Gelaine

Hi! Yay for you! That is awesome! I am doing and feeling great! Haven't lost any more pounds by I am definitely loosing inches! I am eating great, and getting about 800 calories Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

I didn't have that "what have I done?" feeling after day 3, so hopefully you won't either. :-)
If you're having trouble getting comfortable, you might want to try downward facing dog - I've heard that can help adjust the balloon into a more comfortable place.
If you need to take meds and you're worried about having an empty stomach, try to do so with at least a Protein shake in your belly. I'm partial to chocolate Organic Fuel - I have one almost every day and my regular doctor gave it a thumbs up. It's not as thick and intensely flavored as some of the others, so it's easier to get down. You can buy it at the grocery store by the milk or on Amazon.
Keep up the great work - it will continue to get better!! :-)
Cheers!!
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It's getting better by the hour. I'm still doing liquids which is Jello,chamomile tea,chicken broth, apple juice. I'm sticking to the 2 ounce limit. I'm hungry because all I see are food commercials but seriously, I would be very content with just one saltine cracker. My biggest concern is that I have regular medication that I need to take but I never take it on empty stomach. The fullness or whatever feeling is more on my left side, I have discovered that holding a pillow is comforting. I did feel much much better today. The first couple of days do make you question your decision but don't give up..as I'm sure I'll have more of those moments since December seems forever from now. But I just keep telling myself that this will pass and not having diabetes or heart issues from the weight is well worth months of discomfort. Do everything they tell you and others suggest...it is essential to getting over the first couple days!!!! Good luck and I'll keep you updated Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

Hmm ... Good question. I didn't feel anything at first. When I woke up, I pretty much felt normal. It was not until the drive home that I started feeling queasy, but even that was not bad and I could not feel the balloon. It was not until later that day that I could really tell something was there. Even then it felt more like a tummy ache than an object. I noticed it the most when I laid down, and that just felt like some pressure in certain positions (the wedge pillow helped). I probably noticed it most day 2 and for a week or two after, then the sensation started to subside.
Sometimes I still feel pressure, but I don't feel it often now, and it's easier to get comfortable when I lay down (I used to only be able to sleep on my left, but now I sleep on both sides and my back). To me it feels more than pressure than an object ... it's hard to describe. I guess it's fullness? But it's a little different. However a lot of people say they feel "the balloon".
I have to tell you, there was a day or so there when I thought, what have I done? But fortunately that passed quickly. :-) I've also read about a lot of people who've had it worse than I have, and a lot of people who have had it better. Given that and the statistics from the study, I think I'm pretty much a middle of the road case. I hoped for at least that, so I'm happy. But I would never encourage someone to do it or not to do it ... it's just too personal of a decision. Instead I encourage people to do the research so that they can make an informed decision - the decision that's best for them.
Gosh, I don't think I helped much - lol - sorry about that! But I hope it at least helped to provide some insight. Best of luck to you!! :-)
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I'm not s coffee drinker so I don't recall specifically, but I think I've read others saying that they can't tolerate it. Having said that, I heard the same about Pasta, lettuce and carbonation, and yet I have all of those regularly. I've discovered that the best thing is to try everything yourself and see how it makes you feel. Just ease into them and don't do them all at the same time.
For example, Pasta was one of my early go to foods and I never had any trouble with it. Once I was ok with simpler soft foods that were a little more bland, I tried a frozen spaghetti and meatballs. It was a good transitional food. The pasta in those is fairly mushy and easy to digest, and the meatballs provide a decent dose of Protein. Since they are portion controlled, they are typically only 350-450 calories each. I continue to keep them handy for a quick and easy meal. So that worked for me, but may not for others.
Once you are past that first week or so, you may want to try a little coffee and see how you feel before having an entire cup or more each day. But, then again, after not having it for a week, maybe you won't want/need it anymore, or maybe you will decide to switch to something like tea. :-) Good luck!
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How exciting!! And I know exactly how you're feeling. :-) I've done a number of posts on this subject. If you check out my profile, you will see them all there (including a references list and my replies the other people who had similar questions). I've included one of my early posts below with some updated info. I would also add that it seems a lot of people suffer from Constipation at first so you might want to start taking Miralax or colace before your procedure. Also, Popsicles really helped me those first few days. Lastly, keep in mind that the balloon is a tool, not a solution. I still count calories and Protein religiously. You could easily not lose - or even gain - with the balloon if you're not diligent with your diet. Good luck and please keep us posted!! Cheers! :-)
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Who do YOU think YOU are? I've warned you a few times to follow our rules. Your tone and posts are extremely disrespectful, hurtful, rude and impolite. This is my last warning. Your account will be suspended if you continue this behavior.

I am only a week out, post Balloon Removal, and so far so good. My goal is to not gain weight for the rest of the summer. Workout 3-4 times per week and only allow cheats on the weekend. I still feel very motivated and do not have any cravings...although I do feel those horrible hunger pains, that I didn't have much of the last 6 months!!! I have a trainer lined up for Sept, when I will dive back into a solid weigh loss plan, on my own this time! If I fail, however, I am very open to getting the sleeve.....but right now, my head is in the right place, thanks to the balloon!

The only thing I qualified for is the balloon as my
Bmi was 30. I'm three mo post op and have lost 36 pounds. Couldn't be happier. Fist few days are rough but not bad beyond that. Orbera website has lists of approved doctors who are skilled in and supportive of the procedure. I hope to lose another 15 lbs these remaining three months.

Interesting. It has been a great solution for me, but I'm the first to say that it's not for everyone. I've had it for about 4 months and have lost over 40 pounds. I will not reach my overall goal within the six months (hoping to get to at least 50), but I will be WAY closer and thankful for the time with the balloon. Yes, the first couple of days were miserable, but not as bad as I expected and then I bounced right back.
The challenge is that not everyone has the same experience - in terms of how they feel and how much they lose - so it's a bit of a gamble. However the same can be said of more major WLS options ... I know plenty of people who have gained most/all+ of their weight back after WLS, and/or felt miserable after their surgeries. So no one solution is for everyone.
In the end, ALL require you to be in the right frame of mind before you do them, because you MUST change your eating habits and relationship with food. Without that they are all a waste of time and money.

Regarding foods - there are some that cause trouble (for me - green vegetables like broccoli, salad, asparagus) and some, unfortunately that sooth (like bread and pudding!) You have to be very careful not to over indulge in the soothing carbs. I switched to whole grain everything so if I were to want bread, it was the nutty kind and bought sugar free pudding and ate lots of yogurt with fruit. And yes, after the 2nd month, it was manageable. But month 2 was rough - the acid reflux was very uncomfortable and concerning.

I had 50-60 pounds to lose. 60 to get to a 24 BMI, but 50 to be where I am comfortable and happy. So we are in the same ballpark. The first week was not bad. I vomited once the night I had it put in and then one more time about 6 days later. The first week really wasn't bad when I stuck to a very soft, liquid type diet. My biggest complaint week 1 was I felt nausea in the morning and so couldn't drink my coffee! But the discomfort built as I ate more solid foods. Most mornings the first 3 weeks I had that nausea. Once that went away, I started working out and my days were fine. But the evenings were rough, I am not going to lie. Even when I stuck to the rule of eating before 6pm, I would still have acid reflux in bed. My doctor doubled the dose of omneprazole from 20 mg to 40 mg per day and that helped tremendously. After that, my only other major discomfort was gas, and I still have it. But I can live with a few loud belches a day!

I am having my balloon removed TODAY, after 6 3/4 months. It DID work for me. Not as great as I wanted. I lost 31 pounds, 2 pant sizes, brought my cholesterol and blood pressure down to normal and got my sleep apnea under control. My BMI went from 35 to 30. The balloon was challenging from Day 1. Lots of nausea, acid reflux, and gas the first 2-3 months. AND yes, the weight loss stalled, big time month 4-5 - no weight loss at all. But then I dropped 5 pounds in month 6 for some reason. Its not perfect. Its not the magic pill. But if you need a kick start and/or have medical issues that you need to get under control it does work...but you have to really want it, because you still have to work for the weight loss. I keep my calories under 1200 most days and worked out several times a week. But the balloon kept me feeling full the first few months, then just satisfied the rest of the time (my stomach adjusted, I think, to having the balloon in and I stopped having the full feeling after a few months, but I never really felt very hungry.) Could I have lost 30 pounds on my own? Yes, but I didn't have that motivation and my medical issues were building up. Now, I have the motivation, because I have had success. I am more than half way to my ultimate goal. I look good and feel great. So, hopefully, I can keep this momentum going on my own. Good luck with your decision.

I did the balloon and had great, non-invasive success. Every person, every experience, every need is different. I would never tell people to run and and get a balloon, nor would I tell them to have have an invasive - and permanent - WLS. People need to research each option carefully, determining which is best for them. Part of that research is understanding the risks and the fact that you may be one of the few who suffers really adverse effects. The worst part about that is that there is no way to know in advance how your body will respond ... and that's true for any surgery. I think chpstick2u did her homework and made an informed decision like the rest of us, but was one of the unfortunate few who had a bad result. That is precisely why I am happy to share my experiences and advice with folks, but I also tell them that they're no guarantees. And, frankly, I've seen more issues with traditional WLS surgery than I have with balloons ... so no procedures should be taken lightly. Regardless, what may be good for one person may not be right for the next (i.e. when it comes to these things, there are no absolutes). Having said that, I personally would never go to Mexico for surgery, but that's a personal choice. To each his own.

Hi chpstick2u:
I was worried about post-op, too. Granted, it was no picnic, but it was not as bad as I expected, either. I only threw up a couple of times about 48 hours after, and that was it. I was miserably nauseous for the first few days (to the point of thinking, what have I done?!?), but that passed too, and then I felt a lot better.
I would say to be prepared to ease back into soft and the solid foods ... I think some people get into trouble when they transition too quickly. Also, I don't recall if I took pain meds or not, but I definitely needed the nausea medicine (i.e. both the patch and pill). Come to think of it, I had liquid Tylenol 3 but I didn't take it. I also didn't need the anti-spasm/cramping meds and/or the anxiety pills. HOWEVER, I was glad to have them ALL, just in case.
One thing that I've learned is that everyone reacts differently. There is no way to predict what you'll need so, in my opinion, better to be safe than sorry ... you sure don't want to be making a pharmacy run if you're feeling miserable.
Other than that, if you search for posts from me, I've provided a lot of advice about what to do and eat, so hopefully that will help. Good luck!! :-)

Every experience really is different. After feeling crummy for a couple of days and feeling hungry for a week or two, I then had great success. I lost weight, never had the balloon adjusted (I didn't even know that was an option with Orbera?), didn't feel sick anymore, didn't feel the restriction reduce, etc.. In fact, I even continued to lose weight after an uneventful removal six months later. It was right for me and I'm glad I did it. Personally, I was just not comfortable with the idea of permanently altering my anatomy. Having said that, I would never say that the balloon right for everyone, but I just knew it was all I needed to get a jump start and to re-establish healthy habits. All I can recommend is that people really do their research, ask a lot of questions, ensure that they have a sufficient support structure and then do what's best for them. Cheers!
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