Gastric Balloon

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gogetit said:
Hi my name it kat I read your post yesterday, and im considering having the ballooon procedure, does anyone know how much it costs in the UK, I have however got enough to go to prauge bodies beautiful as you mentioned where it only costs £2000, but im a bit put off of travelling to another country to get it done, is it safe and how can you tell if the company is all legaly registered, and licenced?
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I have just returned from Prague following gastric balloon procedure, the actual procedure was quick, but i did struggle in the following days, your stomache tries to reject the balloon, as it cannot process it as it would food, so violent wretching and vomitting for days afterward is difficult to get used to. just a warning about going to Prague, its not all its made out to be on the website, there arnt shiney new clinics and innercity apartments, more like a back street dental clinic, although the nurses there are very good (im a nurse myself so i know the difference), i did feel a little like a cash-cow on a conveyor belt. and more worrying , there is NO aftercare, no instructions or hints or tips, which i could really use right now!!
does anyone out there have any post balloon tips?? as im astill sick as a dog and not starting with the gripeing pains.:ack2:
 
carmes said:
I had the gastric balloon fitted on the 19th March and have lost 12lbs already. It seems like I have had it in forever and that I should have lost atleast 3 stone by now but that could have been why I struggled to lose weight in the first place.

The first 3 days were very very uncomfortable, if I could I would have taken the thing back out myself but just like they said after this time I started to feel better.

It is emotionally as well as physically draining. I crave normal food. My husband had a tuna sandwich the other day and I cried because I wanted one. It is hard just eating liquids day after day and seeing everyone else eat normally.

Anyone want to know anymore then just ask.

Clare

P.S If anyone can let me know what it is like to have it removed and how they felt afterwards please.
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hey Claire, thanks for your post, its good to hear other peoples experiences, i had the balloon 4 days ago, and have just got over the vomitting, i can keep water down now, have you any advice for he next 5 days?
thanks
Zoe :ack2:
 
The new you cliinic u have seen on the internet, does exactly what it says on the tin, there arnt any nice shiney clinics, or innercity apartments, my expereince wasn't great, the nurses are good though and certainly made me feel better, if you use this place simply to get the proceedure for the cheapest price, without any of the nice touches and aftercare, this place is for you!!
 
mupett said:
hey Claire, thanks for your post, its good to hear other peoples experiences, i had the balloon 4 days ago, and have just got over the vomitting, i can keep water down now, have you any advice for he next 5 days?
thanks
Zoe :ack2:
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Hi Clare,

Fellow nurse here - had the balloon removed three weeks ago and it was equally unpleasant having it out! Lots of gagging and wretching, got stuck in my oesophagus, was being instructed to burp but it didnt translate well in chezch! But burped eventually and managed to breath again! Really sore throat and acid reflux for 3 days but its all settled now - didnt stop the antacids for a good week. Dont feel hungry and still lose interest in a meal about half way through. I lost 3 stone and 3 lb with balloon and have since lost another 3 after its removal - fab!

Luv Tina
 
Hi girls I have my balloon close to 3 months now.Lost around 18kg.Vomited a lot.I can't even take enough water at one given time.I am aware of food and my fear of vomiting stops me from pigging out.I am 76 kg now,and got 10 more to loose even think for another 3 months I will probably loose even more.It was a hard work this 3 months,but worthed!!!Try to eat some soup,seafood,stay clear of red meat.And it very little girls!!!
Can anyone tell me how much was procedure in Prague please as my sister might be a candidat for one.
Good luck my girls!!!!
 
Hello,
I've been trying to start a new thread called "What to do when the Balloon gets too Comfortable", but I cannot seem to be able to start a new thread. Anyone know why?

Anyway, I've had the balloon in 3 weeks now, and I too am getting too comfortable. Yesterday I ate almost a normal meal....eeek! As well, I'm getting hungry more often (sometimes lying on my stomach takes that away as it causes a pressure and dull pain).

How are the rest of you coping? Any ideas?
 
balloon to comfortable

My daughter had the same problem with the balloon being to comfortable. We contacted prague beauty and they send her a month supply of reductil ( appetite suppresant) which worked very well at reducing her stomach size again. I think the problem is that they dont adjust the size of the balloon according to the individual stomach size. Both myself and my daughter had 450ml inserted but I know that my stomach has always had a much smaller capacity than hers (I,m a grazer, shes a hoover).

As to the lady who has lost her hair - I am a nurse and have given out the meds used for the balloon (lanzoprazole, omepresole, cimetadine ect) to thousands of patients. Hair loss is not a side effect I have ever some across! The balloon is not a magic cure and if you are hellbent on overriding it - you can. Putting your head under a chocolate fountain on slow drip would do it! It works very well as a tool to cut down your portion sizes and to think about what you are eating, as bad eating will make you feel grotty the next day. I lost 3 stone 7 and seem to be keeping it off now the balloon is out. But it does need some self control.

xxx Tina
 
Absolutely. This definately requires some self control, which i dont have, which is why i opted for WLS anyway. Now i am finding that the balloon isnt enough for me. I havent lost anything for the past 5 weeks. I am about ten weeks in, with about 25lb lost. Thats ok, but the scales havent budged for 5 weeks. Getting cross now, feeling like i have wasted thousands of my hard earned dosh :(:cry:
I wish i had saved more and gone for a band or bypass.

Dunno if anyone else is the same, but i am finding that when hungry, my stomach gets so churny, burpy and acidy that i have to eat! The only thing that resolves it is eating! ie the opposite of what i want! grrrrr!

I really hate the mornings; i wake up with terrible indigestion, gross burps and acid, and it takes a couple of hours to go. AT THIS PRESENT MOMENT, I WISH I HAD NEVER HAD IT DONE. :angelsad2:
 
Harmony6789 said:
Absolutely. This definately requires some self control, which i dont have, which is why i opted for WLS anyway. Now i am finding that the balloon isnt enough for me. I havent lost anything for the past 5 weeks. I am about ten weeks in, with about 25lb lost. Thats ok, but the scales havent budged for 5 weeks. Getting cross now, feeling like i have wasted thousands of my hard earned dosh :(:cry:
I wish i had saved more and gone for a band or bypass.

Dunno if anyone else is the same, but i am finding that when hungry, my stomach gets so churny, burpy and acidy that i have to eat! The only thing that resolves it is eating! ie the opposite of what i want! grrrrr!

I really hate the mornings; i wake up with terrible indigestion, gross burps and acid, and it takes a couple of hours to go. AT THIS PRESENT MOMENT, I WISH I HAD NEVER HAD IT DONE. :angelsad2:
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oh no dont say that I was just thinking you were doing so well!!
 
Why doesn't dieting work for you?
A balloon you're going to have to be far more restrictive than just watching calories.. if you can't diet - then a balloon is NOT a good option for you -save your money and work on learning how to NOT diet and change your lifetime habits
 
3 months

I have had my balloon for three months last week. I got my balloon to assist me to lose weight. I am still dieting, eating small portions and exercising. Ladies you do realize that you have to add muscle in order to lose weight and keep it off. While you are adding muscle you will not see weight loss but you will see inches dissolving. All my old clothes were falling off my butt so I went shopping at the beginning of this month and gave all the old clothes to goodwill.
I stopped taking meds for acid reflux the first month I had the balloon and opted for extra fiber and water instead. No burping here. With your meal intake so small you have to help your digestive system plus the fiber dips into those long loops of colon and pulls out the old crud. Sometimes I get hungry but I either drink some flavored water if it is after 7 pm or just eat lettuce with dressing. Lettuce is my snack of choice for month 3. I have bags of different kinds of lettuce in my fridge. Sometimes I just add the dressing to the bag and shake. I have lost 40 lbs thus far but it has been work.
 
Hi,
I will be fitting a balloon coming december in Bogota, Colombia. I weigh 76 kgs and would like to lose 25 kgs. I have lots of questions: What is it that you could eat right after the placement? Is it more uncomfortable than painful? How long is it uncomfortable? I have Acid reflux disease, is it still ok to have the balloon fitted in? I hope so, because I'm looking forward to putting this in. In Colombia it costs me 4500 USdollars including hotel, operation and aftercare. HELP!!!
 
Sorry, but at 76 kg, you shouldn't be getting a balloon at all. It's supposed to help seriously obese people to lose weight, at 76 kg you're probably not even overweight to start with. Unless you're under 1.40m or something like that, which I doubt. What makes you think that at your weight you need a balloon? Did you try to lose weight any other way?

Usually you can't have any solid food for a while after you got the balloon, just fluids. It can be painful, it can be uncomfortable, that depends on the person. It can and probably will stay uncomfortable for the whole time it is in, because if it gets comfortable, it means your stomach adjusted and you won't lose any more weight.

With acid reflux disease I would strongly suggest keeping your hands off the balloon, because it will make things ten times worse. If the place you want to have it fitted was any good, they would have told you right away that it's not possible for you to have it.

Personally I would forget about it, especially in your case. There is no reason whatsoever for you to have a balloon, and where I come from, they wouldn't even consider putting one into somebody who only weighs 76 kg. That already shows that all they are interested in is money.

But it's your body and your health after all. I would read some of the posts in this thread though, and have a look at the problems the balloon can cause.
 
Hi everyone, San, i have send the doctors all my information and she said I was a candidate for a balloon, but I have dieting, lipo etc, but nothing works. I weigh 43 kgs even after the birth of my two children. However, like 5 years ago, I started gaining weight and now I'm close to 80 kgs and I am merely 1.60 so I look and feel heavily overweight. But the doctor told me that in Colombia all tests will be done before the fitting of the balloon, but I have been to Colombia for doctors several times, they are good doctors there and there are ones who only take your money, but in general they care about their good name. I have reading upon the pain and uncomfort you guys experience, still I have had lipo done, cancer in my uterus, all kinds of stuff, yet I survived, so i think i'm ok. thanks, see ya.:smilielol5::smilielol5::driving::leaving:
 
Have you tried changing your eating habits and working out regularly? Because that seems to be the only thing in the list that you're missing...which, coincidentally, is pretty much the only way to lose weight in a healthy way and with long term success.

If you can't stick with a diet, the balloon will not help you to lose weight by the way. Once it is in, you have to stick to a very strict diet with very few foods that are allowed, and once it is out, you will have to be even more careful what you eat and what you don't.

I can't comment on the quality of Colombian doctors or the medical care there, because I've never been there, but let's put it that way....a doctor that suggests a gastric balloon, or any other type of 'weight-loss-surgery' to a person that is 1.60 m and 76 kg, would find him or herself in court for malpractice in several countries, including the one I come from, and the one I live in.

And at 1.60 and 43 kg you were extremely underweight...maybe what you think is 'heavily overweight' is actually just a normal weight for you, and you just feel heavy because you have been underweight for too long?

Just a thought....
 
Well, All the necessary tests will be done before the actual fitting anyway. the doctor has not seen me yet. We have been communicating thru emails. I will be doing a lipectomy anyway, that was supposed to be done after the balloon gets out, but if I can not get the balloon fitted, I will do the tummy tuck. I was doing modeling jobs when I was younger. Maybe that is why I feel so heavy right now. I was always skinny.
But lets see.................
 
Hi
the last reply was right, from your measurments and weight, you have a BMI of 29.5 (you can do the calculation yourself just search for BMI calculator in google)which is described as a healthy weight, the balloon is indicated for people with a BMI of 32+, and should not have been offered to you in the first place, i would seriously consider why they thought you were a candidate, perhaps it is money motivated.
You are actully the weight i am trying to reach, if i were your weight i would not go through with the balloon, its a difficult road to take, not a quick fix at all, the nausea is a killer, and lots of vomitting also. i still have another 20kg to loose, but im 7 kgs down and happy with progress, really,,, you dont need the balloon, you are a helathy weight, be happy with that!
 
Helloooooo

Hiya, I am new to this forum and am having the balloon soon. Just wanted to say hello. I am 245 pounds 5 ' 8" and 29 years old. I want to lose 80 pounds and i know its going to be difficult. I am doing the balloon under a research study here in the USA. I am very excited to get this done being overweight for 10 years I am desperate to get this under control. I was so desperate i was going to do bypass this is much better. I have a friend who lost a tremendous amount of weight on bypass and compaired to her month plus of being unconforable from surgery the 3 to 4 days sounds much better. Anyway, My name is Wendy and I am happy to meet you all.:waving:
 
Help needed with gross burps

Hi all,

I had my balloon fitted 3 months ago now, i have lost 2 stone, but have lost little for the last month. I am feeling quite disheartened with it, but am battling on. I am now attending Slimming World, and mainly sticking to red days (for those that dont know, it is like a low fat Atkins with healthy carbs thrown in too).

For the last couple of weeks my burps have been absolutely FOUL. Like farts but from the mouth! (Sorry to be so gross) All this is obviously HIGHLY embarassing, especially as i work in close proximity to the general public, and see my clients on a regular basis. I DREAD burping in front of them, but its uncontrollable. They smell sulphuric. Its also ruining my relationship with my partner.
DOES ANYONE KNOW IF I CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? IS IT JUST SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO PUT UP WITH? IS THERE ANY WAY TO 'CLEAN' MY BALLOON? My burps were always a bit bad since having the balloon fitted, but the way they have developed is intolerable. I am seriously contemplating having it removed early. :blush5:
 
Hi everyone,
With all I am reading, I am really rethinking fitting in the balloon. I am about to buy a treadmill and start working out at my house. I believe that is the best thing to do, especially since I have never tried exercising, so I believe I could do it on my own. I'm a college instructor and cannot afford losing days off from work and burping fart in front of my students. So I'll keep in touch.Good luck to everyone!!
 
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