AlCzervik

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.

Well, since I started this thread, I'll bite. It's been about 8 weeks since I had the procedure. During weeks 1-7, I chose to stick to the liquid only diet - which in my case consisted of only protein shakes (specifically I drank only Beverly International UMP and MTS Machine Whey protein - in other words very high quality and great tasting protein) 3 times per day. Occasionally, I would have about a cup of chicken broth or sugar free jello (the cups they sell pre-made and refrigerated in the grocery store). The first week was easy and the second week was difficult. The third through seventh weeks were very easy and I really enjoyed it (so much so that I continued past the 4th week until week 7). I found that I had a ton of energy and felt the best I've felt in years. Ironically, I spent a lot of my free time watching cooking shows and learning some new recipes. My wife thought it was torture, but it actually seemed to keep me focused on not eating with a goal of cooking more high quality meals after I was done with the liquid phase. I started walking a lot by the second week (some on my treadmill at a medium speed but a steep incline - some outside) for about 30 - 50 minutes at a time - including some targeted running at the end of the walk (High Intensity). I walked 5 times a week and found other things to do to keep my mind occupied when I wasn't at work. After 30 days, I began lifting weights - for about 90 minutes at a stretch. It's been a while since I lifted weights so I was VERY sore. This means that I've only lifted twice a week since that point - which is fine with me. Last week I began eating again - not very much and mostly soft foods like eggs and yogurt. I also went out of town to a friend's retirement which found me drinking some liquor (mostly cranberry juice and vodka) and going out to eat. In all honesty, I couldn't eat much of anything (even though I wanted to) and I took some protein shakes with to drink. Over this past weekend, I spent a lot of time cooking some healthy meals but didn't really feel like eating too much. I really enjoy spending a ton of time in the kitchen cooking (some of the meals I made took 4-5 hours) and not caring about eating. So far, I have had a pretty good variety of foods (albeit very small portions) including all types of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and small amounts of grains/breads. I have had no trouble tolerating any of the foods (except a bit of meatloaf I had last night that just didn't sit well) but my portion sizes are a fifth of what I used to eat - and I'm only eating food for dinner. During the day, I am sticking with protein shakes - for now. If I were to guess, I would say that I have been between 600 and 800 calories per day since the procedure. Every once in a while, I get a little lighted headed when I stand up - but not often. I have enough energy to work out and drink tons of water. I just started drinking coffee again this week - but not first thing in the morning - that's when I have a protein shake. As far as weight loss goes - I don't know my number. When I started this program, I promised myself a few things: The number on the scale would never be a part of what success was for me. I've spent the greater part of my life worried about that number and my past behaviors got me to this point - so they need to change. No more weighing myself. My goal was, and continues to be, to feel good each day. It's that simple. When I go to bed at night, I want to feel good with where I am - and how I spent my day. So far, I have succeeded and feel better than I have in 20 years. I started off at 267 (5'10") and I can tell you, without a doubt, I have lost a ton of weight. My pants went from a tight 45 to 40 and I can fit easily in XL from a tight XXL. I have no doubt that I have dropped 40 or more pounds and even started toning up. I wouldn't be surprised if I weigh below 200 by my 6 month appointment in March - when I will have my next official weigh-in. It's coming off that quick. Having this procedure is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I am planning on spending the winter lifting and losing so I can continue long distance running in the spring - in the hopes of running a marathon by next fall. I have begun investigating hiking and backpacking throughout the US and am committed to being healthy. What's amazing, is that after the second week, it has been pretty darn easy. I have no real restrictions now - and have absolutely no side effects (other than massive fat shredding). To sum it up - if you just had the procedure or are having it soon - here is the best advice I can give you: Buy and drink the highest quality protein you can afford. I buy mine from Tiger Fitness - as they are the cheapest with the quickest shipping. The protein costs a fraction of what I used to spend on food - so I would recommend you avoid muscle milk and anything you can find at Walmart or your local grocery store. Buy what athletes and nutrition experts buy. The cookies and cream from MTS nutrition will blow your mind. Don't run from food - embrace your new lifestyle and focus on enjoying every bite you take. Just keep the portions small. If your doctor approves and you feel good, stick with the protein shakes as long as you can. The amount of weight I dropped during this phase is phenomenal. I intend to use protein shakes as a supplement for the rest of my life - including occasional protein shake fasts. When you are on a protein/liquid only diet, take time each day to reflect on where you are at and where you want to be. Call it meditation or whatever you want - but think about your thoughts. It will make your will stronger and you will eventually regain lost confidence and be capable of anything. Daily victories begin to snowball. If you can, don't weigh yourself. At least not frequently. Nothing good can come from it and it is a horrible indication of your health. Trust your feelings and instincts. If you feel good - then you are moving in the right direction. Good Luck and enjoy the journey.

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.

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.

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.