It's funny that since my procedure 1 week ago , i have so much more time on my hands.Just 3 weeks ago, I was a was a step away from getting the sleeve surgery . I had already had most of the tests and was sitting in the psychs office when he asked me If i had any concerns. And, at that moment It dawned upon me that besides that typical elective surgery fears, I was most fearful of the stomach stretching back as I heard that it was possible. I truly got that there was no 100% sure fire way to prevent myself from gaining it back again. The sleeve was supposedly permanent . And yet, I had been up and down most of life, always praying when I was at goal weight, that I wouldn't gain it back... This time it took 4 years and boom there I was, no longer fitting into my clothes, isolating, planning my next food adventure. I was miserable, numb and although I am quite active in my social and work life, i was all alone. My 2 friends that I was sharing this can be called by their procedure names, "Lap-band" and"Sleeve". Lap-band was a6 year success of 80lbs. She attributed it to monthly check ins and group support. "Sleeve" was new to the game. She wasn't utilizing the support and I noticed a difference. It's not about the perfection of eating. It's the how and why. No one is better at finding"tricks" to eating basically the same, under this new regime than I.

So, here I am , day 8 and i'm going to spend the next 51 weeks learning how to eat. This week I got to watch and live through every moment that I would have previously used food to substitute, comfort, numb, kill time, avoid etc... We are on 2 sides of the same street. I know that without support I will fail. Even if I lose all of the weight on my own, I know the inevitable. I'm going to use the phone, see my Dr , attend support and really be present. Oh, and keep drinking that h20!

Edited October 24, 201510 yr by lifeofbry

I'm glad you all have had success. I have had the balloon in 9 weeks and seen no weight loss. Maybe 1-2 pounds and then back

Up. They put me on phentermine and that was 10 days ago. Still haven't seen much with that either. My body is stubborn apparently. I am thinking about getting the balloon removed since it isn't working.

I'm so sorry! It really isn't fair. I don't think they filled your balloon up enough and they should reimburse you for that or something. This was expensive!

The last two weeks I haven't lost and even went up a little. I can't really feel my balloon any more (it's in there but i wonder if it's smaller) and don't have any feeling of restriction. I've been so hungry (probably because I'm not sick). I go tomorrow to my doctors so I'll see what he says. I'm afraid I'm not going to lose any more weight. And really the only time I have lost weight is when I felt too sick to eat. I'd really like to lose 10 to 15 more pounds.

I'm extremely thankful to have found this forum and I thank you all for sharing your stories, strategies, successes and frustrations.

My initial consultation is tomorrow and, provided all goes well, the procedure will be next Tuesday.

My goal is to lose 65 pounds and I'm hopeful the balloon will kickstart that effort - although I've plotted out a best case scenario where I will be at my goal in 6 months, I know that is fairly unlikely.

I will check back again after my appointment tomorrow with thoughts and questions. Again, I'm so happy to have found this group and am so hopeful and positive that this will work!

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WOW!! This thread had been incredibly helpful. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. After reading this and various things elsewhere, I have come up with the following list to help me prepare for my alien insertion next week:

1. Ask for an anti-nausea patch. One person got it before they were even knocked out, others immediately after and others days later. In all cases it sounds like it helped ... a lot. (Actually, except for one, which resulted in hives ... talk about adding insult to injury!)

2. Take your meds. Even before your procedure and/or if you're feeling better, take them (at least the first few days) to prevent getting sick.

3. Follow the 20x4 rule. No liquids 20 minutes before eating or for at least 20 minutes after, chew each bite 20 times and take 20 minutes to complete a meal.

4. 20-30 minutes after a meal, drink Water to rinse the balloon and prevent bad breath. (I've heard/read mixed reviews about carbonated beverages - some people say they cleanse the balloon better, but most seem to say that they make you feel miserable.)

5. Protein and hydration are essential to being/feeling healthy.

6. Stay with liquids only for at least a week or two to help with the adjustment and to prevent getting sick.

7. Eat dinner early and, ideally, stick with a liquid dinner to prevent all sorts of discomfort.

8. Invest in barf bags (done!). :-) Hopefully you won't need them, but they are worth it for the peace of mind alone.

9. When the balloon feels uncomfortable, sleep on your left side and/or try downward dog to get it re-positioned.

10. Sleep with your head elevated? I have not read much about that, but assume it might help with the reflux. Just to be safe, I ordered a wedge pillow.

11. It ain't over until it's over. Even when you start feeling better, you still may have bad days. So never take it for granted, stay on the food program and continue to take your meds.

12. And last but not least, prepare. Stock the kitchen with Protein drinks and soft foods, invest in the items mentioned above early so that you have them if you need them, make sure you have Vitamins (and tum?) on hand, etc..

Do you agree? Have I missed anything? Any feedback would be most appreciated.

BTW has anyone tried Yonanas? It's a machine that instantly makes sorbet out of just fruit. A friend of mine has it (she got it after several of her friends got it) and she loves it ... says it is delicious! She usually just uses bananas and berries, but you can also use yogurt and other ingredients. I was wondering if that might not be a good way to get in some healthy carbs that are nice and soft. :-)

One last thing - do your balloons have the blue dye in them? If so, what type of balloon do you have? Some people get it and some don't ... I'm curious about your thoughts on that, too.

Thanks again and best of luck to you all!!

Has anyone tried the Vitamin Patches? If so, what do you think? I am afraid that Vitamins will upset my stomach post-insertion (and that I won't be able to keep them down), and yet I am sure I will be in dire need of nutrients. Are the patches truly effective? If so, they seem like a great solution ...

Yes! My Dr suggested using multivitamin patch and I've been using them! I order them from Thesmartpatch.com. Seem to be working fine for me! I've had my Ballon for 4 months and down 40 lbs!

I am getting my balloon out on Wednesday. It's been in for almost 3 months and hasn't done anything except make me feel bloated and gassy. Not 1 pound gone. Total rip off. They are giving me 2 grand back for the balloon at least. I'm very disappointed and wouldn't recommend this to anyone who only wants to lose 30 pounds. Maybe it works for people that need to lose more. To me it's another scam. As you can tell I am

Pretty upset. They also put me on phentermine and that didn't do anything either. They are trying one more drug and the I am calling it quits.

I am getting my balloon out on Wednesday. It's been in for almost 3 months and hasn't done anything except make me feel bloated and gassy. Not 1 pound gone. Total rip off. They are giving me 2 grand back for the balloon at least. I'm very disappointed and wouldn't recommend this to anyone who only wants to lose 30 pounds. Maybe it works for people that need to lose more. To me it's another scam. As you can tell I am

Pretty upset. They also put me on phentermine and that didn't do anything either. They are trying one more drug and the I am calling it quits.

I'm glad you are at least getting some money back! I am so sorry it didn't work. I also only needed to lose about 30-35 lbs and I've only lost 15. And it's not really working for me any more. I haven't lost any since mid Jan. My body has adjusted and I don't get a full feeling any more.

I am back to counting every calorie and trying to not over eat on my own. I'm glad I'm down some, but I'm sad that it's still all me.

@@aelwillmann and @@SLSH - I'm so sorry to hear that you guys are struggling. :-( I can only imagine how frustrating that must be. It makes me wonder if I'm wise to move forward - I am supposed to get mine this week. :-/ May I ask how full your balloons are? Do you wonder if they've deflated at all? Do they have blue dye in them? Regardless, best of luck to you both in your continued efforts!!

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From the research I did, at about 3 months, most people slow down in their weight loss. Their body adjusts to the balloon. I didn't think that would happen to me, but then it did. My balloon was filled to 600.

my doctor said that is the standard.

One thing that I try to remind myself is that I made it through the holidays and 3 vacations without gaining weight (and even losing weight. ) that's unheard of for me.

I don't regret getting it. I wish it wasn't so expensive though.

@@aelwillmann and @@SLSH - I'm so sorry to hear that you guys are struggling. :-( I can only imagine how frustrating that must be. It makes me wonder if I'm wise to move forward - I am supposed to get mine this week. :-/ May I ask how full your balloons are? Do you wonder if they've deflated at all? Do they have blue dye in them?

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Also mine doesn't have the blue dye.

And last time I was in there, he did an ex ray and my balloon liked normal and had a round shape so he said it isn't deflated or leaking.

I'm 4 months out and still losing! 42 lbs down! I still feel restricted and bloated all the time! I also still have bad acid reflux and occasional vomiting! Can't wait to get this out in six weeks but hoping to lose 20 more pounds before that! Everyone's experience is so different!

Mine has methylene blue in it. They do this bc if it leaks then you will

See a green color in your urine. It's a safe way to see that. I thought that was standard. also mine was

Only filled to 550

@@SLSH - thanks for the insight and perspective ... that's helpful. I had read the same thing about three months. It makes me wonder if it is worth it to keep it for much longer? I am curious to see how I will be doing/feeling at that point.

@@aelwillmann - the blue dye is standard for ReShape but not Orbera in the US (although it is seemingly common outside of the States) - which one did you get? Regardless, good luck with your removal. Please let us know how it goes and if the new meds help. I hope things start moving for you soon. :-)

@@monniet50 - I don't know whether to say congratulations or I'm sorry to hear that. The weight loss sounds great, but otherwise it sounds like your experience has not been a walk in the park. :-/ If you had it to do over again, would you?

@@ophelia150 - are you still on for tomorrow? If so, best of luck to you! I will only be a day behind ... I hope all goes well for both of us. We should definitely keep in touch. :-)

The countdown has begun. I am definitely getting nervous, but pleased that my doctor has a bunch of prescriptions ready for me when we met on Friday - including an anti-nausea patch (yay!). What has everyone taken for nausea? What's worked and what has not? Does anyone have experience with Zofran?

Thanks again and best wishes to you all!

@@SLSH - thanks for the insight and perspective ... that's helpful. I had read the same thing about three months. It makes me wonder if it is worth it to keep it for much longer? I am curious to see how I will be doing/feeling at that point.

@@aelwillmann - the blue dye is standard for ReShape but not Orbera in the US (although it is seemingly common outside of the States) - which one did you get? Regardless, good luck with your removal. Please let us know how it goes and if the new meds help. I hope things start moving for you soon. :-)

@@monniet50 - I don't know whether to say congratulations or I'm sorry to hear that. The weight loss sounds great, but otherwise it sounds like your experience has not been a walk in the park. :-/ If you had it to do over again, would you?

@@ophelia150 - are you still on for tomorrow? If so, best of luck to you! I will only be a day behind ... I hope all goes well for both of us. We should definitely keep in touch. :-)

The countdown has begun. I am definitely getting nervous, but pleased that my doctor has a bunch of prescriptions ready for me when we met on Friday - including an anti-nausea patch (yay!). What has everyone taken for nausea? What's worked and what has not? Does anyone have experience with Zofran?

Thanks again and best wishes to you all!

Good luck! I think with the amount of research you've done, you'll have great success!

@@Wayward Traveler - thanks for thinking of me. Yes, I am still on track tomorrow for Orbera. Procedure is scheduled for 1:15. I will try to update tomorrow night. I'm anxious, nervous, hopeful and a little scared. But certainly confident that I will be following all the recommendations with your helpful summaries!

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