6 Years without Stomach: A Day in the Life

[@javierf2010]

Hello Steve, I love to hear about you. Congrats on your 6 years as stomachless! You inspired me a lot with your testimony all this years. I am a stomachless too (5 years!). So, in a way you were leading the path for me.Thank you for your strength and tenacity day by day. Javier (from Argentina).

[@Dangarangg]

Hello from ARGENTINA! Wow! I'm humbled to be a tiny part of your journey. Congratulations on 5 years my friend! I hope you are doing well. I hope one day to visit you when I can travel to Argentina. It's on my top 10 list of countries to visit! Best wishes my friend!

[@ttylerle]

Hi Steve! I’m an 11 year old living in Dallas, TX. My uncle has recently been diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer. (i dont know the scientific name) and now my family is really sad. He’s been moved to a Cancer center in Houston, and because of Corona everything is just worse. I’ve been watching videos just because, and I saw the video about you. I found your story really interesting, seeing that you are living your life gives me hope. I don’t know if he will have the surgery or not, but I really hope he does. Thank you for sharing your story, Steve!

[@Dangarangg]

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your story, and I am so sorry to hear about your uncle! I'm am so sorry that you are having to walk through it. He's lucky to have someone like you in his corner... it makes a huge difference! Keep me posted on how he is doing and let me know if you have any questions about it - but go to nostomachforcancer.org, you may find some more helpful info there. Peace my brother!

[@moonpatrol712]

Hi Steve, just came across your video and feel so inspired. I'm 9 yrs without a stomach and struggle so much to stay active but now I'm determined to start my day with some push-ups 😅

[@Dangarangg]

@@moonpatrol712 this is so awesome! You got this!!!!

[@arupdebbarma4420]

Hello how are you now brother

[@arupdebbarma4420]

Hello bro how are you Now??

[@Sawan2023-qd9fw]

Realy you brave and strong I appreciate that all

[@youremysunshine9068]

Really appreciate that you can share your story, experience. Thank you!

[@Dangarangg]

Thanks for watching!

[@rayc4688]

You are a absolute inspiration. Thank you so much for coming to Crossroads and sharing your story and incredible faith . Love when you come up to vist with pastor Andrew and do a sermon. God bless you and your family.

[@lloydruiz7866]

Wow! First of all I am happy for you to be able to passed most difficulties of being a cancer patient and a person living stomachless.. If its okay with you to know the type of stomach cancer do you had, are you considering yourself now as a cancer-free person? Mine was a GIST. Almost a month now since my surgery.. I am doing little progress each day.. I hope to be like you someday that you able to live now almost like a normal person.. good luck to your journey, sir!

[@Dangarangg]

Hey brother! Great to connect with you. I’m so sorry about your GIST. I had Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC). I’m considered cancer free now but have to get regular check scans. You got this brother, one day at a time. Just enjoy life on the good days and be gracious on yourself on the bad days. Much love and blessings to you! 🙏🏽

[@oyitaable]

Great to see how you rock your routine; and share your story with such positive attitude. San Jose looks pretty awesome and you live so close to nature; what an envy!!!☺️ Thanks for posting this awesome video and content 👌🏼

[@Dangarangg]

Thank you! and thanks for your question which inspired this video!

[@K9sf]

Congratulations Steven! Thanks for sharing your journey.

[@gretavanpuyvelde7048]

Luk (49 yo male) from Belgium EU here. Almost 1 year ago I was diagnosed with stomach cancer adenocarcenome at the stomach entrance (cardia). Gastrectomy after chemo. I had 4 chemo sessions followed by surgery. No follow up treatment because the disection of all extracted tissues (stomach, spleen and 28 lymphs ) showed no spread. When I read up on testimonies I realise I’m very fortunate having had treatment in the finest belgian university hospital. No fizzy drinks on heavy alcohol for me anymore. I lost 21kg of weigth. I had black feces and that's how I went to the GP initially.

[@Dangarangg]

@@gretavanpuyvelde7048 wow brother! You’ve been through a lot, but I’m so glad to hear about no spread! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@ipqp23]

How many times do you eat? Do you feel hungry?

[@Dangarangg]

Hi Ivan! sorry it took so long to get back to you! I actually snack all day, and then I eat two larger meals. I definitely feel hunger, but it wasn't the same as when I had a stomach. I don't get the "hunger pains", but I do know when I feel like I haven't had enough energy. Thanks for asking!

[@nathanlashley6620]

@@Dangarangg can you drink while eating your meal after 6 years ?

[@Dangarangg]

@@nathanlashley6620 yes actually! Sometimes it’s a bit much and I’ll get dumping, but it’s pretty rare these days

[@hcdigitalart]

Just came across your video, as I am about to go into surgery to have my stomach removed because of cancer also. Of course this is all new to me, so just how difficult will it be in the beginning? What things will I encounter or how should I prepare myself for this? Less than two weeks for my procedure and I'm trying to find answers.

[@Dangarangg]

Hi! First of all, I am so sorry to hear about this journey that you are just beginning. There are so many questions I had to journey through. I think right off the bat, I would get familiar with the options with the surgeon. Will your surgery be fully open (like mine) or will it be laparoscopic? Anecdotally from online communities, it seems like those who had a TG laparoscopically had better outcomes than those with my form of surgery. Secondly, I would really mentally prepare that you will be losing a significant amount of weight, the hope however, is that you will regain and learn a new normal. Let's start there - much love. Grace to you.

[@metaldave556]

how has it gone so far?

[@mikeward8232]

Thanks Steve, one question did you lose much weight post TG? Because your weight is about where I started but I’m down to 140 pounds

[@oyitaable]

Hey Mike; my hubby started around 140 lbs and is down to about 110 pounds. It has been 9 months and we still couldn’t find out how to reverse the scale. Hoping that it will level out soon🤞🏼

[@Dangarangg]

Hey Mike! thanks for your question - I went into surgery at 217 lbs and got all the way down to 148 lbs... it was BRUTAL. It took me about 3 years to get to ~170. How long are you out? Hang in there man.

[@mikeward8232]

Steve Dang I’m 9 months out and starting to level of but the surgeon is betting another 30 pounds which I hope he’s wrong. Been around 138 pounds for a month now 😀

[@Dangarangg]

@@mikeward8232 I hope he's wrong too! I was extra motivated because my Dr. said if I lose anything below 148 he was going to put me on a TPN line, so when I hit 148 I did everything I could to start gaining some weight again. Keep me posted on your journey!

[@relaxinglandscapestheresho3102]

Hello Steve thank you for sharing your story, it gives me hope,,,, my twin brother has a similar situation as u, he has being living with out a stomach for the last 9 years, same time we have been looking for unsuccessful help which is really sad, at this point we are kind of tired and frustrated trying to look for answers and we can’t find them,,,, thank you Steve for reading and understand us,,,,, at this time we are out of the country, (we were born in San Francisco) so watching your story we’ve desired to make a trip to California, so I will really appreciate if There is any chance, we can have your physician’s phone number or name, or something to get in touch with them, so we can make an appointment and talk to him or her personally, Steve I wanted to thank you in advance, wanna wish you luck and more health in your daily life, and keep up with the great work, keep inspiring and motivating tons of lives !!!

[@nasarrock6821]

Hi bro my mom had a stomach cancer ...so ple chemotherapy is going on... please tell what are the methods you follwed for after surgery ..... please tell bro

[@Dangarangg]

Hi brother! I'm so sorry your mom is going through this, I'm praying for her now! For me after surgery the key was figuring out my nutrition first and foremost. I needed to get a good team of doctors consisting of nutritionists an endocrinologist and a primary care doctor to track along with me. Take it slow and figure out how food effects your body and they eat what you can when you can. Avoid heavy carbohydrates the beginning to regulate your blood sugar.

[@briandelmore7188]

hello, glad to see you are doing well. So about a year ago they removed little more than half my stomach and esophagus valve due to a Gist tumor , very fortunate to still have some of my stomach, have been struggling to gain weight since than. was wondering about how many calories they wanted you try and eat for the the first year or so and if there were any foods that they recommended for you. Have been stuck on soups latley , not many calories but for the part able to hold down. Glad to see you are doing well and wish you all the best. any advise would be great. thank you

[@Dangarangg]

Hey Brian! So sorry to hear about your journey, but I am thankful you shared it with me! I struggled to gain weight for the first 3 years, now I am able to eat really normally. The first year I remember jumping up and high giving my wife when I broke 1200 calories in a day, but that was when I was at my worst at 148-155 lbs. My body did not like being that thin, but now at 170 it took about 5 years, but it's leveled out. See if you can talk to an a bariatrics doctor and an endocrinologist, they were the most helpful to me.

[@briandelmore7188]

@@Dangarangg Appreciate the follow up. i got of kind of easy at first they thought I had straight up stomach and Esophagus Cancer turns out it was Gist Tumor still cancerous but not as bad as what you went thru. they talk more then half my stomach and the Esophagus valve. I ignored alot of things i should not have like throwing up blood and others thank God for my friends at work who noticed things were not right with me and forced me to make a Drt apt when I finally went my red blood cell count was so low they were shocked. But good news is tumor removed. I was thin to begin with probably around 150 before i got sick and down to 130 before the surgery. Not sure what I am at now have not gone to dr in a while kind of used Covid as a excuse not go, i know still had a few iron infusions i needed to finish. Sorry for rambling on for long, last question for now do start you day with protein drinks ? i know that is one thing I need more of but i got back in the habit right away of working 12-15 hours a day and do not take the time to eat properly. i more than thank you for reaching out to me and may God bless you and that you and those around you stay healthy.

[@Dangarangg]

@@briandelmore7188 wow! I'm glad you have people who got your back! That's a blessing in an of itself. Yea, for sure you don't sound like you had as much wiggle room as I did around weight. I've always been a big dude and started my cancer journey at 217. I definitely would prioritize nutrition, then work... in fact, you might even maximize your work if you can focus on nutrition. I drank a lot of protein shakes in the beginning because it was easier for me to get down, but now I've really tried to stick to whole foods because I don't want to get too heavy in unhealthy ways. For me my go to was a protein powder (iso pure zero sugar) with coconut milk, splash of heavy whipping cream, banana, peanut butter. I could do a video of some different blended treats I do if you think that would be helpful?

[@danilosaenz4868]

Hi Dave, the truth is, you are a great testimony and how you lead your life we ​​can say normally, Dave, as I see in your video, you eat almost everything and I tell you my case, I have been without a stomach for 9 years, but mine was not because of cancer but because of other traumas that I suffered at the level of the esophagus, so the doctors removed my esophagus and raised my stomach joining it to my throat, so now I only have an absorption mechanism because everything falls into my intestine and this causes me discomfort of up to 9 hours , I have diarrhea and all that this implies, and it has been 9 years with this situation of which I am already very exhausted, because I cannot have a normal life, I cannot go out with friends or have other activities because of my situation that everything What I like very badly and causes havoc in my body, so I see that your life is normal, but I do not know if you know I did not have cancer but if I do not have a stomach as such, could you recommend a doctor or organization that they specialize in this, since living to If it's not life, I've been locked up almost alone in my house for 9 years, due to the same symptoms of foods that are too strong, I appreciate your testimony and your recommendations Dave, move on with your life and that of your family.

[@Dangarangg]

Wow, brother I am so so sorry to hear about your journey over the past 9 years, the fact that you continue to keep moving forward is inspiring for me. Unfortunately, my situation without a stomach because of stomach cancer sounds a little but different, but for me the most helpful information has been through No Stomach for Cancer who was able to point me to various symposiums that I have attended for gastric cancers. While at these symposiums I have been able to talk to the leading oncologists and surgeons for gastric cancer and that has been really helpful. I don't know if these kinds of symposiums would be helpful or if they are available in your area, but it was a good way for me to just learn more about how my surgery has affected my body. Much love to you and I hope you keep moving forward. - Steve

[@danilosaenz4868]

@@Dangarangg Hello Steve and thank you very much for taking the time to answer my message, I appreciate your information very much. Now I am not in the states but soon I will return to Los Angeles area, and I was asking you all this, because I think I could have your same diet , since I do not have a stomach as such, and all the food falls into the intestine and it does all the work, which is what causes me all that series of symptoms. As I saw in the video, you are having a normal breakfast with your boss such as bacon, eggs, coffee, etc., and I think this does not cause you any more discomfort, so I thought that they had probably made you some kind of reservoir or bag in your intestine to be able to retain or digest food, so I thought well it may be the same case since my case is as if I did not have a stomach like you, since I cannot have breakfast something like I see in your video, because It causes me great discomfort, I always appreciate your time, God bless you always Steve.

[@zanasulaiman8667]

Hello Steve, I want to ask you how did you gain weight

[@Dangarangg]

Thanks for the question! It really just happened pretty naturally around year 3. For about 3 years I hovered between 150-160 and now I''ve been closer to 175 lbs. Naturally the food pocket that they made out of my doudenum began to stretch out and I was able too eat more food. Initially, really high fat foods - peanut butters, protein shakes... but then I would have a lot of food anxiety, so I stopped tracking and just did the best I could and seemed to do way better. Hope this helped!

[@armandosanchez8901]

Do you ever get nausea?

[@zoldgaming2783]

Strength and Love.and keep In your mind with jesus..

[@arupdebbarma4420]

Brother can you work office job

[@anca7006]

Hi, does it help not to eat before sleeping? Bile-wise...

[@Dangarangg]

Hi! Actually what I find is a high carb meal too late in the day gives me a ton of reflux

[@anca7006]

@@Dangarangg thank you, dear!

[@mohdshah8914]

hy steve..im from malaysia..my stomach has been removed totaly 9/10 ..and have 8 time to do kimoterapy..but my weight drop from 66kg to 50 in 3month...please help me..

[@Dangarangg]

Hi Muhammed! I am so sorry to hear about your struggle after surgery. I ended up losing about 102 kg to 67 kg about a year after surgery and it took me 3 years to get back up to my average which is 77 kg. My best advice is to see a nutritionist, but you might have to consider some liquid nutritional supplements. I know it was really hard for me in the first 12 months. Are you following up with a doctor?

[@mr.abhiparmar8054]

Can you eat large meal without stomach

[@arupdebbarma4420]

Tumne bhi gastrotomy karwa hain kiya

[@mikmik600]

Are u filipino?

[@4196kent]

hi i got a total gastrectomy not too long ago it feels normal and great

[@arupdebbarma4420]

How are you now??

[@zoldgaming2783]

What is feel like no stomach at all??

[@Dangarangg]

I actually don't feel much of a difference physically outside of how different nutrition makes me feel.

[@kaoritabei800]

Say Hi to Kate😊 she wasn’t kidding about u guy’s coffee obsession. Regarding fat loss I would say read starch solution or watch Fork over knives. It was game changer for me 😊😊

[@oyitaable]

Hey Kaori; can you elaborate about your starch note? I would love to know🙏🏻

[@Dangarangg]

Thank you!! And we really take coffee waaaaay too seriously 🤣. For sure I’m going to check out those resources out! Thank you thank you!!!

[@kaoritabei800]

oyitaable best way is to watch fork over knives, what the health than read starch solution which I find at library... how not to die book is great. I eat bowl of pasta when u crave it no regrets 😆 but I follow whole food plant based diet. 😀

[@Dangarangg]

@@kaoritabei800 I'll have to check these out