Gastric Balloons

Fans of the TV programmes “Celebrity Big Brother” and “Shameless” will have noticed that Tina Malone AKA ‘Mimi Maguire’ has lost weight recently.

Tina used a gastric balloon (also known as stomach balloon) to help her to shed 4 stones 7 pounds.

What is a gastric balloon?
A gastric balloon is a minimal invasive treatment for weight loss. Gastric balloons are made out of soft silicone. They are put into your stomach by a small flexible pipe called an endoscope, by a Consultant Gastroenterologist or Consultant Surgeon. The benefit of this is that you only need a little sedation, the procedure is short and you don’t need to stay in hospital overnight.

Once the balloon is in your stomach, it is filled with either sterile saline or air. The balloon sits in your stomach, making you feel full and satisfied after eating three small, well balanced meals and drinking plenty of fluids, each day. This allows you to gradually lose your excess weight.

What are the benefits of the gastric balloon?
The main benefit is that it helps you lose your excess weight. You don’t need to have an operation, there are no stitches or wounds, and after the procedure, as soon as you and your care team feel you are well enough to go home, you can.

How much weight will I lose?
This depends on you and how much weight you need to lose. If you use the balloon to help keep you to a healthy eating plan, you can expect to lose on average 17.5 kilograms (2 stones 10 pounds), but as much as 33 kilograms (5 stones) over the six months the balloon is in place. However people can cheat and therefore won’t lose as much weight if they do!

Research shows that because the balloon has helped people to make healthier food choices and be satisfied with smaller portions, most people manage to keep most of the weight they have lost off (15.7 kilograms - about 2 stones 6 pounds) one year after having the balloon taken out.

Sounds too good to be true!
Yes and no. There are side effects. Some people feel nauseous and may vomit for the first few days, but there are good medications that can be prescribed by your doctor to help settle this. Sometimes the vomiting is severe enough that the band has to be removed during the first week or two. There have been cases of more serious side effects, including death, but fortunately this is very rare.

The balloon isn’t too good to be true. It does help you lose weight, but only if you work with it! Unfortunately, there is no magic quick fix to losing weight, but a gastric balloon could help the right person…

In spite of its increasing popularity Vita Clinics feels the gastric balloon has not yet been proven to be an effective procedure for maintaining long term weight loss and we are still exploring published research relating to its use, especially around longer term results and complications. We therefore do not routinely offer it as a treatment option.

To explore the best available weight loss option for you, call us free on 0800 849 4050 and speak with one of our Bariatric Nurse Specialists us use our enquiry form here.

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