looking forward to moving out of the purée stage and filling up on protein and veg. Thanks again for posting - it's the little bit of inspiration I needed. Mel.

On ‎10‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 3:23 PM, Melesg said:

JimL - the second last sentence of this post is exactly what I needed to read. Thank you so much, I really needed to read that.
I have started eating a few "slider foods" in between my meals and can see that they go down easily. I was feeling really disappointed with myself but now realise that this procedure requires a big mental shift to make it work, no point being weighed down with self pity - I need to go for a big walk and start today with a fresh perspective. It's not going to work without me making the change to choose healthy food. I'm down 22 lbs and am looking forward to moving out of the purée stage and filling up on Protein and veg. Thanks again for posting - it's the little bit of inspiration I needed. Mel.

Melesg-I totally agree with your assessment. I've noticed that if I eat the protein first, this procedure works like a charm. If I eat any type of carb heavy food (instant potatoes), the fullness is a very different feeling. Doesn't seem to last very long either. I'm glad it helped you out and I hope that anyone who gets this or any procedure/surgery, will use this site to stay the course. We have all made tough, life changing decisions and I hope we all get the results we desire.

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.

Jim, thanks for continued sharing, glad to hear you have transitioned to soft food. I appreciate your comments about how important the measurement of food is, very useful for those of us still waiting for our procedure. Hang in there, losing 28 pounds in such a short period of time is a great start!! It sounds like you have made some significant steps to change your life habits and become a much healthier person!

Keep going!!

Take care, Tex

On 9/22/2017 at 1:05 PM, Green eyed said:

Hello, I had my procedure on a friday, I returned to work on Wednesday. I could have on Tuesday though, maybe even on Monday, but I had my follow up appt on Monday. I live in Arkansas west of Little Rock, I had the procedure in Houston, its an 8 hour drive and I had follow up on monday then drove home, alone. The hardest was planning the clear liquid for the first week, have to pack your liquid and take to work.

Hi Green Eyed,

I’m in Arkansas and considering endoscopic or gastric sleeve (vsg). I would really like to speak with someone close to find out about the best doctors, procedures, support groups here in the area, etc... Is there a way you can direct message me or that I can contact you for more info? I’m new to this site but this information is valuable. Thank you.

Hi, I really appreciate all of your updates, Tex. I always wanted to weigh in (no pun intended) with my experience which thus far has not been as easy as yours. I’m 4-days post procedure and feel only slightly normal for the first time. The first 48-hrs were pretty horrible for me. Couldn’t keep anything down. Kelt spitting back up like a baby! I keep everything down now but am struggling to meet my protein goals. I’m going back to work tomorrow and each day is a little easier but I think people should be prepared that th first Few days can be very very challenging. I wish everyone the best of luck. We can do this. At least that’s what I keep telling myself!

Hey Zaa, sorry to hear the post procedure experience hasn't been so smooth. I can't imagine the feeling of spitting up that way. How are you doing now, any better? Your attitude is so positive, keeping it that way is key to your success. Please let us know how things are progressing, we're here to share and learn from each other and to provide support during the difficult times of these major changes in our lives. It never goes perfectly smoothly for any of us and we're here to help and when it doesn't!

Take care, Tex

Hello all, I'm really pleased to have found this thread. I'm in the UK, and after lots of research I think the ESG is for me. It's great to read your experiences, as I think it is very new over here.

On 09/19/2017 at 14:18, JimL said:

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

Hey fellow St. Louisan! I’m having the VSG done at Mercy in Festus soon (fingers crossed I get insurance approval soon) but have considered the gastroplasty. Being a year out now may I ask your thoughts and if you’d still choose this method?

14 hours ago, BurmeseCatLover said:

Hello all, I'm really pleased to have found this thread. I'm in the UK, and after lots of research I think the ESG is for me. It's great to read your experiences, as I think it is very new over here.

Hi there, unfortunately the ESG subforum here has been fairly quiet lately and it possible you won't get much of a response here regarding ESG.

There is a USA ESG facebook group I am a member of, not overly active but members are responsive to questions. It's possible you may find a UK ESG facebook group too. If you use FB and are concerned about privacy re joining a WLS group, do what i did, I set up a second account to join the WLS groups.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1935274250043041/

13 hours ago, KatallacStrong said:

On 20/09/2017 at 5:18 AM, JimL said:

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

Hey fellow St. Louisan! I’m having the VSG done at Mercy in Festus soon (fingers crossed I get insurance approval soon) but have considered the gastroplasty. Being a year out now may I ask your thoughts and if you’d still choose this method?

Hi, I hope Jim responds to you, but as I have just said in the post above, ESG subforum has been quite quiet lately, I posted a link to a FB ESG group in the post above that you may find some useful info,