flgirl23

I haven't had any type of surgery. I am still deciding between ESG or LSG but was on Saxenda 2.4. Unfortunately, I didn't see much weight loss (but I can also admit I didn't work as hard as I should). Anyways, the doctor just recently put me .25 of Wegovy and I was wondering if anyone out there has tried it and or switched from Saxenda to Wegovy?

Lisadoll- Why do you say that?

How did your procedure go? What doctor did you use? I am deciding between a few different ones.

Good Luck on your procedure. What doctor are you using?

Good Luck with your surgery. I haven’t had it yet but they say to make sure you try to walk as much as you can, get gas ex, a heating pad, & dry mouth spray for after surgery

I would not do the gastric balloon and honestly for a 15 year old, I don't think ESG is a good option either because you have to be really committed to lifestyle changes for it to work and it is hard enough for adults to lose weight on it. I would recommend like the other person posted - nutritional counseling, weight watchers, and at most a prescription weight loss drug such as Wegovy or Saxenda. Wegovy has had results as good as an ESG but can be quite expensive if not covered by insurance.

@Fierce.esg.diva on instagram is a good one to follow for information on ESG.

no worries. it gives us a good comparison with the regular sleeve.

Did you have the Gastric sleeve or the ESG? This is the ESG forum, but your profile says Gastric Sleeve.

Here is a list of insurance companies who are approving ESG at Brigham and Women's Hospital. This seems to be one of the few facilities that can get it covered under insurance. Blue Cross Blue Shield MassHealth Medicare Allways Healthcare Tufts and Unicare are a case by case basis and may require a medical letter of necessity

Thank you for bringing that point up. I have been self- reflecting as well. I am not a binge eater but I do not eat the best or exercise currently and those are things I will have to change going with either procedure. That being said the regular sleeve forces you to comply more than the ESG. I even convinced a friend that the sleeve was better for her for that reason but she had higher stats than me so it was a no brainer for her.

I haven't completely decided yet but my reasons are: > I really don't want the down time that you have with the regular sleeve. I like the idea of a quicker recovery. > I like the idea of losing weight at a slower pace. I don't want to get too skinny too fast. I only want to lose 50-60lbs. Of course there is that chance I won't even lose that much with ESG vs. with the sleeve the odds are better. > I feel like if I had more to lose I would definitely do the sleeve but it seems like it is a drastic move for that amount of weight loss.

Thank you for the advice Hop_Scotch. I am looking into Dr. McGowan as he seems to do a lot of them. According to this video he created some of the success rate has a lot to do with using full thickness sutures. But also most doctors are like salesmen. One will try to convince you their procedure is better and neglect to emphasize the negative points. I am not saying that he is like that. It is just my general opinion of all doctors. I am afraid of getting too skinny too fast with the regular sleeve and I like the idea of the slow progression with ESG but the odds of losing weight are certainly better with VSG. I realize both will require lots of work on my end. Either way, I need to do something. I have been saying I was going to do something for almost a year now. I have talked so much about weight loss surgery that I somehow convinced a friend to go through with getting the sleeve and I started the process way before her.

How has it been for you all that had ESG? I am still considering this procedure.

Did you have the Endoscopic sleeve or the gastric sleeve? Looking to see how people are doing that have had ESG a while ago.

I'm from Jacksonville. I am considering the sleeve though.

I read that there are certain foods you cannot eat such as certain vegetables. I was wondering what foods are you no longer able to eat. Steak? Chicken? Broccoli?

My doctor does them but I am in North Florida - Jacksonville. If you can't find anyone in Central Florida, I highly recommend Dr. Michael Baptista in Jacksonville.

There is also a surgeon in Tampa who is doing the procedure: Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty | Weight Loss | Trinity, FL (bariatricendoscopytampabay.com). I am not sure how many surgeries he has done or know anything about him but it seems there are more and more doctors that are starting to do this type of surgery.

Like you I am deciding on the surgery too. I am 205 with a BMI of 36 and I am shorter than you so I think your BMI would be less than mine. I am less scared of the actual surgery because there is a really low complication rate & I really trust my doctor. I am more scared of afterwards - like what the long term effects of missing part of my stomach would be. However the NP I just went to said you don't even need that part of your stomach so I feel a little better. My understanding is that at first you don't crave junk food but eventually gherlin builds back up in your stomach so eventually you might crave it again. If you are scared of the surgery - have you looked into ESG? It is less invasive. The drawback is that it hasn't been proven to be as effective as VSG. This is something I am researching now but the drawback for me is spending $11,000 vs $1,500.

I just went to my doctor and she prescribed 0.6 for the first week and 1.2 after that. I got a 90 day prescription but I see on the recommended instructions it says to gradually go up each week until you get to the maximum of 3.0. I was wondering if anyone else was prescribed to take it at a lower dose.

I am lucky that my insurance does cover it then because I would not pay that amount for sure. It is about $100/month through my insurance and then I found a patient assistance card so I just had to pay $25 for it. Then I had to purchase a box of needles for $49- but sometimes you can get your insurance to cover the cost of the needles so that could be a lot cheaper if you get a prescription. Thank you - I figured I would try it first since I am still undecided on what WLS procedure I want to get.

I know that if I have the sleeve done I will be on a lifelong diet but one of my concerns is that I don't cook. I don't plan on it so wondering if I will be successful because I do eat all of my meals at restaurants, fast casual, or fast food. I obviously know I will need to make much healthier choices. Any advice? Not looking for advice on why I should cook because I am single and just don't enjoy cooking. I am also concerned about knowing what the correct portion size is because I know you typically can't eat but 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food and obviously you can't take a measuring cup with you to a restaurant.

Wow! That is great. Thanks for sharing that info. My friend and I work at the same job so we both have Aetna and I am sharing this with her- hopefully our doctor lets her do that.

I agree with Stormimeyers. my doctor's office pretty much told me that it was 12 visits and even said he could have scheduled them quicker than once a week. In fact I think one week I did have two visits but he said he was doing weekly because you have to prove to the insurance that you tried to follow a diet program and it didn't work.