Hop_Scotch

Is your surgeon doing a standard ESG (reducing the size of the stomach) or a TORe - Transoral outlet reduction? The facebook group ESG failures has a high number of Australian users, it seems that there is a higher rate of failure for the standard ESG in Australia, perhaps because ESG hasn't been in Australia as long as it has been in USA and some other countries, so the doctors (majority are not surgeons) are not as skilled/experienced as those doing ESG in other countries. There have been some very successful Australian ESGers but for some reason the facebook groups have gone quiet, perhaps new members have been reduced because it is not covered by medicare so not so many questions on the groups (there has been an application pending for it to be covered, but it seems to be in limbo at the moment) http://www.msac.gov.au/internet/msac/publishing.nsf/Content/1555-public Standard ESG is not covered by medicare or private health insurance in Australia, you are probably looking at least being about $14k to $17k out of pocket. I looked at some of the outomes for TORe which is an ESG revision on bypass when the gastric outlet is reduced by endscopic stitching. There seems to be a better success rate for that (none of the studies I read were for Australia). It doesn't like like this is covered by medicare or private health insurance either. Some questions to be asked of your doctor - how many ESGs have then done? Or TORe if that is what is intended for you? Success and failure rate? If a standard ESG if they have done less than 50 I would consider finding someone who has done at least 150/200 ESGs or more. There are some out there who have done at least 250 or 300. In general, weight loss from an ESG is typically lower the surgical options. https://www.facebook.com/groups/238431870408750

There seems to be a high rate of failure for ESG in Australia vs USA (perhaps because its a newer technique here and doctors have yet to fully develop the skills/experience), note though that most of the people in the facebook group below had an ESG as a first weight loss procedure so the outcome for a revision ESG following a bypass may well be different for those in Australia. https://www.facebook.com/groups/238431870408750 (ESG failure group). Seems your surgeon is considering a standard ESG rather than the bypass revision called a TORe (Transoral Outlet Revision). TORe seems to be a successful revision for bypasses. ESG in Australia is not covered by medicare (hence private health insurance too) and can be a costly exercise for a day procedure. If you go ahead with the ESG ask the doctor how many they have done and the success rate of their patients. If the doctor has done less than 100 I'd go elsewhere - there are some who have done over 250 so the more experienced the better.

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You need to reset your expectations,, 10lbs in 12 days is not low at all, its great. I imagine at this stage your stomach is still healing, there is lots of imflammation, you are eating a lot of soft mushy foods, you won't likely be feeling real restriction until you are on solid foods. You don't want to be feeling full, feeling full means that you have likely eaten too much. Feeling satisfied is possibly a different thing, for me satisfaction is almost an emotional/in the head feeling, for others it may be a physical thing.

I am sorry you are not getting the support you need from him. Almost sounds like emotional abuse to me. Do you think you (as in he and you) would benefit from marriage counselling? If he chooses not to go, I suspect you'd still get a lot out of it. I hope you are able to be assertive with him when he is beng rude and hurtful.

Sounds like hormonal weight gain (fluid retention) due to pms to me. Give it a few days and see where its at, hopefully the fluid retention will have gone.

If you want to stop or slow down weight loss you need to eat more. Determine your current calorie intake (track for a week or two), steadily increase your calorie intake by say an extra 100 to 150 calories per day for a week or two, if that doesn't slow it down, add more calories steadily until you reach a level that slows down the weight loss. Things that easily add calories without adding too much volume (though this would depend on your stomach's tolerance levels)...no diet products so no low fat or no fat foods, small handful of nuts a couple of times a day, adding an oil based dressing to salads, nut butters, an extra snack or two. Thing to bear in mind, is typically people do put on a few pounds over a period of time once they reach their lowest weight, you may want to allow yourself a buffer. So doubt be too concerned if your weight goes a little lower.

You are doing great for your starting weight, some may have lost more, some may have lost less in that time but we are all different and with a lot of different post op guidelines. Keep up the wonderful effort!

That's great news for you and well done on fighting for your rights on this!

Absolutely nothing wrong, you are doing great. Please remember you started off on a lowish weight so will not lose the higher amounts you may have seen on weight loss surgery shows or on people here whose start weight is/was much higher than 204lbs. Your surgery date shows about three weeks not four weeks post op, but regardless 9lb in three or four weeks after losing 13lb in pre-op stage is pretty good given the start weight. Keep up your great work!

If would be helpful if you filled in your profile, particularly the surgery type if nothing else, this helps to provide context for when members respond to your posts. I only have a blender, I am not big on appliances, the blender did me fine. I was able to blended protein shakes as well as puree soups, etc for the puree stage. I assume you have a pre-op diet to undertake? They do tend to vary from surgeon to surgeon / dietician to dietician and some aren't required to do a pre-op diet. Look at it as opportunity rather than a challenge or torture. It will reduce your liver size, help you focus, cut out foods that won't be helpful to you post-op (so you don't have to contend with that while recovering from surgery), good practise for immediate post-op where likely fluids/liquids will be your main sustenance.

You haven't filled in your profile which would help people respond to you properly, what would be helpful is the type of surgery you had. Anyway, sometimes excess stomach acid can feel like being hungry, are you on something to help reduce stomach acid? My surgeon had me on something for a month after surgery for this. What food stage are you at on your program? What are you eating and in what volume? Are you drinking enough fluids? Remember at this stage it is typical for a lot of people to barely eat, their stomach is healing, there is inflammation and the stomach is likely still swollen. They get by with fluids - like protein or meal replacement shakes, high protein milk etc. If on the pureed stage foods like high protein yoghurt can help (and what ever else is on your program no doubt).

Maybe mix the liquids up, try other non calorie liquids such as tea (herbal, decaf) or add flavours to chilled water like lime or lemon.

???

I am not a military vet but just wanted to wish you well for your surgery tomorrow.

Green tea contains caffeine. Does your post op guidelines allow caffeine? I drink decaf green tea, maybe that is an option for you...or one of the naturally caffeine low/free teas like rooibos.

I don't have a bypass, but your question does warrant some clarification...do you mean immediately after surgery or do you mean after eating something? If after eating...what stage are you at and what volume of food and type of food are you eating?

Have you been prescribed an anti acid or acid reducing medication? I was required one for a about a month following surgery to help reduce acid production.

Safest way is chatting with your surgeon and getting the okay for anything other than walking.

Your surgeon or dietician didn't give you post op food plan? Have they given you the go ahead for soft foods? While the post op food plans do vary typically there seems to be a clear liquid stage (maybe up to three days), then a two week full liquid stage, then a pureed food stage (maybe a week or two), then a soft food stage (another week or two)....all this depends on the surgeon, dietician, how well someone is tolerating the various stages. Maybe time to check in with your surgeon / dietician see if you can progress through the stages...bearing in mind your stomach is healing right now.

Are you in hospital or at home? If at home, have you spoken to your surgeon's office? What did they suggest? If you are in hospital do they have you on iv fluids? What do they think is causing the vomiting?

Do they know what caused your dry mouth? Auto-immune issue? Medication?

I took what I could fit into a fairly small back pack, but also didn't want to leave a laptop in the hotel room while I was away for two to three nights. Surgeon would have been happy for me to stay three nights (he knew I had travelled solo and was staying in a hotel) but I pressed to be let out after two due to possible covid travel restrictions which were being implemented and wanted to return home as soon as possible. So laptop, tablet (for reading ebooks), pjs (no way was I wearing the hospital gown longer than I had to), socks, undies, no wire bra, facial wipes, lip moisturiser, face moisturiser, tooth brush and paste, pen and paper, sudoku and crossword book . I wore the same clothes out as I wore in.

Maybe on lower vibration level? Worthwhile checking with surgeon to be sure though.

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