Shirleyd90

Had the balloon in 2016. I paid 7,000. It was terrible. Vomitted for 3 days straight. After that I had severe stomach cramping for months. My stomach soon got used to the ballon so I ate as much as I wanted. After the balloon is removed you end up with a large space in your stomach and guess what that is filled up with? Yep food!!!
It is a terrible waste of money. It doesn’t get to the root of the problem which is why I over eat.
I lost only 18 lbs. I have been doing the Keto diet for 5 months now. It is hard but is helping me get over the emotional eating problems. I have lost 25 lbs doing Keto.
I honestly think this was a good idea in the beginning but now think they should take this procedure off the market. Good luck to any one deciding to get the balloon. It is an expensive waste of money!

I truly wish you the best of luck. Please report back in a month, I would love to see you succeed.

Please think it through. It was complete waist of money! If you don’t get to heart of why you over eat in he first place you will gain the weight back.
I vomitted for three days after the balloon was placed. I only lost about 25 lbs in six months. It was embarrassing after all the hype and telling everyone about the procedure only to fail once again. Please please think it through!!

I unfortunately had the balloon in 2016. I lost a total of 20 pounds mostly in the beginning. After I had it removed I immediately gained back the 20 pounds. After it is removed you have a big void in your stomach which was immediately replaced with over eating. To this day I am a bit embarrassed that I spent so much money on a procedure that did not work. I am now on the Keto diet and have lost nearly as much as I did with the balloon. Best of luck to you.

I unfortunately had the balloon in 2016. I lost a total of 20 pounds mostly in the beginning. After I had it removed I immediately gained back the 20 pounds. After it is removed you have a big void in your stomach which was immediately replaced with over eating. To this day I am a bit embarrassed that I spent so much money on a procedure that did not work. I am now on the Keto diet and have lost nearly as much as I did with the balloon. Best of luck to you.

One more comment. After a short while the balloon adapted and I could eat all I wanted. After the balloon was removed I ate like crazy because my stomach was suddenly much larger. Best of luck to you.

#waywardtraveler
I am so glad you checked it to let us know how your removal went! You have truly been an inspiration for me right from the start when you suggested the patch for nausea. I have looked forward to all of your comments. The balloon seems like it was the right choice for you.
Here's where I am as of this morning. The doctor I found to do the procedure is a bone-head. His office has called me a total of one time in almost three months. The after patient care has been terrible! I called him Friday because I have had diarrhea for three weeks now. It is not an all day problem but I have very runny loose stools every single morning. I have been taking Imodium daily. I called his cell phone and he told me now to worry about it! Really?
It will be three months on October 26. I am still stuck on 20 lbs but......I am learning what to eat, how to eat, and how much to eat. I know I will lose more in the last three months. It has been an interesting experience so far. If it wasn't for the diarrhea I would be very happy at this point.
Please check in from time to time and let us know how your are doing, I always look forward to your post!
Best of luck to you on your continued and very successful weight loss journey!!
Shirleyd90

Hello there, here is my testimony. I had the balloon placed July 26, 2016. I am now half way into the six month period with the balloon. The first 3 days was aweful! Almost constant vomiting until I finally started using the patch for nausea. The first 8 weeks or so I had a lot of cramping. Had to watch and learn what my body needed. Some days I had to lay down and massage my belly due to cramps. I never regretted the procedure.
I am now half through and actually don't feel the balloon much any more. I have learned to put on my fit bit every day and have a goal of 10,000 steps a day. If I accomplish these steps each day I lose weight, period. With the help from the balloon and daily steps, which can be tough some days, I hope to lose the weight I had hoped. I have lost 23 lbs so far and life is good. Nothing and I do mean nothing, feels better then being able to put pants on and have them so loose! would I do it again? Yes!! I have three months to go
And thanks again to @waywardtraveler. You have helped me more then you know!
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

#waywardtraveler
I am so glad you checked it to let us know how your removal went! You have truly been an inspiration for me right from the start when you suggested the patch for nausea. I have looked forward to all of your comments. The balloon seems like it was the right choice for you.
Here's where I am as of this morning. The doctor I found to do the procedure is a bone-head. His office has called me a total of one time in almost three months. The after patient care has been terrible! I called him Friday because I have had diarrhea for three weeks now. It is not an all day problem but I have very runny loose stools every single morning. I have been taking Imodium daily. I called his cell phone and he told me now to worry about it! Really?
It will be three months on October 26. I am still stuck on 20 lbs but......I am learning what to eat, how to eat, and how much to eat. I know I will lose more in the last three months. It has been an interesting experience so far. If it wasn't for the diarrhea I would be very happy at this point.
Please check in from time to time and let us know how your are doing, I always look forward to your post!
Best of luck to you on your continued and very successful weight loss journey!!
Shirleyd90

Good afternoon! I had the Orbera gastric balloon removed a couple of weeks ago and so far, so good! I know I was very curious about what to expect (both in terms of having the balloon and then later getting it removed), so I thought I would share some of my thoughts and experiences with you here.
RESULTS
I lost 47.8 pounds while I had the balloon. I was shooting for 40 but hoping for 50. Considering that during the time I had the balloon I got married, went on a honeymoon, was surprised with a couple of showers before, hosted a reunion of sorts, hosted a baby shower, traveled for work several times and to visit extended family, and attended a number of other business/social events, I really can't complain. :-) The balloon definitely helped in all of those situations however it does not get all of the credit. It is important to keep in mind that the balloon is just a tool - careful planning and diligence is required in order for it to be successful. You also have to make conscious decisions about when to "cheat" - and be OK with that - and when it's not worth it.
REMOVAL
Separate the nausea that most people experience when the balloon is inserted, I (like many people) found the removal to be harder on me physically. I had a sore throat for several days (I did not with insertion) and felt kinda sore and crummy in general. Not terribly bad, but not 100%. I definitely recommend taking the day of removal off of work and, if possible, at least one day after - if not two. (For insertion I recommend at least 3-4 days off, including insertion day, if not an entire week). I actually went back to work the day after removal and I was OK, but I would have preferred another day off. Again, it's not the same miserable/nauseous feeling that many people have with insertion, it's more like a sore and under the weather feeling.
PREP
I didn't get a lot of great guidance from my doctor's office about getting ready for removal, but I read and heard a lot of advice from places like this. I did Clear Liquids the day before, full fluids the day before that, and a combination of soft foods and full fluids the two days before that (with the exception of one regular meal, due to a previous engagement). My doctor was happy to hear that, and it seemed to work well, as my stomach was devoid of solid foods. I was ravenous on clear fluids but sipped on Bariatric Choice berry throughout the day (tastes like Kool-Aid) and warm broth that night (which was very comforting).
food AFTER
I was ready to get back to regular foods pretty quickly, but eased into it a bit, just to be safe. I really just wanted things like milkshakes right after, given my sore throat. I even had a smidge of an upset tummy, so I was longing for things to calm that. Within a few days I was eating and feeling back to normal.
FAMISHED?
I have heard/read so much speculation about whether or not you'll be hungry all of the time after the balloon is removed, since all of the space that it once took up is now vacant. Personally, it was not an issue for me at all. Yes, I was hungry right after the procedure, but that's because I had been fasting for a few days - lol!! I am a believer that your brain can be retrained during the six months that you have the balloon IF you take the process seriously and are very deliberate about what you eat and when. (In many ways, the brain has more influence on hunger than the stomach does.) I have not been hungry all of the time or felt like my stomach is empty. In fact, I would say that my hunger pangs are fairly normal. I have not gone on or been tempted to go on binges. I am making just as many deliberate choices now as I did before. The balloon was the jump start that I needed, and it put me back on track ... and I have been able to stay on track even without the balloon.
WHAT NOW?
I made an appointment with a nutritionist (not at my surgeon's office) a few days before the balloon was removed. She created a plan for me that I am working on now, and I chat with her weekly to ensure that I stay on track. This was an important step for me to keep things moving in the right direction, and to ultimately reach my goals. (I also considered the Rise app ... which I may try at some point.) One thing I know is that I need accountability, so whether I am working with a nutritionist, a doctor, Weight Watchers, a friend an app or whatever, I will be ensured greater success with an accountability partner than if I just trudge through on my own.
SUCCESS!!
I have continued to lose since the balloon was removed and - including the weight that I lost BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the balloon - I am now down ~ 111 pounds. :-) I would like to lose about 39 more and am confident that I can do it. I am excited about what the future holds!
RECOMMEND??
I have been asked by several people if I would recommend the balloon to others. That's difficult to answer, because I would hate to be the person who recommended it someone, only for them to struggle with it (because not every experience is the same). So let me say this ... I recommend it with a number of caveats.
First and foremost, you have to go into it with your eyes wide open, knowing the pros and cons and the fact that each journey is unique. You could have great experiences, you could have terrible ones. You could lose a lot (I have heard as much as 77 pounds) and you could lose nothing (I've heard that too) ... heck, you could even gain if you don't do everything that you're supposed to do. You could get miserably sick and not get sick at all. I've heard just about everything, including kidney failure and early removal. It's a crap shoot, and you have to be prepared for any outcome ... including catastrophic ones. As with many things in life, you have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. So do your homework, stock up on essentials and be ready for anything.
Further, I once again have to stress that the balloon is only a tool - not a solution. You still have to count calories, watch your Protein and get exercise, making healthy choices all along the way. If you don't do even one of those things, you will not have optimal results.
Lastly, and more importantly, you have to be gentle on yourself. Don't be so rigid that you feel depressed and deprived the entire time. That's no way to live and it's not sustainable long-term. Allow yourself to indulge occasionally but do it consciously, and graciously accept the consequences (for example, I only gained a pound on my honeymoon ... I was not upset about it, I was THRILLED that I was able to have that much fun and indulge as much as I did, and only gain a pound in the process!). You will have ups and downs. You will plateau. You may not lose anything at first ... you may not lose anything at the end. That's OK. Just be diligent and give it time, and be thankful that you're being HEALTHY even if you're not losing. As they say, we didn't gain it all overnight ... we're not going to lose it that fast, either. This is about the long-haul and truly embracing lifestyle changes that will keep you healthy and happy once the balloon is removed.
I hope that helps. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. I will pop back in from time to time to let you know how it's going and hopefully to be a resource to others on their journeys to good health. :-) Cheers!!

Hi, it took me two full weeks before I felt better. I had horrible cramping after that so the doc called in a scrip. I still have cramping a lot but am hanging in there. I am on my 7th week now. Don't have it removed, hang in there! It will get better!!

If you had the patch for your nasea that is where your blurred vision is coming from! It took me two weeks to get past having blurred vision trying to see things up close even after the patch had been taken off for a week.

If you had the patch for your nasea that is where your blurred vision is coming from! It took me two weeks to get past having blurred vision trying to see things up close even after the patch had been taken off for a week.

Yes indeed it was you that recommended the patch and I can't thank you enough! I suggested my doctor give it to all his patients.

I had horrible nausea afterwards. It finally took the patch to control vommiting. Ask for oral and the patch just to be safe

It's very possible I'm not eating enough. I haven't lost any weight since the first week so my mind is telling me to stop eating. Yesterday and today I have eaten More so we shall see what happens. Hunger feels different with the balloon, I get sick to my stomach. How about you!

Day 5. Finally talked my doc into the patch, felt much relief within 2 hours. Started feeling like myself again day 4, just really week. Today I start the puréed phase of eating, I'm actually hungry. Have lost 8 pounds in 5 days but with all of the vommitting I'm not surprised. When I swallow food I can feel it travel down to my stomach and hit a road block.

Day 7, fealing really good and hungry!

I Am using the obera balloon.

I have read a lot of your journeys and suggestions, now just to get through the 2 days prior to procedure. I'm already so thankful for this forum!

I have read a lot of your journeys and suggestions, now just to get through the 2 days prior to procedure. I'm already so thankful for this forum!