Gastric Balloon

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Re: Feelfat

feelfat said:
Well I am booked to have the balloon and have changed the date twice now. I am terrified of having it in , not of the procedure just the after part, I hate feeling sick, now I have just rebooked for the third time and its going to be the 3rd May , the reason I keep changing is that I need time off work & work is so busy , I run my company.
Can someone please tell me something nice about the balloon , and also how bad it really is the first couple of days
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I had mine on Feb12th, and I took a week off, which I needed to. Its like having a self inflicted flu, but the meds they give you really control it. By day 3 you are feeling much better but really tired, so you don't push it.

I also thought of it as a mini-vacation, read a good book, watched a movie, and just relaxed.

A month later I don't even know the balloon is there!

:grouphug:
 
You'll be surprised. I've had mine for nearly 6 weeks and I often worry that it isn't there, but am still satisfied on less food, so it must be.

I had 1 1/2 hour drive home after the proceedure - it was the most horrible trip. I cannot imagine going out of country either.

My tipping point was going in for a breast reduction consultation, and realizing that I may not need that if I got the weight off.

Its been very very slow for me though.
 
OzCatmum said:
Hi Feelfat,

I had my balloon fitted on the 20th Feb, and was expecting it to be horrible. Truthfully, I had stomach spasms as soon as I woke up, which was the worst part, but the drugs worked well to help with this. Slept a lot for the first 2 days, then felt much better on day 3, and progressively improved every day after. Everyone has a different experience, but I guess it is like having your legs waxed- you know it is going to hurt, but it won't kill you, and it will end. For me, it wasn't as bad as I had been lead to believe.

To be honest, I have a high pressure job, took a week off work and this became a bit of a holiday by the end of the week as I felt fine, but don't tell work!!

In terms of recovery, I did an 8 km good pace bush walk 3 weeks post op, and was fine. I have walked every day from day 2- the first week like a 90 year old and just around the block, but I recommend it just to get everything moving.

Now I am slowly but surely losing weight- I weighed 109.5kg when I had it in and weigh 104.5kg today. This also includes a week in South Africa for work. I had functions every night, with a glass of wine (just one every night), and finger food, and dinner etc. etc. and managed to lose a kilo. @1kg a week is just fine by me.

I eat what I would describe as the lowest end of normal, so basically no-one but those closest to me would know. I have an employee who had a lap band and I can eat normally, whereas she is obviously unable to, which at times creates concern from those who don't know. She looks amazing, by the way!

My struggle at present, (and it IS very early days to be fair) is the difference between real hunger and mind hunger. I want to eat certain foods, and this remains even when I am full. I actually couldn't physically eat enough to satisfy this type of hunger....hard to explain, but essentially it is not physical, that is for sure! I have an appointment with the Dietician and Fitness support person on 30 March, and have access to a Psychologist, all of which I believe will help me with this issue. I want to get all of my disordered thinking about food sorted so I survive getting the balloon out, but I have to keep reminding myself that I have plenty of time!! At the end of the day, the balloon seems to provide a sort of physical roadblock for my brains desire to eat cheese sandwiches.

Hope this helps, stay in touch if you like, both Sydneysiders too!

Cheers,
OzCatMum
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What a lovely answer and thank you for taking the time out to type such a lengthy answer, I feel positive now, and going for my diet appointment today , after reading the answers , I am still scared but excited as well, please let me know how you are doing it would be lovely to know.

Signed FeelFat ( and almost happy)
 
Hi FF,

No problem whatsoever - it was a bit like therapy! Hope you get to stick to 3rd May; I had to change my date 3 times as well, and it took nearly 4 months from my initial insertion date. I just tried to see it as even longer to get my head together, but it was frustrating!

Have lost even more weight today, down to 103.4kg, so pretty thrilled by that. It truly has not been that hard; as I say, it actually physically stops me from doing what I have always done when I was dieting, which is give up and eat ...insert name of current favourite high cal food....! That said, one pitfall would be high calorie liquids I guess.

Another plus is it is much cheaper. I can only manage starters when eating out, and eat a lot less of everything overall.

Are you having the procedure near Penrith? If not, it might be worth staying in town for a night as the drive home was TORTURE, agree with Kellim- and it only took us 20 minutes.

Lovely to hear from you, stay in touch!

OCM
 
Balloon out!

Hi everyone,

Well, all the "balloon buddies" I used to chat to on here seem to have disappeared lately (where are you all hiding?!) but in case any of you are still lurking out there - or for anyone else who's interested - I just wanted to let you know that I had my balloon removed yesterday (27.3.10).

The removal was very straightforward - I took the sedation (as I did when it was inserted - too much of a coward not to!:eek:) & it seemed to be over in a flash. To be honest, the worst thing was doing liquids only for 3 days before it came out!! :willy_nilly: But even that wasn't quite as bad as I'd feared.

My total weight loss for the 6 months was 3 stone 6lbs (48lbs/?about 21kg I think) which I was told is slightly more than average, but I know some people lose even more. Anyway, I'm really happy with the result, as I know I'd never have managed to lose anything like that without the balloon.:jump: However, I'm not sorry to see the back of the balloon - I wouldn't say it was an easy ride for me; the first month I felt totally yuck, and then I had episodes of feeling queasy on & off for the whole 6 months, although generally speaking it didn't interfere with my life too much.

I felt fine as soon as it came out, I had no unpleasant after effects at all - not even a sore throat, which I was warned I might have. I was given tea & toast at the hospital after it came out, which went down really well!!:drool5:

So I am now hoping to lose about another stone & a half under my own steam - that could be the tricky bit! But I feel really motivated now to keep going, as I feel so much fitter & happier!

Good luck to everyone else for the rest of your balloon experiences! You will get there in the end x :party:
 
Really nice to hear from someone who has had the balloon out! Please stay in touch, would love to hear about the changes you have made and what your challenges are.

OCM
 
kellim said:
You'll be surprised. I've had mine for nearly 6 weeks and I often worry that it isn't there, but am still satisfied on less food, so it must be.

I had 1 1/2 hour drive home after the proceedure - it was the most horrible trip. I cannot imagine going out of country either.

My tipping point was going in for a breast reduction consultation, and realizing that I may not need that if I got the weight off.

Its been very very slow for me though.
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HI there thank you for your reply , I feel better now & how much have you lost ? you sound like you are enjoying it
 
HI and thank you for all that have responded to my post it is very kind of you. I am still nervous and the big day is the 3rd May 2010- I am nervous & excited by it - cant wait , I look at my clothes and think I cant wait to give them away , I went in for a weigh in 94 kgs OMG I have never been that heavy ... ever !
 
OzCatmum said:
Hi FF,

No problem whatsoever - it was a bit like therapy! Hope you get to stick to 3rd May; I had to change my date 3 times as well, and it took nearly 4 months from my initial insertion date. I just tried to see it as even longer to get my head together, but it was frustrating!

Have lost even more weight today, down to 103.4kg, so pretty thrilled by that. It truly has not been that hard; as I say, it actually physically stops me from doing what I have always done when I was dieting, which is give up and eat ...insert name of current favourite high cal food....! That said, one pitfall would be high calorie liquids I guess.

Another plus is it is much cheaper. I can only manage starters when eating out, and eat a lot less of everything overall.



Are you having the procedure near Penrith? If not, it might be worth staying in town for a night as the drive home was TORTURE, agree with Kellim- and it only took us 20 minutes.

Lovely to hear from you, stay in touch!

OCM
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thanks for the reply , yeah I am having it in Maroubra, so it is a hike from Penrith , but I will just lay in the back of the car and then crawl into bed for 2 - 3 days , you sound like you are going great guns, well done .... keep in touch :)
 
Hi OZ cat mum ,

Yeah I may book a nice hotel somewhere and make a trip of it , I am not sure , either way there is not much in Maroubra and either way I have at least an hours drive somewhere. What do you mean torture , like painful or sick ? did you vomit whilst going home? :auto:

I dont know what to expect , did you find that people you tell they say oh why dont you just exercise & eat less? I am finding that so much
I am putting systems in place in my business so all will run smoothly .... thats the plan anyway
 
I'm new to this site and so happy I found it! I'm booked to have this done May 8 this year and I'm very nervous. I think it's the thought of days of nausea and vomiting that's getting to me. If anyone has helpful suggestions for coping I'd be grateful! Is there anyone else in southwestern Ontario going through this too?
 
Removal Time

Hi everyone today is the day of removal for me!! Yeh! I have had the balloon inserted for seven months and today at 11am it will thankfully be coming out. I have done the three days liquid diet (and I hope that has been enough) and I feel very tired and woozy looking forward to that first cuppa! I have lost 30kgs in weight and the Dr said that was "life changing" I suppose it is, now only time will tell. Would I recommend it to others? I am not sure, it has been difficult (very difficult at times) because you do have to make some very severe changes to your lifestyle. I was in a position where I could make those changes but it would not be for everyone. Realistically I expect to put on about 5kg (I am actually too thin for my frame at the moment) but I will never go into the 90's or even the 80's ever again. For that alone it has been worth it. Good luck to me today!
 
feelfat said:
thanks for the reply , yeah I am having it in Maroubra, so it is a hike from Penrith , but I will just lay in the back of the car and then crawl into bed for 2 - 3 days , you sound like you are going great guns, well done .... keep in touch :)
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Hi FF,

I think we may have the same doc! Bondi? They have been great, by the way.

There are tonnes of hotels by the airport, the Ibis is fine, not too expensive and about 10 mins drive from Maroubra. I cannot imagine driving from Maroubra to Penrith!

I am now down to 101.9, steady loss which is good. Again, though, it is definitely a case of getting my head together- I can still eat chocolate if I want to! I am making this about learning to eat; because the weight loss is happening naturally, my focus is on life after weight loss, and being slim for life as opposed to "keeping it off". It is a subtle difference, but I can feel it is going to be a big part of my ongoing success.

To those people around you who say just diet and exercise, that surgical interventions are unnecessary; is it just that you are waiting for the right diet?
Like most fatties, for 26 years, I have done them all, including personal trainers, and psychologists, and famous dieticians, and of course most of the commercial programmes and plans written, and most more than once. How old will I be when I get it right? I am not waiting any longer to live the life I want.

And 94 kg is not that bad- I can't wait to be 94kg!

Cheers,

OCM
 
Hi,
Just also wanted to say hi to Northern Girl and MaryS! Mary, 30 kg in 7 months is amazing; any advice?

NG- it is just not as bad as you might be thinking, I guess it is different for everyone but I wrote about my experience for Feelfat on this thread. It is worth it, I just gave half my wardrobe to a charity (for women who need business attire to get back into work), because it doesn't fit! Yay!

I meant to say that the ride home was about stomach cramps and a general high level of discomfort, plus a great deal of whining and complaining and feeling sorry for myself; but again just my experience.

OCM x
 
hello.i had my gastric baloon done 4 days ago!the last 4 days were hell for me.i didnt stop vomitting but thanks God i didnt have any cramps or pain.sleeping is not confortable anymore i just cant find the right position sometimes i lay down on my back and as soon as i move i woke up with acid burning me and i cant go back 2 sleep.but today i feel much better i didnt have a lot of acids.im still on liquids.i take some water some skimmed milk and some light juices like apple and orange all made at home.i guess ill visit a dietatian on my own coz they didnt give me any diet plan at the hospital.if anyone can help with a good one or some tips that would b great,I should also ask the DR how much of food can i insert in my stomach coz last night i felt i was overfull with liquids bt i actually didnt have more then 2 cups of liquids all day long!thanks a lot
 
Thanks for the welcome OCM. I'm both dreading and looking forward to having this done. I'll keep checking this site to read about others experiences.
 
Hi everyone, I had my balloon put in 6 days ago, was only sick once and everything went well, the only problem I seem to have now is heartburn/acid pain and bad breath, did anyone else have this problem and if so did they last and any suggestions?
Im drinking peppermint tea and taking the medication prescribed.
Thanks x
 
Hi All. Due to get my balloon in tomorrow. Nervous but excited about the change.

OzCatmum is the dirve really that bad. I have to go from Maroubra to Pennant Hills tomorrow. Were you feeling sick or actually sick while on the way home?
 
Hi- hope I haven't scared anyone!

For me, I found the drive home very uncomfortable. I wasn't sick but I was having regular cramps, not unbearable, like bad menstrual cramps (but higher of course!). I just wanted to crawl into bed and have a cuddle from my cat! I hated every second of it.

Maybe stick to off peak and toll roads for Pennant Hills to get there more quickly; others do it all the time, I am sure, and are just fine, so please don't get too caught up in my experience!

I have had no real issues with acid or any ongoing problems; the drugs have worked well for me, and I had reflux before. I know meds work differently on different people (generic Somac does not work for me, for example), so it pays to call the clinic for anything making you feel bad beyond the first week or so.

So glad you are doing OK Zoe! My breath was bad until I started eating solids etc again, a bit Atkinsy if you know what I mean.

Carine, I don't know how you can get OJ down after a few days! I was only on meal replacement shakes and water at that stage. I found for sleeping, at first, it really helped to lie on my left side with a pillow behind my back.

Good luck tomorrow CosCon!

Have plateaued a bit- still at 101.9, but to be fair, being on holiday, eating out, drinking booze and having a bit of chocolate for Easter, and not gaining tells me I am finding a better headspace. I have to remind myself this is not a diet, it is about relearning how to eat like a normal person, and holidays are a part of that. Just impatient is all.

OCM x
 
Hi OCM,

Well done on staying the same :) thats really good
I do hope my breath improves then! I have bought a mouth spray as I am so paranoid! lol day 7 so am starting to eat more foods now still so full and bloated tho and indigestion is a big problem but again am hoping this will settle, if not maybe will see Dr about getting medication changed or taking a higher dose.
On the plus side weigh in today and have lost 7 1/2 lbs!! :)
 
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