Category: Gastric Balloon

If you’re overweight or obese and conventional dieting and exercise just haven’t worked for you, a gastric balloon may be an option. This balloon is placed in your stomach during a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure. The process of getting a balloon isn’t quite surgery, but it has the effect of shrinking your stomach temporarily so you eat less and lose weight.

At Trinity Bariatric Institute, we can help you determine whether this balloon procedure is the right step in your weight loss journey.

How the balloon works

The gastric balloon is swallowed in the office with a series of 3 balloons over a 6 week period. There is a thin tubing attached to the balloon and a hitch is used to inflate each balloon with a dense gas once it is swallowed. Once all three balloons are in place they fill up the stomach, giving you a sense of fullness and less hunger!

The balloon remains in your stomach for about six months, long enough to help you create healthier habits that continue to support weight loss after the balloon is removed. Because your stomach is smaller (the balloon takes up space), it holds less food. You get full faster with smaller portions, thus taking in fewer calories.

Dr. Dyslin does the procedure on an outpatient basis, so you go home the same day. Usually, you’re heavily sedated for the balloon placement, but not placed under general anesthesia.

Candidates for a gastric balloon

Dr. Dyslin may recommend a gastric balloon if you’re classified as obese, with a BMI (body mass index) of 30-40. In some cases, your BMI may be as low as 27 if you have chronic conditions aggravated by your weight. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea.

To qualify for the balloon, you should also be able to commit to making healthy lifestyle changes in conjunction with the balloon procedure. Lifestyle changes include increased physical activity, dietary changes, and behavioral therapy.

You can’t have prior stomach surgery or esophageal surgery if you want to be a candidate for balloon placement.

Benefits of a gastric balloon

A gastric balloon is a less drastic procedure than bariatric surgery, such as bypass or sleeve surgery. It’s temporary and reversible. Even if you aren’t eligible for other weight loss surgeries, we may find that you’re the perfect candidate for a gastric balloon.

If you opt for the balloon, your appetite is automatically curbed because your smaller stomach size means you get full on less food. You won’t need additional medications to help you lose weight when you have the balloon.

Diet following gastric balloon placement

You start drinking small amounts of liquid in the six hours following balloon placement. You continue to follow a liquid diet for about two weeks as your stomach adjusts to the balloon. Following this liquid diet, you can start eating soft foods, such as scrambled eggs and bananas. Around week three, your diet can resume a regular pattern.

It’s important that you carefully consider the foods you choose following gastric balloon placement. Since you’re eating less, the foods you do choose should be of the highest nutritional quality. We can help you create a meal plan that supports weight loss, your smaller appetite, and good health.

At Trinity Bariatric Institute, we want to help you lose weight safely and for good. Call our office or schedule a consultation to learn more about the gastric balloon and other interventions that may be appropriate for you.

When conventional weight loss strategies have failed to help you lose weight or keep the weight off, Dr. Dyslin may recommend weight loss surgery. The gastric balloon, or intragastric balloon, is a promising option for many people who are mildly overweight or obese or who aren’t candidates for other forms of bariatric surgery.

A temporary, reversible weight loss device inserted in your stomach, a gastric balloon can remain in place for up to six months. Dr. Dyslin places the balloon during an endoscopic procedure — through your mouth — so it’s less invasive than other weight loss procedures.

When the balloon is inflated with a small tube, it reduces the amount of food your stomach can hold, which causes you to feel full faster and may positively affect the production of some of your hunger hormones.

Choosing a gastric balloon for weight loss offers a number of advantages. Here is why you might consider this procedure for your weight loss journey.

1. Helps jump-start weight loss

While many weight loss surgeries require you to have a body mass index of at least 40, you can qualify for a gastric balloon procedure with a BMI of only 27. You may use the gastric balloon for six months to curb your appetite and make it easier to comply with prescribed diets and create behavioral changes.

The balloon can help you become accustomed to eating smaller portions of food. You may also use it for dramatic weight loss prior to a one-time event, such as a wedding or reunion.

2. Good for extreme obesity

If you have a BMI greater than 60 or can’t undergo invasive surgery due to health conditions, a gastric balloon can help. You may use it to lose some initial weight so you can qualify for gastric bypass or sleeve surgery.

The gastric balloon may also help you alleviate some obesity-related health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, which can make future gastric bypass surgery safer and easier for Dr. Dyslin to perform.

3. Easier procedure

A gastric balloon procedure is less invasive than major surgery, such as gastric bypass. It requires sedation or anesthesia, but it doesn’t involve incisions or blood loss. As a result, you can go home the same day and recover faster than you might from gastric bypass. Gastric balloon procedures are also less costly compared with a gastric sleeve or gastric bypass.

4. Few side effects

Insertion of a gastric balloon has few side effects, and complications are rare. You may have some pain and nausea for a day or two after the balloon is in place, but this usually resolves on its own.

A gastric balloon procedure isn’t right for everyone, however. We here at David Dyslin Bariatrics carefully consider your weight loss goals, current health, and lifestyle when recommending a gastric balloon or other weight loss procedure. To learn more about how you can benefit from medical support to achieve your healthy weight, call our office or book a consultation online using this website.

Obesity rates continue to climb, despite the billions of dollars Americans spend each year on efforts to lose weight. People try everything from gym memberships and weight loss supplements to food delivery services and other products. If you’ve tried everything and are ready for an effective weight loss solution, find out why gastric balloons are paving the way as the future of weight loss.

The many benefits of weight loss

Carrying excess body fat impacts not only the way you feel on a day-to-day basis, but your overall health and how well you function. When you lose weight by choosing a gastric balloon system, you can expect:

• Increased self-esteem
• Decreased risk of chronic disease
• Improved fitness
• More energy
• More active social life
• Better sleep
• Improved body image
• Better sex life
• Boost in mood

Gastric balloons: The future is now

As a board-certified bariatric surgeon and weight loss specialist, Dr. Dyslin offers patients who are struggling with their weight the latest advancements in treatment. In the past, patients had fewer nonsurgical options for effective weight loss.

Today, gastric balloons bridge the gap between permanent surgical procedures and traditional diet and exercise, providing patients with a safe, effective, noninvasive way to lose weight.

Gastric balloons in action

Dr. Dyslin uses the ORBERA® gastric balloon system. The silicone balloon is threaded into your stomach through your mouth while you relax under a mild sedative. The balloon stays in place for six months. During that time, you’re able to stick to a healthier diet, without feeling hungry, to help you lose a significant amount of weight.

The future of weight loss

The ability to lose a dramatic amount of weight over a six-month period without surgery or scars makes gastric balloons like ORBERA the future of weight loss.

Surgical weight loss strategies are only available if a patient has a high body mass index (BMI). But the availability of gastric balloons for people with lower BMIs means patients can undergo treatment sooner, before excess weight has a devastating impact on their bodies.

People who undergo weight loss treatment at a lower BMI are much more successful at getting their BMIs below 30.

Gastric balloons offer a multitude of benefits. They are:

Fast

Gastric balloon systems are quick and require no downtime. Dr. Dyslin completes the balloon insertion in about 20 minutes.

Noninvasive

You lie comfortably under mild sedation during the 20-minute procedure and go home the same day. You won’t have to worry about surgery or the potential complications that come along with surgical procedures.

Reversible

The balloon system requires no permanent changes to your digestive system. Dr. Dyslin can remove the balloon at any time.

Incision free

There’s no cutting involved, as the balloon is inserted through the mouth.

Real results

Hunger is one of the major factors that make it difficult to develop healthier eating habits and lose a meaningful amount of weight. Once it’s filled with saline the ORBERA balloon is about the size of an orange taking up space in your stomach. Without having to deal with the constant hunger, the typical patient loses three times more weight with ORBERA than with diet and exercise alone.

Let ORBERA help you reach your weight loss goals today

In just six months you can lose weight and transform your life. For more information and to schedule your initial consultation, call our office in Arlington, Texas, or use the online booking form.