Gastric Balloon

[Wombat1]

Got my pre-balloon weight, on the 22nd day my total weight loss is 15 lbs. I underestimated my original weight for sure :-( I have a lot more to go!

Now 2 weeks and 2 days since balloon insertion and I am worried that I may not be able to keep it in. While on free fluids and then soft foods I was doing pretty well - energy levels not great but certainly manageable. However for the last couple of nights and days the nausea has become really severe and both nights I have vomited - a lot. It seems there are very few foods that I am tolerating - chicken (poached), avocado, scrambled eggs and Weetbix - all in very small quantities. Even yesterday I thought I'd just have a protein shake for dinner and eat a little more in the middle of the day (a chicken and avocado sandwich!) but even the protein shake did not stay down. Feeling very discouraged and struggling to keep up with the demands of life. Seriously thinking that unless things improve, may request removal. To make matters worse, weight loss seems to have plateaued already and total weight loss is still only about 6kg.

I'm feeling disappointed because everything seemed to be going well for the first couple of weeks - very little nausea or discomfort and satisfying weight loss. To start vomiting and struggling to keep any food or liquid down at this point seems a bit unusual. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Wombat1]

Mary B, thanks for the menu options.

Wombat, I am somewhat successful avoiding meat, other than chicken/turkey ham sandwich. I know that I should have some meat, but somehow I just don't feel eating way too much meat. Probably I will go with the protein shakes, even if it is not recommended by some gastroenterologists. I had my balloon inserted 21 days (3 weeks) ago, and I vomited in the first 36 hours (5 times to be exact), but not since (knock on wood). I must admit, I am being nauseated lately most of the time when I am awake, but I can sleep very well. Did you get your balloon in the US? Just wondering which insurance company would allow unlimited adjustments with no extra charge.

Hi mz,

No I'm in Australia and the upfront fee included as many adjustments as required. Though I must admit having just received advice that prior to an adjustment, one has to be on a VLCD for a week before and then clear fluids for 2 days before and 2 days after again, I was thinking the 3 or 4 adjustments suggested would amount to up 5 weeks of VLCD which would result in significant weight loss anyway! My private health insurance, even though it's the highest level, did not cover the procedure at all, deeming it "cosmetic"

 

[mz0120]

I lost much more than just 15 lbs, but then I started to eat, and some of the weight came back.
I started to eat on the 7th day, just half of a cheesy bakery, then next day I was gorging on a small amount of chinese-thai buffet. No kidding.
I combine balloon with Weight Watchers (WW), decided to go on 1500 kcal/day, but the truth is that I cannot eat more than 800-1000 kcal/day. I celebrated my 15 lbs weight loss by visiting an Indian buffet, and I did not eat too much compared to my "old self", but it was surely much enough to make me feel bad and nauseated whole day, though did not vomit. I am really thinking to do more exercise than just walking. I feel great and I have energy. Well, congratulations to me for sure. I have been very fortunate throughout my life when I had to handle illnesses (like a few years ago at the oncology), but I certainly always had the right mindset (maybe being an ICU nurse for a few years was helpful, too).

I don't know guys what is wrong with some of you and what causes the constant vomiting (nausea would be fine, I feel almost every day WHEN I am eating more than I should - per the balloon), but I would talk to the doctor, rather than posting here. I got Cerucal on the first two days (did not help though), and some mentioned the patch, which I purchased, but decided not to use, especially when I drive hours to my work, and I do lecture (because this is what I do for living). Reading through all the 1000+ posts, I am pretty sure you are not alone, but no other ballooner would solve your problem, it will be the doctor. I would wait with the removal. It takes 2 days for some people to adjust, it might take 2 weeks for others, and as someone else said it before, it was 1.5 months until s/he got adjusted. I think it is worth to wait! Oh, and get ready, because once you start to eat (when you can hold the food inside), you will be gaining back weight, so don't get discouraged easily. Set a weekly goal. Measure yourself every day to train your mind to help you get closer to your weekly goal. I have a little bit more than 6 months to go (I got it in for 7 months), so with weekly 3 lbs loss (x 24 weeks) will be 72 lbs loss which would definitely will make me happy. I might even think to get a second balloon.

I talk to a friend of mine (anesthesiologist) who told me that he thinks that my vomiting (within 36 hours after the procedure that was done under anesthesia) might have been due to the anesthesia. Well, either way, no vomiting since then, and I am happy. Burps are not that bad (I just clear my throat when I lecture), and did not have any so far today (and it is 4:23 PM). I am definitely happy that I had this procedure, and if you can stick further a little bit, you should benefit from it, too. Good luck.

 

[mz0120]

Just wanted to add, not sure how it would help you, but was helpful for me: when I have/had hard time, like badly nauseated, I always recalled a picture of my thinner me, and that keeps me going. We were recently playing a game on FB by posting 5 pics of ourselves through 5 days (one pic per day) which had to be 15 years older. Great! I have many like those. So, it was a good play... pulling up old pics and looking at myself and hoping I can be 130 lbs at one point, too!

 

[Wombat1]

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since insertion and I would love to say all is well but despite nausea and vomiting ( so bad today I have had to stay home from work) my weight loss has already plateaued - nothing lost for nearly a week despite a maximum of about 800 calories a day. I have lost in total 7kg since the insertion (about 15 lbs) but as I said this was mainly in the first 2 weeks. Have contacted my doctor ( he's in another city about 3 hours away) and hope he will get back to me soon. I had a couple of really good days where I was able to eat a small amount and keep it down so was hoping I'd turned the corner. However, after a very light meal last night, the nausea and vomiting returned and has continued throughout the night. Feeling quite discouraged and with no energy at all, that's not a good combination.

 

[BalloonGirl]

So now on Day 4 and most of the physical symptoms of discomfort have gone. No nausea, minimal heartburn and minor cramps which I think were due to hunger more than a reaction to the balloon. I have just had 1/2 glass of a protein shake and it tasted marvelous! While my doctor encouraged me to hang out on clear fluids until at least Wednesday, this morning I was so weak and light-headed, I felt I had no option but to get some protein into my system. So far, so good - I need to be able to get moving! Have shed the extra kilos gained during the procedure so hopefully am on track. Once I can start exercising I think it will make a difference - and stop me feeling stir-crazy!

Thank goodness! I'm glad I found this forum. I have had the balloon for only 54 hours and yesterday I told the clinic (when they did follow up) that if I had an option I would get them to remove it immediately. I'm not a wuss but the nausea I was prepared for became almost instantly-as in the car ride home, but not quite- 24 hours of vomiting no matter what went in. Not much point in meds as they came up bringing with them a wretched burning feeling and more cramps and general shiteyness. By yesterday afternoon I was able to keep meds down and have some decent sleep, if only an hour or so at a time before the growling of starvation starts or the worlds worst acid reflux kicks in- a precursor to vomiting. Burping has its own new special kinda wonderful.......Apparently its only 2-3 days of this hell but by some comments its weeks!! Eeeekkk, I really hope not. I don't know how it was possible to eat solids in the first few days. Currently I am regretting this big time but I hope the results are worth it.

 

[BalloonGirl]

End of Day 5 and feeling a little weak still (more due to lack of food than anything else) but just walked for 40 minutes quite comfortably. Today experienced no discomfort except when I drank too much and too quickly - I think the ideal amount I can consume within say a 30m time interval is about 250ml. Staying hydrated is the biggest challenge - it was 35 degrees here today - tomorrow threatens to be even hotter. Having frequent small drinks is definitely recommended. Today had a protein shake (hospital quality), strained orange juice, small glass of vegetable juice and a cup of cauliflower soup plus lots of water. Didn't weigh myself today but 2cm smaller around my waist. Feeling hopeful.

Hi guys,

Tomorrow I will have more time to write. Since I am back to the States, I worked every day.
My question:
is there a specific diet or calorie quantity you have been recommended to do?
Unfortunately, I don't have any dietary supply, and my appetite is excellent, so I am struggling somewhat.

Thanks,
mz

Hi mz
I will be having a review after the balloon is taken out in 6 months. The clinic doesn't guide around calorie control etc with the balloon in. I'll be asking more on my one month follow up as I'll only just be back on solids. Right now that is just fine with me because liquid is still an issue.

 

[BalloonGirl]

Now 2 weeks and 2 days since balloon insertion and I am worried that I may not be able to keep it in. While on free fluids and then soft foods I was doing pretty well - energy levels not great but certainly manageable. However for the last couple of nights and days the nausea has become really severe and both nights I have vomited - a lot. It seems there are very few foods that I am tolerating - chicken (poached), avocado, scrambled eggs and Weetbix - all in very small quantities. Even yesterday I thought I'd just have a protein shake for dinner and eat a little more in the middle of the day (a chicken and avocado sandwich!) but even the protein shake did not stay down. Feeling very discouraged and struggling to keep up with the demands of life. Seriously thinking that unless things improve, may request removal. To make matters worse, weight loss seems to have plateaued already and total weight loss is still only about 6kg.

I'm feeling disappointed because everything seemed to be going well for the first couple of weeks - very little nausea or discomfort and satisfying weight loss. To start vomiting and struggling to keep any food or liquid down at this point seems a bit unusual. Has anyone else experienced this?

My plan has weeks 2-4 post insertion as pureed foods, as in normal stuff like poach chook but pureed. Maybe that would help.

 

[BalloonGirl]

Hi mz
I will be having a review after the balloon is taken out in 6 months. The clinic doesn't guide around calorie control etc with the balloon in. I'll be asking more on my one month follow up as I'll only just be back on solids. Right now that is just fine with me because liquid is still an issue.

I'll post any advice I get

 

[BalloonGirl]

I've been using a heated pad for my stomach. Difficult in hot weather but it helps. Does anyone have hints on other pain reducing things they have tried while waiting for medication to work. I feel ok right now but am dreading the next onslaught.

Also, was anyone else desperately hungry in the first few days. Part of me feels like the pain would be a lot less if I didn't have starvaton pangs.

 

[Wombat1]

I've decided that the only way to approach living with a balloon is as a series of experiments and that I have to be prepared for the fact that sometimes experiments fail. Since having a rough time earlier last week I've been doing two things on a consistent basis (on my doctor's advice) and they seem to make a huge difference. The first is to have a glass of sparkling water after each meal - this cleans the balloon. Secondly after each meal to walk - not for ages but at least 10 minutes of moving and being on your feet - this allows the food to move rather than what happens if you just sit or lie down after eating. However even with doing these things and feeling much better for it, last night I could no longer resist the lure of a machiatto and within 15 minutes was vomiting as severely as I have since the balloon was inserted - a failed experiment but one I had to do as I love coffee.

On the plus side, in a little over 3 weeks I have now lost 25% of what I hoped to lose in total - about 8kg or 17lbs. Clothes are definitely looser but of course I'm getting comments that I'm losing it too quickly - mainly from people who are also overweight and seem to think that the balloon is "cheating"!!! As I've said to them, with the amount of discomfort most of us have to endure I would scarcely describe it as the easy route to weight loss.

Balloon Girl - I hope things are settling for you - the individual response to the balloon seems so varied - my first week really wasn't too bad at all but re-introducing solid foods ushered in a whole new world of hurt. Maybe all of your discomfort will be limited to the early days.

 

[Wombat1]

I've been using a heated pad for my stomach. Difficult in hot weather but it helps. Does anyone have hints on other pain reducing things they have tried while waiting for medication to work. I feel ok right now but am dreading the next onslaught.

Also, was anyone else desperately hungry in the first few days. Part of me feels like the pain would be a lot less if I didn't have starvaton pangs.

I'm presuming that you are taking Buscopan Forte? It works pretty quickly and is very effective for the stomach cramps. The other thing which really helps is trying to move around - a gentle short walk can be really helpful if you have the energy to do it. I also found in the early days that diazepam helped because of both its muscle-relaxant properties and sedative effect.

Re the hunger pangs - I still find it difficult to work out the difference between hunger and nausea - I know that sounds weird but there have been times I have thought I was really hungry but when I have tried to eat, I really didn't feel like it. For the first couple of weeks I tried to eat or mostly drink just when I'd normally be having a meal regardless of how I felt.

Hope you're feeling better.

 

[BalloonGirl]

I'm presuming that you are taking Buscopan Forte? It works pretty quickly and is very effective for the stomach cramps. The other thing which really helps is trying to move around - a gentle short walk can be really helpful if you have the energy to do it. I also found in the early days that diazepam helped because of both its muscle-relaxant properties and sedative effect.

Re the hunger pangs - I still find it difficult to work out the difference between hunger and nausea - I know that sounds weird but there have been times I have thought I was really hungry but when I have tried to eat, I really didn't feel like it. For the first couple of weeks I tried to eat or mostly drink just when I'd normally be having a meal regardless of how I felt.

Hope you're feeling better.

Thank you so much. Yes I am feeling 1000% on 2 days ago and 100 from yesterday. I only managed to keep any meds down about 30 hours post procedure- I could feel some relief prior but then vomiting aggressively I just believed not much was in my system. The heated pad was a lifesaver before that and about 15 showers/baths over 2 days. The meds are Buscopan Forte, Maxalon, Stemitil and Nexium with Zofran the first few days as needed. Thats a full on anti nausea and the first one to stay down and provide relief. The Stemitil seems to put me to sleep or at least work quickly enough that I can get comfy and drift off. Last night was a big turning point. 8 hours of sleep with about 4 interruptions of the sweaty kind. I was feeling wrung out from pain in my sides and back from all the vomiting and today is like the real tail end of a bad flu. Taking food slowly, slowly but having success with smoothies, porridge and soup.

I appreciate your insight. I did not think I was such a big baby!! I really felt like this is the stupidest thing I've ever thought of doing to myself. But reading the weight loss results is inspiring. I have a big way to go but want to kick start the weight loss as for 4 months I've cut out sugar, gone to mainly unprocessed food, started exercising etc but the kilos are hanging on. I'm guessing my age as well-45-although I am having success with cm's coming off. The surgeon wanted to know why I didn't go for the sleeve option-well, now I at least know why. I would need to be in an induced coma!

I'm still having constant hunger pains but the clinic is calling to check on me tomorrow so I'll run it by them. Trying to look at the bigger (smaller ) picture is difficult right now as every minute is a new revelation.

Cheers

 

[mz0120]

All,

Question for you: I am eating 800-1000 kcal/day, and have not lost a pound in the last 2 weeks. Looks like I am plateau-ing. But after the very (less than) one month? Can someone tell me how long is it going to last? I still would like to lose weight. I lost 1/4th that I want to lose (15 of the 60 lbs.), but I want to lose more.

I will soon go to the gym and lift weights. Otherwise, I am absolutely complaintless: no hunger issues (doing well on 800-1000 kcal/day), no nausea, no vomiting, no cramps, etc., my only problem is that I am not losing weight.

Thanks,
mz

 

[Wombat1]

Hi mz, join the club. Due to ongoing vomiting and severe nausea which I experienced up until about 4 days ago (now on Maxolon), my caloric intake must have been even less - some days I literally vomited everything that I ate and by last Monday was so dehydrated, they couldn't take my BP. Even with that and with strict caloric monitoring since Tuesday (600 to 800 calories daily) I am also not losing weight and this morning appeared to have gained some. I have seen my doctor who moved the balloon - it was way too low and he has me on a strict liquid diet before probably increasing the volume in a couple of weeks. I am hungry and struggle to have the energy to keep up with demands of my daily life. When I asked my doctor why the weight loss had stalled, he said I was probably cheating - on what?!?! The naughtiest thing I have is half a teaspoon of sugar once a day in my tea and 3 grapes! I'm feeling so frustrated to have gone through so much for so little.

I'm not exercising anywhere near as much as I used to - a daily walk of around 45 minutes is it at the moment but we live close to the bush and it is a hilly walk. I still don't have the energy to resume weights etc.

Feeling pretty disappointed at this stage - 4 weeks down, 48 to go .......

 

[Wombat1]

So despite my very best efforts, I am apparently one of those people whose bodies simply can't tolerate a balloon. After worsening vomiting and nausea for the last week, my doctor has made the decision to remove the balloon. I can hardly wait - the intense nausea and vomiting of the last week - last night I couldn't even keep water down- has worn me out and I feel like I am going to need some time to recover. Between now and 2 days prior to the removal I have to be on a VLCD - only shakes and soups, clear fluids for 2 days before removal and then I am assured that once it is removed I should feel fine - I hope so.

Would I recommend the balloon? I already had and a couple of people I know are getting one based on this but this was in the early days. I coped really well with the first week but the more I have tried to eat normal food - often in minuscule quantities - the sicker I have become. I have had a few days in the 6 weeks since insertion where I felt good but the reality is that those good days were relative to the really bad days I had and I have never felt "normal" since the insertion. The trouble is that none of us can predict how our body will react - we like to think we'll be fine but until it's in there, we have no idea.

I did lose weight - 10% of my body weight in fact but even within that it bounced around a lot. I know I can manage to survive on much smaller portions and am determined to continue my weight loss journey which if nothing else has been given a kick start. It will be a longer journey but I long for the healthy foods I used to eat such as a simple green salad which I have not been able to tolerate. I'm also looking forward to being able to exercise at a meaningful intensity - since the insertion, walking has been all I could do.

Good luck to all my fellow travelers on this journey - I hope yours is a smoother ride than mine!

 

[Appletiser]

Hi all... i just had rge gastric balloon yesterday. Came across the forum now hoping to share experiences. ..so far the cramps are coming n going... nausea hasnt been too bad but have vomited suddenly a few times.... hope this doesnt last long. ..

 

[Lana2]

Hey everyone, I had the balloon put in about 3 weeks ago. I have only lost 5 kilos in the 1st week and nothing since. My food intake is almost nothing, any advice would be appreciated

Also well done to all the weightlossees!

 

[Lana2]

Now 2 weeks and 2 days since balloon insertion and I am worried that I may not be able to keep it in. While on free fluids and then soft foods I was doing pretty well - energy levels not great but certainly manageable. However for the last couple of nights and days the nausea has become really severe and both nights I have vomited - a lot. It seems there are very few foods that I am tolerating - chicken (poached), avocado, scrambled eggs and Weetbix - all in very small quantities. Even yesterday I thought I'd just have a protein shake for dinner and eat a little more in the middle of the day (a chicken and avocado sandwich!) but even the protein shake did not stay down. Feeling very discouraged and struggling to keep up with the demands of life. Seriously thinking that unless things improve, may request removal. To make matters worse, weight loss seems to have plateaued already and total weight loss is still only about 6kg.

I'm feeling disappointed because everything seemed to be going well for the first couple of weeks - very little nausea or discomfort and satisfying weight loss. To start vomiting and struggling to keep any food or liquid down at this point seems a bit unusual. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi Wombat, how are going with the Balloon any more weight loss or advice?

 

[Wombat1]

Hi Wombat, how are going with the Balloon any more weight loss or advice?

Hi Lana - in a word, I'm not - I had to have the balloon removed last Monday. The vomiting was increasing in frequency and duration and I was struggling to keep any food down or even fluids. My doctor felt the only option was to take the balloon out which has been an enormous relief - I hadn't realized how sick I had felt for weeks until it was removed. I have continued to eat smaller portions and am now easily doing the 5:2 diet - I have maintained my overall weight loss which was 11k in just over 6 weeks - about 27lbs I think that is. Despite having only been on fluids for a full week, when the balloon was removed I still had undigested solid food in my stomach so the balloon combined with the PPIs appeared to have almost ground my digestion of food to a standstill. I also had a number of tiny tears on my oesophagus as a consequence of the severe vomiting. So, it was not a good option for me in terms of how my body reacted - the nurse in the recovery ward after the procedure told me they actually have a number of people who have to have it out because of adverse reactions. I am trying to be philosophical about it - I still lost a lot of weight and am very motivated to keep that going (school reunion later this year) and am now able to exercise properly again - something I was unable to do when I had the balloon. They have also refunded me half the costs so I think that's very reasonable. I hope things go better for you.