Good Evening,

After several months of research on this and other forums, I just had the ESG procedure on Thursday morning at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I thought this might be a good opportunity to provide some information for others who may be considering this option - as these forums were invaluable to me when deciding how to proceed.

To begin with, I am a 42 year old male with approximately 39 BMI. Like most of the rest of you, I have been back and forth on the scale for most of my life. I have no other medical issues and consider myself in generally good overall health, otherwise (good range of motion, no real restrictions in life). In the end, I decided that I really wanted it to stay that way - and found that I have really been having difficulty getting into any sort of exercise or healthy eating routine.

I emailed a request to the Mayo clinic in early June for more information. They had me come in (about a 3 hour drive for me) for a day long set of procedures and consultations to discuss a range of weight loss options (from medication to balloon - as well as others). I was aware that they were one of the only facilities to offer the ESG (at least at the time) and felt very lucky to be so close to the facility.

The called me about 1 week after the consult and offered to setup a time for the procedure. I picked the first open date, September 21st. In addition, the Mayo Clinic is now requiring all ESG patients to attend a healthy living class that consists of baseline testing, nutrition coaching, healthy food prep, and exercise guidance. I promptly scheduled this for the two days prior to the procedure. At that point, I was required to pay the $15,000 for the entire program prior to final booking (you can pay in any form you wish).

Fast forward to last Tuesday - and I showed up at 7:00 am to being the Healthy Living Class. It consisted of complete body scanning, VO2 Max baselines, complete bloodwork as well as a lot of one on one coaching with doctors, Physical Therapists and Nutritional coaches. Over the course of two days, I had about 10-15 sessions that I can describe as extremely motivational, very informative and unbelievably professional and refreshing. Because the entire program is relatively new (myself and one other person were attending this week - and we are only the 14th and 15th to go through it) I felt like I received a ton of personal care and guidance - from some extremely compassionate and highly qualified individuals. Almost everyone I spoke to had contributed to books, medical papers, and professional publications. They were amazing.

My procedure was performed on Thursday (Sep 21) after I arrived at 6:45. I was out of the hospital by noon. I choose to stay at a local hotel with my wife until I felt good enough to drive (because of work, we decided to drive separately - meaning I had to drive myself home, eventually).

No real issues with the procedure, however, I was quite nauseous for two days afterwards - which I didn't really expect. The nurses and doctors all told me that everyone they have seen go through there (about 100 people thus far) all had nausea - every single one. Beyond that, a little stomach pain (no throat pain for me) but it's all manageable. They did provide me with an ample supply of medications (nausea, oxy for pain, antibiotics and sleeping meds) all included with the procedure.

Next week I begin my weekly phone in coaching (1/2hr a week for one year) and I will return in 6 months for a complete scan and more blood work - and again in one year to compare everything against my baselines.

I don't want to bog anyone down with too many details, but if you'd like to know more or have specific questions I would be happy to answer. I can't say enough great things about Mayo. I think I received incredible value for my money. If you are considering it - give Mayo a call. I can't imagine it going any better than it did and, because the program is relatively new (and you have to pay out of pocket for now) they don't have a long list of people waiting to go through it - and you have a whole team of people working with you to help achieve your goals. The focus is really on long term quality of life - and using the ESG as a tool to help retrain you for success.

Thanks to everyone on this forum who contributes. I wouldn't have even considered this if it wasn't for you.

Thanks for sharing! I look forward to hearing about your progress.

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?

In all honesty, there was very little "pain". On a scale of 1-5, I would say, at worst, it was a 2. It was really just a feeling of strangeness. I could fee that something had been done to my stomach, but it didn't hurt. I was just a little weird.

That being said, the worst part was the nausea - at least for me. I had the procedure at 8am on Thursday and was out of the hospital by noon. Getting to the hotel room was tough - even though I was really out of it. I was originally planning on driving back on Friday - but once we had everything packed up, I realized I just couldn't make a 3 hour drive. By Saturday, however, I was doing fine and drove back home.

When planning on where to spend your recovery, I would avoid any place with strong smells and distractions. I dry heaved once or twice (and actually felt better afterwards) but, for the most part, I laid in bed and slept in 2 hour increments. I tried to walk outside every couple of hours, but didn't go too far because sooner or later, the nausea would return. They did prescribe all kinds of meds for pain and nausea.

I'm back at work today and feel great. I can still feel oddness in my stomach, but it's really nothing.

All in all, my wife was there and took great care of me. Believe it or not, in retrospect, it was actually somewhat enjoyable - as we got to spend lots of time together without anything else to worry about. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't hesitate.

Al, thanks for sharing your experience and the suggestion of where to plan the immediate recovery, really helpful to us considering ESG. I would not have guessed that the nausea would be worse than the pain. Also the support of your wife must have made a big difference, I am definitely counting on this to succeed.

Great to hear you are back at work and feeling better. Please keep sharing as you progress!

Good Evening,
After several months of research on this and other forums, I just had the ESG procedure on Thursday morning at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I thought this might be a good opportunity to provide some information for others who may be considering this option - as these forums were invaluable to me when deciding how to proceed.
To begin with, I am a 42 year old male with approximately 39 BMI. Like most of the rest of you, I have been back and forth on the scale for most of my life. I have no other medical issues and consider myself in generally good overall health, otherwise (good range of motion, no real restrictions in life). In the end, I decided that I really wanted it to stay that way - and found that I have really been having difficulty getting into any sort of exercise or healthy eating routine.
I emailed a request to the Mayo clinic in early June for more information. They had me come in (about a 3 hour drive for me) for a day long set of procedures and consultations to discuss a range of weight loss options (from medication to balloon - as well as others). I was aware that they were one of the only facilities to offer the ESG (at least at the time) and felt very lucky to be so close to the facility.
The called me about 1 week after the consult and offered to setup a time for the procedure. I picked the first open date, September 21st. In addition, the Mayo Clinic is now requiring all ESG patients to attend a healthy living class that consists of baseline testing, nutrition coaching, healthy food prep, and exercise guidance. I promptly scheduled this for the two days prior to the procedure. At that point, I was required to pay the $15,000 for the entire program prior to final booking (you can pay in any form you wish).
Fast forward to last Tuesday - and I showed up at 7:00 am to being the Healthy Living Class. It consisted of complete body scanning, VO2 Max baselines, complete bloodwork as well as a lot of one on one coaching with doctors, Physical Therapists and Nutritional coaches. Over the course of two days, I had about 10-15 sessions that I can describe as extremely motivational, very informative and unbelievably professional and refreshing. Because the entire program is relatively new (myself and one other person were attending this week - and we are only the 14th and 15th to go through it) I felt like I received a ton of personal care and guidance - from some extremely compassionate and highly qualified individuals. Almost everyone I spoke to had contributed to books, medical papers, and professional publications. They were amazing.
My procedure was performed on Thursday (Sep 21) after I arrived at 6:45. I was out of the hospital by noon. I choose to stay at a local hotel with my wife until I felt good enough to drive (because of work, we decided to drive separately - meaning I had to drive myself home, eventually).
No real issues with the procedure, however, I was quite nauseous for two days afterwards - which I didn't really expect. The nurses and doctors all told me that everyone they have seen go through there (about 100 people thus far) all had nausea - every single one. Beyond that, a little stomach pain (no throat pain for me) but it's all manageable. They did provide me with an ample supply of medications (nausea, oxy for pain, antibiotics and sleeping meds) all included with the procedure.
Next week I begin my weekly phone in coaching (1/2hr a week for one year) and I will return in 6 months for a complete scan and more blood work - and again in one year to compare everything against my baselines.
I don't want to bog anyone down with too many details, but if you'd like to know more or have specific questions I would be happy to answer. I can't say enough great things about Mayo. I think I received incredible value for my money. If you are considering it - give Mayo a call. I can't imagine it going any better than it did and, because the program is relatively new (and you have to pay out of pocket for now) they don't have a long list of people waiting to go through it - and you have a whole team of people working with you to help achieve your goals. The focus is really on long term quality of life - and using the ESG as a tool to help retrain you for success.
Thanks to everyone on this forum who contributes. I wouldn't have even considered this if it wasn't for you.

Wow Al!! Such a wonderful wealth of well written information!! Thank you so much for taking so much time to share your experiences. It was very exciting to read your post! I'm having mine performed on this Thursday 9/28. So I'll be just one week behind you!

A few stats on me: I'm a 43 year old woman, with 3 children (3,5,6) and with a BMI of 30/31. I have no other medical conditions. However after having three children in three years and then loosing 20-25 pounds threeX over the last three years and gaining it all back each time...I'm very ready for what ESG can do! I would like to loose 35-40 pounds once this is all said and done.

I choose UCI in Orange, Ca for my procedure, Dr Kenneth Chang is a very talented and experienced doctor and has been performing this procedure for over 2 years! My husband and I will have to travel 6 hours each way and I'm worried now that I may not feel up to driving home Friday - which is the plan. [emoji15][emoji51]

Thanks again for the excellent information! I'll be sure to update after I've had mine! Wish me luck!!

Very good to see this procedure up and running. I was very interested in it several yrs ago but could not find it being done anywhere so I ended up getting a plication done which I am not unhappy with. Your post was incredibly informative and it looks as if you are getting a wonderful amount of support. I think nausea is part and parcel of any procedure involving the stomach but I am glad it did not last too . PLease keep us updated on your progress.

7 hours ago, Belle3endosleeve said:

Wow Al!! Such a wonderful wealth of well written information!! Thank you so much for taking so much time to share your experiences. It was very exciting to read your post! I'm having mine performed on this Thursday 9/28. So I'll be just one week behind you!

A few stats on me: I'm a 43 year old woman, with 3 children (3,5,6) and with a BMI of 30/31. I have no other medical conditions. However after having three children in three years and then loosing 20-25 pounds threeX over the last three years and gaining it all back each time...I'm very ready for what ESG can do! I would like to loose 35-40 pounds once this is all said and done.

I choose UCI in Orange, Ca for my procedure, Dr Kenneth Chang is a very talented and experienced doctor and has been performing this procedure for over 2 years! My husband and I will have to travel 6 hours each way and I'm worried now that I may not feel up to driving home Friday - which is the plan.

Thanks again for the excellent information! I'll be sure to update after I've had mine! Wish me luck!!

It's amazing to see how many doctors are performing the procedure now. Just a few months ago, when I first started researching this, I couldn't find many options. While I feel fortunate to have the Mayo clinic only three hours away, I know that for others, extensive travel would make the procedure difficult. I have a strong feeling that, in 2-3 years, this procedure will be extremely popular.

As far as driving home on Friday, I would simply recommend having a plan B. In my case, I had to drive myself - as my wife drove up the night before my procedure and I had to be there several days before to attend the healthy living classes - meaning we had two cars there. She packed up all of our stuff on Friday morning and I had a followup appointment with the doctor at 9am to make sure everything was fine. When that appointment was over, I knew I didn't have it in me to drive for three hours. If my wife could have driven me back, I would have given it more thought - but in all honesty, my nausea was made worse by movement. Laying on the bed was the only thing that really made it subside.

I don't want to scare you - because it wasn't that bad. I just didn't feel safe driving - knowing that I was still a little hazy and just really needed rest. In my case, I was already in the hotel room, had everything I needed there and had no where to be all weekend. This may sound odd, but in a strange way, it was somewhat enjoyable. It just gave us an extra day to hang out and relax. Either way, if you're able to clear up your schedule for the weekend, you may have the option of staying there another day if you feel like it.

On an unrelated note, I did get a couple questions answered yesterday from a follow up phone call with one of the nurses. I, personally, was pretty thirsty by Saturday / Sunday - even though I had been drinking the 64oz of gatorade and even started the protein shakes. I was concerned that drinking more / too much could cause some stretching. The nurse told me that I can drink all the water and no calorie drinks I want - as long as I get the protein and electrolytes I need. She said that water can't stretch out my stomach by itself. I asked several times just to be sure - and she was very confident of it. So, if you get thirsty, drink up.

Couple other things (assuming your doctor gives the same guidelines as mine). Get a couple of different flavors of gatorade and juices (and dilute the juice with 50/50 water). I found that different flavors were tolerable at different times. And popsicles really help. I can only assume the nausea is similar to what you went through in pregnancy (at least it seemed that way with my wife). Different things help at different times.

Good luck and try to enjoy the process - as odd as that may sound. It's a journey.

1 hour ago, Mountaingal said:

Very good to see this procedure up and running. I was very interested in it several yrs ago but could not find it being done anywhere so I ended up getting a plication done which I am not unhappy with. Your post was incredibly informative and it looks as if you are getting a wonderful amount of support. I think nausea is part and parcel of any procedure involving the stomach but I am glad it did not last too . PLease keep us updated on your progress.

Thanks for that....I think you are right about the nausea. It was surprising to me because it hadn't seen it mentioned before in any of the research I had done. When I arrived for my procedure, that's all the nurses and doctors told me - several times over. Essentially, that of all the people who've had the procedure, 100% of them had nausea. Not a single one wasn't nauseous.

The good news is that it disappeared just about as quickly as it appeared.

Hi Bell3endosleeve and all other endosleevers. I was particularly interested in knowing how bell3endosleeve's procedure went. I hope that the procedure went smoothly and that you didn't experience pain or discomfort. I am interested in knowing why you decided on the endoscopic sleeve. Your numbers are so close to mine that I would love to know how you are doing postop. You should be about one month out now. Do you believe it was worth it? How much weight did you lose being that your BMI is on the low side? My BMI is 32 and I'm also a 43 year old mother of 4 boys however. Unlike your little ones my boys are all older. They are 19, 18, 15, and 11 so I'm finding it difficult to make this decision because they are at the age where they are aware of things and this will be hard to hide. I'm confused and looking for a little guidance and advice from someone who has had this procedure done and if they were able to continue with life as usual or was it really a long downtime. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Hi Bell3endosleeve and all other endosleevers. I was particularly interested in knowing how bell3endosleeve's procedure went. I hope that the procedure went smoothly and that you didn't experience pain or discomfort. I am interested in knowing why you decided on the endoscopic sleeve. Your numbers are so close to mine that I would love to know how you are doing postop. You should be about one month out now. Do you believe it was worth it? How much weight did you lose being that your BMI is on the low side? My BMI is 32 and I'm also a 43 year old mother of 4 boys however. Unlike your little ones my boys are all older. They are 19, 18, 15, and 11 so I'm finding it difficult to make this decision because they are at the age where they are aware of things and this will be hard to hide. I'm confused and looking for a little guidance and advice from someone who has had this procedure done and if they were able to continue with life as usual or was it really a long downtime. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Hi hope4momof4. There is definitely hope for you! For sure!![emoji4]. I hope you don’t mind but I copied several of my previous posts for you below. If you have more questions fire away. I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND this procedure based on my personal experience.
—

10/1/2017
Hi everyone! I had my ESG three days ago. In all honesty it was a very very rough first and second day. My procedure was delayed due to the surgery scheduled before me going way over. I was scheduled for Thursday 2pm ...I didn't end up going in until 7pm. I woke at 2am Friday feeling absolutely horrendous. And continued to feel extremely bad until Saturday morning. I am feeling much much better now and am working hard to get food/protein smoothie down. I feel no hunger whatsoever but am weak so I know I need nutrition. There wasn't ever a huge amount of pain just extremely nauseous and a very strange tight uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. Both have subsided significantly - however a lot of very loud strange rumbles and grumbles are going on in my abdomen. Upside, I have already lost. Feeling hopeful and positive!!!

10/22/2017
I am feeling amazing, I've lost 20 pounds since I started weighing I think 5 pounds the week prior to procedure - 13 since surgery day. First few days were record books bad. I felt really really bad but then it just got better right away. I love how easily I get full!!! After those initial few days in which I had some pain and perhaps a small amount of reflux...There really has been no reflux, no constipation ever, & no pain ...no side effects. I cant believe how easy this was really. I have more energy then ever and feel extremely clear headed. I'm following a low carb, high protein, vegan as often as possible...but I'm definitely not vegan. I do very little dairy and no breads or wheat...I'm gluten intolerant- perhaps even may have celiacs (several people in my immediate family have been diagnosed). I'm excited to see what the future holds with this. Everyone is starting notice, a lot of my old clothes are starting to fit again and it's really exciting. What a gift this procedure has been.

10/23/2017
I have lost rapidly I'm expecting a plateau soon ( I don’t want one of course but will be okay with it)
I'm eating 1-2 meals per day and 2-3 protein shakes and just as much liquid as I can consume in a day. 48-64 oz which I feel has a HUGE effect on knowing whether I'm feeling hungry or thirsty. I also use PURE by crystal lite, it's super tasty and has none of the bad stuff. They have one with caffeine so I drink 24-32 oz first thing in the am before any meal. So an average day will be:


8:00am: 32oz water/Pure with caffeine
9:30am: 10oz high protein low carb ( using Garden of Life Yum) with unsweetened vanilla almond milk
10:30 24/32 oz water/Pure no caffeine
11:00 Snack : 17 almonds or cashews- yummm
12:30: salmon salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad
130pm: 24 oz water with Pure
2:30 pm: nut snack/edamame snack
4:00pm: 24 oz water Pure
500pm: Garden of Life protein with unsweetened almond milk
7:00 sugar free hard candy or sugar free jello with a spray of sweet whip cream.

I walk some but am waiting to exercise much as my doctor said to wait to do heavy exercise as it may seriously increase my appetite. I've been eating 800-1200 calories per day and do not feel tired at all throughout the day. I did for the first week but then made sure to get enough protein in a day 75-85 minimum grams with oftentimes more.

Overall so far I couldn’t be more ecstatic about my choice. In the scheme of things the suffering was so very very short for the major payout so far. Of course I’m still only 26 days out. So I need to check back in 6 months or year plus. But I feel so motivated by how easily I get full it’s wonderful- I love it. I make great choices every single meal because I don’t have much room in there. I’ve make a mistake once and ate something not on plan and I suffered for hours with a horrible feeling in my stomach. That’s all it took.

Thanks so much bell3endosleeve. So kind of you to answer me in such detail. I am so happy that your procedure went well and it was a success! I was wondering how it is now dealing with caring for your children and getting back into a normal routine. How long did it take for you to feel well enough to go back to your routine? What was your pre procedure requirements like diet and blood tests, etc. ? I can see that you had some pretty bad nausea for the first few days but were you completely debilitated or was it sporadic fits of nausea until day 3 when it got much better? Did others around you notice that you had a procedure done or was it not something strikingly obvious unless you told them? How much did you pay to get it done on the west coast? I was quoted between 10-11 thousand. Thanks so much for all this information and please don’t hesitate to tell me that I’m asking too many questions if I’m overwhelming you. Your responses are truly so valuable to me right now as I am still indecisive. All my best.

Thanks so much bell3endosleeve. So kind of you to answer me in such detail. I am so happy that your procedure went well and it was a success! I was wondering how it is now dealing with caring for your children and getting back into a normal routine. How long did it take for you to feel well enough to go back to your routine? What was your pre procedure requirements like diet and blood tests, etc. ? I can see that you had some pretty bad nausea for the first few days but were you completely debilitated or was it sporadic fits of nausea until day 3 when it got much better? Did others around you notice that you had a procedure done or was it not something strikingly obvious unless you told them? How much did you pay to get it done on the west coast? I was quoted between 10-11 thousand. Thanks so much for all this information and please don’t hesitate to tell me that I’m asking too many questions if I’m overwhelming you. Your responses are truly so valuable to me right now as I am still indecisive. All my best.

Hi hope4momof4,

Welcome to the forum. Just thought I would add some comments in case they help ;0).

I am now 6 weeks since my esg and have 3 teenagers. They still don't know I had the procedure and I even had to go interstate for a week to have it done. Gotta love teenagers!!! Expect a few days after the procedure to feel fairly ordinary but most of us seem to be feeling quite well after this time. The nausea and cramping for me ranged from a 7/10 down to nothing during the first few days.

Pre surgery requirements seem to vary. I had blood tests, h pylori breath test and had a pre op diet of shakes and a protein meal for 2 weeks.

As Belle said, short term pain for long term gain. My weight loss was initially fast and has really slowed now. It definitely takes ongoing commitment to healthy eating and I see this treatment as a big help to becoming fit and healthy but not the answer by itself. I could still overeat and do not feel overly restricted but it still is working. It seems to be easer to choose better food and to stop eating sooner. Sounds strange I know but your body seems to crave healthy options. I know I couldn't lose the weight without help and I don't regret my esg one bit. I was happy to avoid the risks of surgery and love my esg team. I speak to the nutritionist every few weeks, psychologist once a month initially and dr review every 6 months.

It's a big decision. Ask all the questions you need - we have all been exactly where you are.

Mel.

Thank you Mel. I have been looking into this procedure for months and was excited that it was being offered in certain locations in the country. I was initially interested in a gastric balloon but changed my mind after reading reviews from people who have had it. I was even thinking of traveling to Canada or Mexico to have the balloon done before the FDA approved it in the USA. It was reviews from real people like you that have had the balloon that made me change my mind and wait for something more effective that would be worth the money spent and the discomfort of going through a procedure. I really believe that having an ESG may be the exact thing I need to help me finally take control of my eating habits and give me the result I’m looking for which is an initial decent weight loss and then a possible gradual weight loss over time. So far everyone who has had the ESG and posted about it has recommended it. I’m so glad I waited. I’m also so glad I joined this forum because people like you are kind enough to take the time to answer all my questions and concerns. I have already started saving up on the side for this and probably will go forward once I figure out how to tell my husband. Thankfully you just gave me some peace of mind about my teenage boys who probably won’t even notice. I don’t think they’ll get their eyes off their phones or iPads long enough to pay attention lol. Thanks Mel. Please keep me posted on your progress. Sounds like you still struggle at times but at least you’ve seen results will hopefully continue your success. All my best.

Thank you Mel. I have been looking into this procedure for months and was excited that it was being offered in certain locations in the country. I was initially interested in a gastric balloon but changed my mind after reading reviews from people who have had it. I was even thinking of traveling to Canada or Mexico to have the balloon done before the FDA approved it in the USA. It was reviews from real people like you that have had the balloon that made me change my mind and wait for something more effective that would be worth the money spent and the discomfort of going through a procedure. I really believe that having an ESG may be the exact thing I need to help me finally take control of my eating habits and give me the result I’m looking for which is an initial decent weight loss and then a possible gradual weight loss over time. So far everyone who has had the ESG and posted about it has recommended it. I’m so glad I waited. I’m also so glad I joined this forum because people like you are kind enough to take the time to answer all my questions and concerns. I have already started saving up on the side for this and probably will go forward once I figure out how to tell my husband. Thankfully you just gave me some peace of mind about my teenage boys who probably won’t even notice. I don’t think they’ll get their eyes off their phones or iPads long enough to pay attention lol. Thanks Mel. Please keep me posted on your progress. Sounds like you still struggle at times but at least you’ve seen results will hopefully continue your success. All my best.

I was in exactly the same situation. I was thinking of getting a balloon but then thought that I need help long term. I did heaps of research and honestly felt this was "my" answer. Far less surgical risk and a procedure that as my doctor says "with your help, does the heavy lifting of weight loss for you". Good on you - it's a really brave decision to choose an option that is currently a little less main stream but one that will be huge in another year or two. Consider yourself a trend setter.

As mums we wouldn't hesitate spending the money on our kids if they needed a medical procedure to increase their quality of life or even to possibly save or extend their life, but I understand that it's hard to see the procedure as that for ourselves. I kept telling myself that I could lose weight without the procedure if I really, really wanted to - but the truth is I couldn't. And that's ok. Obesity was a bigger problem that I couldn't handle alone.

It's a lot of money, no doubt about it. I knew my husband would be supportive but I was surprised that he has been my absolute biggest cheerleader and encourager. His response was go for it. You wouldn't think twice about getting orthodontics for the kids or supporting them to do sports, musical instruments or go on holidays so prioritise yourself for once. Let's live to be annoying old people to drive our kids bananas and enjoy our grandkids. So I decided to do just that..

My dr (in Australia) does not charge for initial consults. If you can find that near you it may be a good option to ensure you have the best information to help make your decision and answer any concerns. I would defiantly look for a clinic who provides long term support. I have access for 2 years to the nutritionist, psychologist and exercise physiologist plus dr visits. The nutritionist support is so valuable, I'm surprised by how supportive she is and how she is changing my mind set about food choices.

Good luck and keep in touch.

Mel [emoji4]