2012 - my journey with a 12 months Spatz balloon

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Chris20051

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Hi all,


I've finally had the courage of setting the date to have my Spatz balloon inserted this Saturday. Given that it's only 3 days away I am starting to feel a bit nervous, but I am very sure that it will be the right thing to do. I've just been obese for too long and enough is enough. I am really ready for it "Bring it on" is my motto.

I've decided to have the balloon as I am not ready for any other gastric surgery even though the NHS consultants said I should have a bypass. I am starting to thing that they always want people to have a bypass as that 'takes care of things first time around' as one of the many consultants told me. Well 2 years later and 3 failed funding applications to my local PCT I am going private. I figure I will make savings on food (I am not joking!) and cheaper cloths (as smaller sizes always cost less), so in the long term I should even out financially.

I've got a BMI of 46 and I am hoping to get down to around 30-35 within the 12 months that the balloon is in. I know it'll be hard, but THIS IS MY CHANCE.

More tomorrow.
 
Well, its Thursday, so my gastric balloon date is only 2 days away. I am starting to get quite nervous now that it is so near. I am sure I am doing the right thing, but even if it is the safest weight loss precedure there can always be problems arising. Anyway I've got to keep thinking positively about it. On the other hand I can't wait to start my weight loss journey. Over the last couple of days I've been really even more aware of my size than ever. How in the world did I let it get to this stage?

I've read that the average weight loss with the Spatz balloon is 35kg which would be wonderful if I could replicate that. I also don't want to lose to much too fast as I am sure it is no fun having gall stones.

Anyway, I'll post again once I AM A TRUE BALLOONER!

Wish me luck.
 
Hello Chris,

Good luck to you, your weight loss and the ballooning experience. I am not sure if a Spatz balloon is what I have, but I am sure it is similar. I think as long as you do your research, are realistic, and are not too hard on yourself, it should prove to be a good experience.


When I did my research, I saw that everyone talked about how awful the first few days were. This is true. Even though I am not one to become sick easily (I almost never vomit), I was severely nauseous with heartburn and cramping for roughly three days. After that, it got better everyday.

Into weeks 3 and 4, the only issues I have is when I overeat. But most of the time this isn't a problem, because you learn very quickly that you must eat slowly, have very little bites, and chew a lot before you swallow. Eating this way gives your brain a chance to take its important cues from your stomach that says that you are indeed full.


Something helped me a lot in the first few days that my doctor said. He said that a person could survive on 3 dates per day (with water of course). It is just that we have been accustomed to eating more, not that we need more.


You also need to start reading the labels of what you are eating, and the portion sizes. One thing that shocked me on this journey so far is the amount of calories in most carbs - bread, pasta, even rice! Yikes! It's a good thing that I prefer meat and veggies. I still eat carbs, but I think about each bite now, and whether what I am tasting is worth the amount of calories that I am swallowing. In many cases, it is not.


p.s. If in the coming weeks you are needing a fix, some microwave popcorns don't have too many calories in them. It can be a nice way to have a snack...especially if you are a movie buff like me.


Best wishes!
 
Hi hopeful2


Yes I've had my Spatz balloon done on Saturday. YOu say that you don't know whether you've got a Spatz balloon or not. The Spatz balloon is the only balloon that can stay in for 12 months compared to all the other balloons. I really wanted a Spatz balloon as I fel that I need the longer period to adjast my eating patterns.

Now back to my insertion experience on Saturday - When I arrived the nurses that I saw were really brilliant in terms of taking my mind off things. I was really nervous. Then I got to see the Consultant who talked me through all the potential complications. One thing that he said was 'you will feel like you swalloed a sink after the proceedure' and how right he was. It was a lot more horrible than what I had imagined. I am not sure whether the sedation they gave me worked very well. The only thing that got me through those 10 minutes or so which the proceedure took was thinking that I had done this to myself and now I have to bear it no matter what.

I've been vomiting litterally every 30 minutes since the insertion even throughout the night. This morning I am starting to feel a bit better and have even been able to keep a couple of sips of warm milk down. I've also had a dry bisquit late yesterday which the nurse told me would help to line my stomic a bit. I also have terrible heartburn and cramps, but it does feel that I am no the mend.

So hopeful2.you say that you are in week 3 or 4. How much weight have you lost so far? I've lost 3kg already, but that includes the 2 days prior to the proceedure where I wasn't allowed to eat anything. But anyway, so far so good. It would be good if we could help each other through our journey if you are up to it.
 
Hello Chris 2005,


I definitely don't have a Spatz balloon because I will have to take mine out within 6 months. I was under a general anesthetic for the insertion procedure, so I felt nothing. I am sorry that you had such a lousy go at it. The throwing up sounds pretty normal especially in the first 3 -4 days. I avoided that because, as I said before, I generally don't throw up. In fact I can only think of twice in my adult life that I have done so - being pregnant and having incredible food poisoning.


I am surprized though that the nurse suggested you eat a biscuit. I was on liquid only for the first 3 days, then mushy foods for another 7 - 10 days (like yogurt, apple sauce, etc.), and then finally, slowly reintroducing solid foods (stayed away from crunchy stuff until I was really ready, and then ate that really slowly). While it is important to take your medication (acid reducing, cramping reducing, etc.) I found that it was those solid pills in the first few days that actually increased my nausea and cramping.


For the first week, I did not sleep much, but felt better if I was in a half-sitting position.


I started out at 216 pounds. In week 1 I lost approximately 10 pounds. Week 2 I lost approximately 5 pounds. Week 3 + 4 I lost approximately 6 pounds. At 4.5 weeks I am down 23 pounds. 193 pounds!!! woo hoo! I will definitely have to go clothes shopping soon. The only reason why I have any clothes now is that I hadn't got rid of my smaller sized clothes. I was in a size 18-20 UK and now I am swimming in a size 16 UK. I have a couple of dresses that I have been holding onto for years (sizes 14, 12, and 10). I can't wait to see them on again.


I think that if you start with more weight, you are liable to lose more too. In weeks 3 and 4 I had some sad moments when I went to the scale (same time in the morning) and saw no weight loss). I quickly realised though that that had more to do with constipation that anything else. p.s. green apples seem to help.


I after day 10 (the liquid/mushy time) I generally only drink water, or tea without sugar or cream. And I carefully read and/or think about everything I am putting into my body. Yesterday, I couldn't help but savour three small chocolate Easter eggs. To counter balance that indulgence, I walked briskly for an hour (about 2 km).


I know that right now, you probably feel like Sh#$%$#^t, but it will get better soon. Give yourself time, and don't beat yourself up. I have also found that although I hope to lose 40 pounds (getting down to at least 176pounds), I don't think about that long term goal, i think more about what can be accomplished in one week, and I am fairly realistic about that. I also try not to get so down on myself when those old habits of say - eating too fast, or too much creep up on me, I just remember the cost - physical, mental, and financial - that I put in for this opportunity to lose this weight, and realize that i am lucky for such a chance to change my life.


Please let me know how it is going for you.


oh, p.s. I found that taking vitamins (it's silly, I know, but I take two of my son's Flintstone vitamins - like candy) helps with the energy levels too.


Best wishes, always
 
Hi Hopeful2,


Thanks for your reply. It's really good to talk to someone who is also undergoing a similar thing even though you are a couple of weeks ahead of me. Your weight loss is really great and I hope I can lose a similar amount of weight. So far the signs are good, although I know that most of what I've lost so far is probably just the water loss. I wasn't allowed to eat 2 days prior to the insertion which means that since last Wed I've already lost 5kg (nearly 11 pounds). But I know I have to be realistic that it will almost definitely slow down as I get to eat more proper food in the next couple of days.


I fully agree with your comment about the medication; it does seem to increase my nousia and cramping too. I am also still struggling with drinking enough water. For some strange reason I find that things like a smoothy agrees better with my stomich as this early stage. I've also just had a few spoonfuls of very watery soup (made of a stock cube and some Semolina) and I seem to be ok.


I also struggle terribly with sleeping. My left hip is starting to complain as I feel that is the best position to sleep in. I am not comfortable sleeping on my back; feels a bit like all my tummy fat is squashing the balloon. I note that you've got kids - my little one (4 yrs old) normally likes to cuddle up with me quite a bit and sometimes I do get the odd kick in my tummy if he is over exited. Do you know whether that can damage the balloon in any way? So far I've kept him at a distance just to be safe but I do miss the close cuddles we've had before.


Well in any case I do feel that things are getting much easier every day now and I haven't vomited in nearly 2 days!!!!!


Can I ask whether you are doing a strict food diary and how many calories you are taking in on average per day. I really want to start a food diary as I think it would help me in the long term. It was so funny when I preared some bagels with ham for my kids the day before the insertion and I nearly put 2 slices of ham into my mouth without noticing it. That really reminded me that probably often I just put things into my mouth without realising it and the calories keep mounting up. I therefore want to be planning my meals 2 days in advance, so that I know exactly what I can have/what I've still got left to eat at any point throughout the day.


How long did you wait to start exercising? I really want to get into an exercising routine as soon as I can, but then again I don't want to rush things too quickly. Also how many hours of exercising do you do on a weekly basis?


Sorry for the many questions, but it is just such an exciting time....
 
Hi,


It's now day 8 and I feel fine. Have now also strated to eat normal food again. Two days ago a had the strongest ever graving for salad. I normally like salad, but this kind of graving was from a diferent worl. Had salad for lunch and wanted it again for dinner which I did. Paid for it the next day having to run to the toilet all morning long.


Anyway, I definitely fill full for a lot longer with the balloon. Have been struggling a bit with willpower the last couple of days. It's good not to be hungry, but it still is a challenge to avoid eating old the old crap that one use to put into one's mouth. So far I have not had any cholocate or crisps etc. but was at a party last night and really felt sorry for myslef not be able to eat all the snacks etc. However on consideration I looked around the room and none was bigger than a size 12 and I said to myslef, well there you go. Once you are their size you can have a few snacks like they do. It helped, and I hope I can keep it up.


Have now lost 7kg in a bit more than a week which is really good, but have noticed it slowing down drastically over the last couple of days. This is when I need to proof to myself that I have the stamina to keep this up. And I am well determined to do it.


Have to rush off now, but will keep you updated.
 
Well I am a bit more than 2 weeks in and I've lost 9kg which is great. Over the last week or so the weight loss seemed to slow down quite a bit but I've been told to expect something like 2 pounds a week, so I have to be patient. As long as it goes down steadily that's fine by me I suppose.

I've been reading on other posts about some people experiencing very smelly burps and was happy that this did not seem to happen to me. UNTIL today that is. I had a chicken salad for lunch today and I've now got the most sever burp attacks. My boys even said "momy your mouth smells badly" and that at the age of 5. I am just about to have a cup of mint tea which I hope will help. If this is now an ongoing side effect of the balloon then I don't know how I will manage to hold down a job with this! I am serious it is that bad.

Anyway, on to something more positive. I've started to do some exercise on my recliner bike which I've bought some time back. I am aiming at doing two 30 mins lots a week to start with. I am also thinking of buying an exercise video to add another 30-45mins slot to the bike riding. There is so much choice online that I haven't made up my mind yet which one to try, so if anyone got some advice that would be greatly appreciated.

More soon.
 
Hi All,


for a couple of month I am thinking to get a SPATZ balloon. Its really great to read what you experienced so far. What happened in the last weeks? Are you still satisfied with the balloon? Looking forward to read more of your comments about the ballon.
 
Hi nishiki4711,


It's now been nearly 7 weeks since I've had the proceedure done and I've lost 13kg so far. I am very happy about this weight loss as I would have never been able to loose that much without the balloon. However I haven't lost anything in over a week now and I am starting to get a bit frustrated by it. I've been loosing around 1kg a week for the last couple of week (except for the first 2 weeks when I lost rather a lot). However I have to be realistic in that I can't be loosing a kilo ever week of the 52 weeks that the balloon will be in.

The worst side effects I've been having are the burps, farts and bloating. The burps are most annoying and I find it hard to manage them when I am at work and in a meeting in a closed room for example. I never thought that this would be such a problem when I read it on forums before I had my balloon. However, there is no way of controlling them/holding them back and the smell is truely horrid. They've given me some medication for it which helped while taking it, but it came back immediately once I stopped taking the medicines.

I also think that it's important to realise that the balloon will not do it all for you. You will still have to be very disciplined to stick to smaller portions (by now I could probably eat a normal size portion if I wanted to). So it's about you being disciplined enough to control how much you eat. Also, I haven't had any choclates in nearly 2 months which is unheard of from me. Not that I didn't fancy these cholcolate eggs over Easter! I also have to pick up on my exercise routing again once my excercise bike is fixed later today. I have started doing at least two 30mins sessions a week. I feel that this is just a managable amount of exercise for me.

So overall I would do it all again, altough the insertion was complete horror. I also think that the Spatz baloon was the right choice as it does give you the opportunity to adjust it half way through to give you a renewed kick start.

Let me know what you decide and it would be great to keep in touch as it can be a lonely journey.
 
Hi all,


It would be great if more people could join in and tell me about their own experiences. Anyway, 8 weeks in and I've lost 16 kg (2stone 7 pounds) which is really great. :hurray:I am down 2 dress sizes and people are slowly starting to notice my transformation and actually say it as well (noticed that a lot of people don't tell a fat person when they've lost weight until it's very very visable; not sure why that is). It all feels great and I can't wait until I am finally the weight I want to be. Although I must say that I don't have a specific number in my mind in terms of my ultimate weight goal. I just want to loose enough weight so that I don't stick out in the crowed (don't encrouch onto the next person's seat on the train and none wanting to sit down next to me; can comfortably walk up a couple of flights of stairs; not be the heaviest mum to pick up their kid; not having to ask for an extension belt on the airplain; fitting comfortably into a garden chair without getting stuck.... [I honestly could go on forever]).


Another milestone that I've hit this week is that my BMI is now just under 40 which means that I am just obese (!) not morbitly obese anymore. Feels great.

On the food side - I do feel hungry sometimes, but I've got my goal in sight and I want to use the balloon to the full while it's in there. And I know it will be more challenging to loose more weight once the balloon comes out. Also, I figure one can't loose weight without ever being hungry. I am sticking to my 2 workouts a week which I feel is sustainable long term.

So, all in all things are very well and I am looking forward to the next couple of months with my balloon AND hopefully a few replies to my post.
 
Hi all,


things are definitelly going slower now. I've also had two weeks where I didn't lose any weight at all. To date (3 months and 1 week since having the balloon) I've lost 21kg which I suppose isn't bad. But as I am sure like many others that need to lose weight it never goes fast enough! I think I will have to start thinking about arranging a refill soon to get a better feeling of fullness again. This is the good thing about having a Spatz balloon; you can get a refill when things start to slow down or halt. Anyway, more soon.
 
Hi,


That's a brilliant weight loss so far! Where did you have the Spatz Balloon? I had a consultant appointment last month in Newport but I still haven't booked it yet but now I've seen how well you've done I may book up soon.


Elaine
 
Hi Elaine,


thanks for your post. I've had mine done in Manchester; from my research I didn't find many locations in the UK where they do the Spatz balloon. There was one place in London where they used to do it, but apparently they had too many complications with the Spatz balloon with people not being able to tolerate them as well as the normal 6 months balloons. I am a bit sceptical about this as I think it was a money consideration on their part. They told me oh there is no problem with having a second balloon fitted at the same time the first one comes out if I needed something longer than 6 months. Of course that would be very lucrative for them as they'd get the money for two balloon proceedures. Anyway, I suppose everyone has to make up their own mind. I for one am very satisfied with the balloon although I know that my weight loss will soon slow down. But when it gets to that point then I'll have a re-fill. I think a year offers a better chance of one changing his eating pattern; I just knew that 6 months wasn't enough for me. I suppose one can't expect any miracles and I have felt hungry at times, but I also see the pounds melting and it keeps me going. I hope I can loose another 20kg which would mean that I am very near my final goal weight. I personally think that a balloon is ideal for people like me who just wouldn't ever feel full never mind how much I ate. I can now eat a smaller than normal portion and actually feel full for hours! I am also trying to do some sports which definitely helps. I do 30 mins on my recliner bike twice a week and walk for about 45 mins twice a week at a somewhat fast paste. I feel that this is as much as I can realistically keep up long term.

Anyway, if you do decide to have a balloon it would be good to keep on sharing our experiences.

C
 
AHow is your Spatz balloon working Chris? I spoke with the inventor recently and he told me that the only place I could get one installed is in the Bahamas.

- Julia
 
Julia,


The Spatz balloon is inserted in a number of countries. If you put Spatz balloon in Google you'll find their website which includes all the locations where Spatz balloons are inserted. The balloon is ok with me although the weight loss has slowed down now. I am loosing half a kilo a week, so will soon arrange to have a top up which one normally has around 4-6 months. That should help me to kick start my weight loss at a faster rate again. Overall, I am very satisfied. I've had it 4 1/2 months now and have lost a total of 25Kg. I couldn't have done that without the balloon. I am hoping I will loose another 10Kg or so before I need to have it removed early next year.

C
 
Hi all,


Haven't lost a lot the last couple of weeks and scheduled my fill later this month. I really need the fill as I don't get full any longer. I really hope the fill will give me another kick start. I still want to lose more weight, so hopefully the balloon will help me to do that. Will keep you posted how the fill went. It would be great if more people could post their experiences especially if they had a Spatz balloon like me.

Chris....
 
Hi all,

have now had my fill and I must say I don't feel any different than before the fill ie. don't feel full quicker etc. This is a bit of a dissapointment I must say, but hey I need to make the most of the next 6 months. I've now lost 27kg in total, but haven't lost anything since I had the fill 2 weeks ago. I really need to pick up my spirit again and be a bit more watchfull as to what I am eating....
 
Hi,
I m also newbie..your most welcome to this community. Hope you will stay over here for long time with us

and you can weight loss join to yoga and gym and every morning can you long walk and u can get weight loss...... Cheers!
 
Hey all,


I've been struggling the past couple of weeks with the spatz balloon. Haven't lost any weight since the fill and am a bit disappointed. However, I've lost 27kg before the fill; without the balloon I would not have managed to loose that much. So the way I see it I've still got a balloon in me which now is primarily for stabalising my weight. I am a bit sad, as I still wanted to loose 5-10kg, but hey I've still got nearly 4 months to go and hope to be able to pick it up again. Also, I would like to say that I do eat sweets which I think is the main reason why I can't loose any more weight. I just can't stop eating them. HELP!
 
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