I wish I had better news. Unfortunately I haven’t had any restriction for quite some time, and have gained most of my weight back.
So what now? TWO failed ESGs???! Turns out this is a little more complicated that I anticipated.
I would like to get a conversion to a surgical sleeve (VSG), but figuring out how to do this has been difficult. It turns out that, in many cases, a VSG isn’t possible after 2 ESGs due to the scar tissue in the stomach. In this case, the only option is converting to gastric bypass. So in my efforts to avoid surgery, I may actually have to go to the most extreme weight loss surgery to get surgical help. I sure hope this doesn’t end up being my choice, but in all honesty, my luck hasn’t been so great throughout this process so I’m entirely expecting for this to be the case at this point.
Where do I turn?
It has been difficult to figure WHO to see for this. Not any gastroenterologist can remove the ESG hardware, and most bariatric surgeons aren’t familiar with performing ESGs. I have contacted 1 surgeon who also performs ESG to get a consult on what I need to do from this point.
Do you perhaps know a surgeon that does both ESG and other WLS? Please feel free to drop me a line or email!
Insurance/ Financial Obstacles
There’s also the obstacle of not having a high enough BMI anymore to get insurance to cover VSG without a multitude of qualifying co-morbidities. If insurance won’t cover this, I probably won’t be able to have the conversion due to cost.
Are you in this same predicament, or have you come out the other side?
Due to the shortage of info and help for those who’ve had failed ESGs and want to convert to VSG, I’m going to start documenting that journey to help provide resources to others who are in my position. I’m not sure how long I can keep this site running since it costs money (and I don’t make anything off of it), but if others find it useful, perhaps I can find a way to keep it going.
If you’re looking for information/help on ESG or conversions, I have adapted my facebook group to include this in the discussion and description. Best wishes!
Is ESG Worth It?
No… and yes… maybe… This all depends on each individual situation. Was it worth it for me? Absolutely not. I wish I could go back and just get the VSG in the beginning of all this. But hindsight is always 20/20, and unfortunately you just don’t know how things will go until after you’ve made the decision and went through the process (and spent a lot of money).
I still believe if you decide ESG is the right option for you, who you choose to perform it is the most important factor to success. Surgical error is huge in this complex procedure and the failure rate is much higher with those inexperienced and with less skill. In my opinion, Dr. McGowan from True You Weight loss in Cary, NC is still the most experienced and best in the field. I know that this procedure has worked for a lot of people, but there are also definitely those it does not work for.
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