I am looking for stomach balloon 'buddies' :)

[Olive]

Hi all,

I have recently joined the forum and I wanted to say 'hi' and let you all know that I am having my balloon fitted in 2 weeks in London! Yay! I don't know anyone who has had this done so I was sooo happy when I came across this forum. It's good to know I don't have to go through this alone

Having the balloon fitted is a difficult decision I have made following tons of research and I feel it's the best thing for me at the present time. I realise that this is not a miracle cure but requires a lot of work on my part and I am prepared for a change in lifestyle. Having read some of the bad experiences posted by other users, it has made me a little apprehensive about the procedure, especially about the insertion, the vomiting and acid reflux, but I am willing to think positively. I can do this.

But first a little bit about me so you can all get to know me a little. I am a 23 year old female who lives and works in London. I weigh 80kgs and I'm 162cm tall. My weight started to dramatically increase when I was 12 years old (before I had been a very skinny child) and it continued to increase right through school and when I was at university. In my late teens I was diagnosed with PCOS and I now believe that the reason my weight has escalated over the years and why I find it so hard to lose. My doctor has recently put me on Yasmin to help me with the condition and I hope that the balloon will work along side it so to help me lose the weight.

I would really love to find some 'buddies' who maybe also live in the UK, are around my age and are about to have it done soon (or have had it done very recently) so that we can offer each other consistent support via e-mail, phone, skype messaging, text etc. Other than that, I would love to hear from anyone who wants to chat about their experiences.

loves Olive xxxx

 

[raisondeser]

Hey Olive, hey folks!

I've been recently looking into it myself, gastric ballooning to be specific, but only have i started to look for support and to try and 'connect' with other people who are going through similar situations.

Always been the chubby child but a fairly decent weight. Throughout a young age and throughout high school i would exercise and diet somewhat obsessively but still remained quite chubby. My average weight was about 62kgs, it wasn't dire but could stand to lose a few, but it just never shifted. I've come to slowly accept that i am an emotional eater and my yo-yo dietings and dwindling self-discipline won't be enough to pull me through this one this time.
I won't get into my life story and too much detail but recently started therapy last year and have been going for a year now. Weight loss surgery has always been in the back of my mind but i never thought i would seriously consider it like i have been over the past couple of months. It was my therapist who suggested it as a serious option, something i should look into as she thinks my depression and social anxiety has stemmed alot from an eating disorder. I didn't agree about the surgery at the time, i wasn't interested in what she was saying, the idea of losing weight was tired and just felt downright meaningless to me at that stage. But at 24yrs, 160cm tall and 87kgs and rising i definitely don't feel very healthy. I'm beginning to think if i keep going this way it will just get harder and harder to lose weight and get my life back on track. I think the good thing about my initial refusal was the realization that losing the weight on the exterior was just that. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to fit in to nice clothes that i'm not able to and feel a little better when i look in the mirror! But emotionally, mentally, spiritually it will be a different kind of "overhaul". If anything i know this gastric ballooning will atleast give me a mere kickstart.
I'm still a bit hesitant and still need to do a little bit more research but i know if i do this it won't be easy.
I'm so glad this forum is here and will def be hanging around..
I'd be interested how you go Olive, i hope you dont mind if i add you as a contact? But yes, it's going to be an amazing journey for us indeed... Keep in touch

Take care,

Raison

 

[Olive]

two days to go!

Heya Raison,

sorry haven't replied for ages but have been super busy at work. I think I have been trying to distract myself from the operation on Saturday as I am getting kinda apprehensive about it now. I tried to PM you, but it wouldn't let me as I haven't written enough posts or something.

Anyways do you use Skype? They have instant messaging on there which I use all the time. If it helps you make a decision about getting the balloon, I would be more than happy to keep you updated on my progress and let you know how i'm doing . I was given a combination of drugs to take 4 day before the balloon is inserted so I have been really good about taking them over the last few days. I don't want there to be any reason for the balloon to be rejected by my body. Fingers crossed it all goes well.

My skype username is betaboom so please add me if you want. If anyone else wants to chat about the balloon or my progress, please feel free to add me too.

Olive xxx

 

[enjoy]

Hey Olive and Raison, welcome to the forum! I'm quite newbi too, for just a couple of weeks, but I, like you, found very interesting information about the gastric balloon.

Just in case, excuse my grammar or mistakes as I'm not a native English speaker, I'm Spanish! Let me introduce myself. As I said, I'm a Spanish girl, recently 30 (ufff), 1,70cm and the top weight I had was last summer, being 96,5kg. I managed to lose 6 kilos, then 5 on again, then lose 4 kilos, etc... So before the fitting I weighted 93kg. Now 88,5 (next time on scale on Monday, I'll let you know) which makes me feel great as I took forever to lose 4-5 kilos (like 2 months!!) and deprived from nice food.

I had it done three weeks ago today and it's definitely the best thing I've spent my money on. In Spain it's more or less 5000 euros, which covers the "surgery", psycological and nutritional support. Which means that I have to go to the nutritionist every two weeks and to the psycologist everytime I want/need. Looks like I dont have an eating disorder as such, I'm just a very anxious girl (what I want, I want it right here right now) and very emotional (when somebody hurts me, I tend to eat junk food, but not until I'm sick). Anyway, hopefully the psicologist can help me find a way of putting up with daily pressure, ups and downs and anger.

The fitting went well, I was sedated and felt nothing, a nice 1.30h sleep and when I got up, my first question was whether I had it fitted or not. The reply was YES! so I was very happy. The first few days are uncomfortable, but it depends on the person. I'm in touch with two other girls who made it the same day as me and one of them was sick for over a week (pucking, pain) and the other for 4 days. Looks like I?m the lucky one, because I just pucked twice (and no acids or anything, just acquarius and juice) and the third day I was allowed to have a soup, yogourt and juices. Of course it's quite uncomfortable (above all the "contractions" in the pit of the stomach) but it's nothing unbearable. Far better than a toothpain or migraine!

I'm now eating normally, very small portions as if you overeat.... well, you wont do it again, I tell you! You feel the sickiest ever! Vomits and a lot of pain, as if you've eaten a full lamb! That will show me hehe. I can start working out in 1 week, but I'm not a very gym-person, so I will make little training at home (bike, swimming pool, walking and probably some aerobics with a new CD i've bought).

Well, long post let me know if I can be of any help. Olive, I wish you all the best for tomorrow, I'm sure you'll be able to cope with it and feel great after two days.

Let's say what Obama.... YES, WE CAN!!!

Take care,
Enjoy

 

[Olive]

the day after the operation

Hi there,

Just had my balloon fitted yesterday and I have to admit I am feeling rough. I managed to escape the vomiting but the stomach cramps are unbelievable. I have been taking my meds and they seem to have helped with the nausea but not the cramps. My nurse calls me every day to check up on me and she said I would have to ride out the cramps as there's not much I can take to get rid of them. I have eaten nothing since friday evening as I just feel too sick to eat but I have tried to keep sipping water to prevent dehydration. This you must do otherwise you might get renal failure which is dangerous.

I have been told that the worst day is the second so i look forward to feeling much better tomorrow. I will keep you all posted on my progress.

Oh and just to let you all know I have a BMI of 30.5 and I weigh 77kgs so my aim is to lose 18kg over the next 6 months. Wish me luck

p.s My doc told me yesterday that I should avoid Coca Cola and other fizzy drinks as these soften the balloon and cause it to deflate. So under no circumstances do you drink these beverages!

loves Olive xx

 

[enjoy]

Hi Olive, glad you are not feeling that bad. Yeah, the second day is the toughest but probably you feel better today. The cramps are just horrible, I get them sometimes now, even almost 1 month after the fitting. But dont worry, they are not as bad as the first ones!

Take care and keep telling us how you feel!

 

[debbiej]

Hi Olive, the cramps will go once your stomach gets used to the balloon being there, i had them really bad for the first few days but now i hardly get them, wish i could say the same for the smelly burps!!

 

[raisondeser]

Hey guys,

Olive i tried adding you on skype I hope i did it right. It's good to hear you're not doing too bad post-op and i hope thing's are kind of calming down for you now a few days in. How exciting, how do you feel about it now that it's done(atleast the first bit anyway?) ? And that's some weight loss even before surgery, you certainly will lose some on their regimen and the rules you have to follow. Lucky i'm not too big on fizzy drink although i do love to have a sip sometimes, thanks for the tip. Enjoy mentioned how you can't exercise for a while, i think the main thing i worry about body wise is losing too much weight too fast is that the rest of my body won't catch up and it'll be left considerably "flabby". I'm sure that can be fixed though since Enjoy mentions that she had hers done 3wks ago and she's going to start doing some light exercise now, so that's not too bad at all.
I on the other hand have be procrastinating, i'm afraid to jump in that i haven't even contact the surgery yet to get a consultation!. I'm sure i'll eventually get there.. don't want to take too long though.

Keep in touch

Raison

 

[lardarse]

Hi Olive, so sorry you are feeling a little under the weather. I'm sure tomorrow you will feel a little improved
I had my balloon fitted today under concious sedation and basically drifted off into a light sleep waking 1hr later feeling fresh as a daisy. You are in London I believe, well although I'm a UK native I now live in Vancouver but would be very interested to compare our experiences.

Well I had better get my little munchkins ready for bed. Night..x

 

[lastresort]

hi all I am new to the forum and have been reading all the ups and downs...I am having my balloon fitted net sunday and cant wait I will continue to read ur inspiring stories and good luck to you all

 

[enjoy]

Hi all! Olive, how are you feeling now? I hope the cramps are already gone and that you feel much better. Let us know how everything is going on!

Debbiej, I've read once in this forum about a girl who had also smelly burps and she managed to get rid of them drinking one coke. Although we shouldnt abuse coke and fizzy drinks, once in a while the coke will "clean" the balloon from waste.

Raisondeser, I just started yesterday with my work-out, it's gone great, I thought that I would feel the balloon while doing sit-ups but no, I just dont feel any different than before the balloon. I've lost 6,5kg in 1 month which is great, although it depends on the person (the more you weight the more you lose the first weeks). Nevertheless, I'm very very happy about it, I've lost one size (46 to 44 in European, sorry I dont know in UK/USA) and I can really see the difference. I'm also having some therapies done, like LPG and pressotherapy, plus anti-cellulite massages and it really really works!! I'm lost a lot of volume and I feel my skin is smoother. So hopefully ballon+exercise+diet+massages=25kg hehehe

Lastresort, welcome to our group, I hope you find all the info you need and do not hesitate to ask if you feel lost We've all been there!

 

[Writediva]

Joining the Journey

Ladies,
Hi there. I've been looking for a forum where I could chat through some of the issues associated with the gastric balloon myself and am glad to have come upon this one and your thread. Like you, I too have recently had the ball fitted (it's been five weeks now, going into week six) and am finding the process, well, maddening. I STILL feel rough. I thought it was going to go away or settle down, but it hasn't. The upshot has been that I've had only one week where I haven't been sick. Is this normal? The food list that I was given of things to eat (I had the balloon fitted in the UK, I live currently in Ethiopia. Long story!) and find that if I try to stick to the list, the food makes me sick. The only things I can keep down are shakes, smoothies and occassionally rice. Do you rest of you have this problem?

Up side? Well, I've lost ten kilos in the first month. I've started my exercise plan (lifting and walk/jogging) and hope that will help shift the remaining 15 kilos I want to lose. but I somehow feel like it's cheating. I'm supposed to lose weight with the balloon because I eat less and am making better food choices, not because I'm NOT eatingn (which essentially is the case).

any advice, thoughts, etc, I'd love to hear.

And good luck to us.

 

[Nan]

Me too

Hi Writediva, I too had mine inserted 5 weeks ago, June 19th and still feel really bad some days. I am sick 2-3 times a week, have no energy and some days cannot eat anything at all due to the acid in my stomach.

I thought by now I would be back at the gym, I am paying and not going but keep hoping I will feel well enough to go so don't really want to cancel. I also feel I am not learning good habits, I am losing weight due to sickness and not being able to eat. The days I can eat it does tend to be crumpets, dry toast and carbs, so no fruit and veg which I used to live on.

I am going to persevere until 3 months is up then have it taken out if i still feel like this. I really want to get back to fruit, salad and exercise.

I have a few weekends away coming up and I know I will not enjoy them, I can't carry on not living my life and having to cancel nights out cos I'm having a 'bad' day.

Let me know if you find a miracle cure. I bought some Zantac from the chemist this morning so I am going to give these a try.

 

[Writediva]

Bad Balloon Days

Hi nan,
No miracle cure for me. I am having a rather bad day today, after being "good" all week. I was told by the counsellors that I wasn't eating according to their food list and if I did that the symptoms would work themselves out. well, I have stuck religiously to the food lists (which read a bit like atkins) and still am having bad days. Like you, I'm giving it three months and then having the balloon out. Fortunately i've been able to exercise, only not as much or as hard as I used to (I'm a bit bloody minded and said I wasn't going to let some bleedin' balloon keep me from the gym). But my energy levels are so low that I'm lifting less than I used to and as for running -- forget about it!

I'm not sure why this is happening. I read about other women who find they can eat nearly normally with the balloon in. I can barely choke down my steamed veg. and I know what you mean about craving carbs-- sometimes they are the only thing that will settle my tummy down.

Let me know if the Zantac works for you. I've been using the medication they gave me twice a day, but it really hasn't made much difference.

Good luck. I wish you more good days than bad.

 

[enjoy]

Hi Writediva and Nan, so sorry to read that you're not really doing well with the balloon. As far as I know, there's people who take longer to get used to the balloon; I was sick for only 2 days but when I overate (not anymore as I know the result!) I felt miserable. I'm not coming back to normal (no cramps, no feeling bloated, etc.) after almost 7 weeks with the balloon inserted. I'm now starting to work out (mild exercise, like walking and home bike). I would advise you to take things slowly and do not think you're doing wrong, just that some people need more time to get used to it. I also felt very low energy until last week but now I'm feeling much better. You should take into account that your body is suffering from a lack of food, if you normally ate 2000 calories and now you take 800, the body is defending its functions by giving you less energy to keep the body organs working properly. Just take your time, do not worry for not eating enough and for not "being learning" how to eat properly, you'll be just fine in a couple of weeks, trust me, I've been there as well and it is very frustrating but just wait a bit more.

Take care!

 

[docnumbers]

Hello Olive

Hi Olive and hi to all,
I had my ballloon fitted the saturday after you did. I have only come good this week. Before that I was vomiting almost every day. My nutritionist told me to drink diet coke at night to wash the balloon down, but this made me throw up. lol.
I was so weak I could hardly think. Luckily I am not working at the moment so there is no problem with time off.
I am meant to be on a strick diet of no carbs or fat, but am finding this restrictive. I am a chocoholic. Even got hypnotised once to stop being one. lol.
I have lost 12 pounds so far and hope to lose 5 stone. I qualified for the lapband, however, i wanted something less instrusive. My sister in Australia is on her 3rd lapband - they could not get the positioning right. and she is still morbidly obese, although she tells me she would be well over 200 kilos without one.
I am hoping the balloon just makes me eat less for the duration, and I will then hope to go to Europe to get another one to lose the rest of the weight. I have read that the air filled balloon is much better with regards to sickness.
It feels great to be able to communicate with people about this, as I have only told one person about it, besides my husband.

Here's to not vomiting for the week,
Louise

 

[Writediva]

Response

Hi Enjoy,
thanks for your optimism regarding mine and Nan's plight. But I'm afraid I may be one of those people for whom the balloon never quite settles. My counsellor for the balloon is as confused as I am when it comes to why I am still sick. I eat on programme. I don't eat much. And yet, I am sick at least twice a week. and if I'm not sick, I'm nauseous. So, I will bear it as long as I can -- another few weeks, and then I think i'll have to have it removed. I can't live like this -- particularly as I'm not eating enough and I'm sure the vomiting is wreaking havoc on my teeth! Oh, yeah, the upside is that I've lost 15 kilos in the 10 weeks I've had the balloon. hoo-bloody-ray. But it's only because I can barely eat or keep anything down. My fear is that when the balloon is removed I'll gain it all back. I'm supposed to be learning how to eat better -- smaller portions, etc. But I'm so afraid of eating now that there are many days that I just don't eat for fear of the pain and th sickness.

Sorry. Really feeling low today. Perhaps tomorrow I'll be more positive.

 

[raisondeser]

Q ?

Hey guys,

I went to see my GP about getting the procedure done just to talk it through and he's totally against the idea because he's worried about how the balloon moves around the intestine, says it could be dangerous ? He even suggested lapbanding would be a better procedure for me but that i'm probably not large enough. I feel like, "Do i have to get even more obese before i can get this kind of help ?" lol. But aside from the fact that lapbanding is much more invasive, it's a lot more costly, i cannot afford it.
Can i ask, do you guys who have had the ballooning done have trouble with it 'moving around' ? What is it like ? What other kinds of challenges did you doctor say you should expect while having the balloon ?

 

[gloria1]

nan and others

Hi i had a ballon fitted and did the full time with it.
Great results wish it could have been in for ever.
Any way what concerns me is the acid, have you not been prescribed meds to go with your ballon .
I had excellent pre op care with 6 months supply of medication and a 24 help line if i had problems which i found invaluable.
You definitnely need anti acid tablet from g.p or provider as you can do a lot of damage to your tummy and the acid may erode the ballon.


SMELLY BURPS.
Yes you can a diet coke ,pepsi i had one daily at night to clean the ballon and day before removal i was told to follow a light liquid diet and have 2 cokes last drink before bed to clean ballon before removal.

It got rid of burps, and indegestion after the first couple of days not to use until ballon has settled.

Also if you can lie right overon left/down in the day after a meal for a couple of mins to allow ballon to settle to the base of tummy rather than being high up as this can cause vomitting.
these things worked for me

 

[idk]

now 2.5 weeks in and last 14 ibs which is great. I seem to have been lucky as after a couple of days sickness, recovered quite quicky (have a swollen vein issue that is sore where they put the iv in howeverm but thats a different story). About 1 week on soft foods then back to "normal" meaks but can eat anything eg curries etc. Eat a lot less so still osing weight but (as is usual for me) pushed the boundaries and ate too much which makes you feel bad, stomach cramps. However it IS teaching me a less, but slowly. I think I am also lucky that the weigth lose and eating less carbs / food at nite means much more energy for me rather than being weak from lack of food. Hope it continues like this!!