Complete guide before and after gastric balloon

**Gastric balloon or weight loss balloon is a simple method to help lose weight, which is done by placing a soft but durable balloon in the person's stomach. This balloon enters the stomach through endoscopy or orally.** **By occupying the inner space of the stomach, the gastric balloon makes the person feel full and reduces the desire to eat. This makes it easier to control the meal and lose weight if it is combined with a proper diet and exercise.** **Gastric balloon method** **Gastric balloon method is a new weight loss system that aims to reduce the amount of food eaten in one meal and increase the feeling of fullness after eating small meals. Gastric balloon surgery helps a lot in weight loss.** **Gastric balloon method is that a soft but durable balloon is inserted into the stomach endoscopically through the mouth. The balloon is then filled with a saline solution to take up space in the person's stomach, leaving less room for large amounts of food and drink. This procedure takes about 20 minutes. In another method, the gastric balloon enters the stomach orally, that is, it is swallowed as a pill.** **Weight Loss Process** **In the gastric balloon method, weight loss happens quickly, and usually most people see weight loss in the first four months after the balloon is performed. Typically, people who have a gastric balloon lose about 15% of their weight within six months after the balloon is placed inside the stomach.** **Gastric balloons are designed to remain in the stomach for six months and after 6 months, they are removed through endoscopy, but after removing the balloon, you must continue your healthy diet and exercise program to reach your ideal weight.** ### **Advantages of using gastric balloon** - **Gastric balloon does not require surgery and placing the balloon inside the stomach is quick and easy.** - **With this method, you can quickly reach the ideal weight and it is an effective way to lose weight.** - **By performing a gastric balloon, the anatomy of the stomach is preserved and the stomach is not harmed.** **With the balloon placed inside the stomach, you will eat less food at each meal and feel full for a longer time.** - **Gastric balloon method is safe and few serious side effects have been reported for it.** - **Although balloons are great weight loss tools, they are not intended to be weight maintenance tools.** ### **Complications after gastric ballooning** - **Having nausea and vomiting in the first few days after gastric balloon is common. These symptoms are resolved in 90% of patients after 2 weeks.** - **The possibility of stomach reflux is also common, for which anti-reflux drugs are prescribed by the doctor.** **It is possible that a person will vomit in the first few weeks after eating.** - **Stomach cramps are also common side effects.** - ** Some people may have sleep disorders that are caused by stomach problems or stomach acid reflux while lying down. ** - **The most serious side effects in people who have a gastric balloon is the movement of the balloon into the intestine, which can cause obstruction of the small intestine. Of course, this complication rarely happens.** - **In patients who have already had surgery, the balloon may be punctured and cause stomach acid reflux to become more severe.** ### **Tips before doing the balloon** - **The doctor will ask you not to drink anything for six hours before the operation and not to eat anything for twelve hours before the operation. It is important to follow these instructions because you may experience nausea and vomiting after inflating the balloon. On the other hand, if you are taking a certain medicine, the doctor will give you instructions for taking it before the balloon operation.** **In addition, the doctor may ask you to perform the following tests and examinations:** - **non-pregnancy test** - **Performing a blood coagulation test** - **Test for the absence of parasites in the digestive system** - **checking the health of the heart by taking an electrocardiogram** - **Perform chest radiology and lung health test** - **Endoscopy of the stomach, esophagus and digestive system** - **Doing an ultrasound of the abdomen** - **Conducting examinations related to psychology and mental health** ### **Post-operative tips** **As mentioned, the gastric balloon procedure takes about 20 minutes. Immediately after the balloon is inserted, you will feel some discomfort that may last a few days to a few weeks. Of course, this feeling of discomfort is normal, but in any case, it is better to consult your doctor about any discomfort.** **Depending on the type of balloon chosen, you may be given a mild sedation or light anesthetic. Also, anti-reflux and anti-nausea drugs may also be prescribed by your doctor. You must prepare these medicines that will be available to you after returning home. Therefore, it is recommended to return home immediately after gastric balloon surgery.** ### **Weight loss trend from the first week onwards** - **During the first week after the operation, most people do not feel hungry, and as mentioned, some patients experience nausea, which worsens with food consumption. Considering that these things are normal, you should not worry because your appetite may return slowly during week 2.** - **You should avoid eating and drinking for 6 hours after the operation and then start drinking liquids slowly.** - **The doctor may also recommend the use of serum and strengthening drugs in the first days after the operation, which are useful for reducing weakness.** - **Most likely, the doctor will tell you to drink liquids in the first week and gradually eat soft foods in the second week and return to your normal diet after 3 weeks.** - **Most of the people who perform gastric balloon lose weight after about three months, but the amount of weight loss in each person depends on the initial weight and the ability of the person to follow the diet and implement a proper exercise program. It is necessary to have a new diet and exercise program after gastric balloon surgery.** - **In the third to sixth weeks, your appetite will increase and you will tolerate the food you eat better. The important thing is that you should eat slowly and do not pay attention to the symptoms that make you uncomfortable, but eat food in specified portions so that your health is not affected. If you eat too fast, you will have hiccups, stomach reflux and nausea.** - **In the first week of pregnancy, you will lose weight significantly. At this time, men will usually lose between 3.5 kg and 6.5 kg, but women will usually lose about 1.5 to 3.5 kg in the first week.** - **During the seventh to the second week, weight loss continues, which is usually not done at a slower pace than the first 6 weeks. From now on, it's important to focus on healthy, nutrient-dense foods to maximize weight loss and follow the meal plan your doctor gives you.** **During weeks 12 to 26, you can still focus on losing weight. Of course, for this, you must still be faithful to your healthy diet and exercise program.** - **Besides the food plan, it is necessary to have an exercise plan. For proper physical activity, you can register in the gym or walk regularly.** - **Limit the consumption of sweets, fats, as well as carbonated and caffeinated liquids after gastric balloon surgery.** - **It is better to put your head higher than your body while resting and sleep on your left side for a while.** - **Be sure to include foods rich in nutrients in your food plans, such as vegetables, fruits, meat and fish.** ### **Gastric balloon removal** **After six months, the balloon is removed from your stomach through endoscopy. To remove the gastric balloon, the doctor will determine a time for you, and after the time is determined, you must change your diet to a liquid diet for three days before the balloon is removed. During this time, you should only eat liquids for three days.** **Daily consumption of a glass of carbonated water will help to wash the food stuck to the balloon and make the balloon more clear to remove, and there will be no problem when the food comes out inside the lung. You should also stop eating at 12:00 PM before removing the balloon. You should not even drink water and you should go to the clinic on an empty stomach to perform the procedure.** **When the gastric balloon is removed, your doctor will likely give you a mild sedative or a light anesthetic. To remove a gastric balloon, the balloon is deflated and then removed with a fork inserted through a tube into your mouth.** **To remove the balloon from the stomach, sedative drugs are injected through a vein and the heart and lungs are controlled with a device, but general anesthesia is not necessary. Then, to remove the balloon, the endoscope enters the stomach.** **The endoscope approaches the balloon inside the stomach. The sclerosant needle connected to the endoscope enters the balloon and drains the liquid inside. After the doctor is sure that the liquid inside the balloon is empty, the needle is removed.** **Then the grasper enters and grabs the balloon from the opposite side. In this situation, the doctor slowly removes the grasper and the endoscope from the stomach with the help of observation through the endoscope, and the patient can be discharged after half an hour.** ** After removing the balloon from the stomach, it is also necessary to follow some points, otherwise you will face the return of weight:** - **Eat slowly first, which is the best option for digestion and weight loss.** - **Secondly, eat your meals according to the meal plan.** - **After removing the gastric balloon, it is necessary to continue the new exercise regime, otherwise you will return to your previous weight. Therefore, if you return to your previous lifestyle after removing the balloon, you will be overweight again.** ### **Appropriate meal plan after balloon operation** ** It is necessary to follow a proper diet after gastric balloon surgery. Otherwise, it can lead to serious and annoying complications. You can use the following meal plan** **Follow the gastric balloon.** - **first day** **On the first day, you should not eat and only drink liquids and water.** **If you drink these liquids too soon, you may vomit.** - **second day onwards** - **From the second day to the fifth day, continue to drink water and liquids and avoid eating solid foods.** - **Drinking liquids should be enough. For example, drink 1.5 to 2 liters of fluids per day. Of course, drink in small and frequent sips.** - **You can consume other drinks besides water and tea, such as thin strained soups, milk (low-fat or semi-fat) and diluted fruit juice in the form of half water and half fruit juice.** - **consumption of pureed solid food** - **After the first few days, when you tolerate liquids, you can start eating solid foods.** - **Start with pureed foods such as pureed meat and fish, potatoes, thicker soup or porridge softened with plenty of milk.** - **When you are eating and as soon as you feel full, stop eating because if you overeat you may get sick.** - **When you tolerate pureed foods well, you can start eating softer foods such as minced meat, soft meat, soft fish, vegetables, and also crunchy foods such as crispy bread that soften easily in your mouth.** - **Consumption of vitamin supplements** - **For the first month after inserting the balloon, you must take a multivitamin supplement for adults and chewable or liquid minerals once a day.** - **After the first month, you should be able to take pills. You can choose a variety of multivitamins and minerals.** - **You may need to take additional supplements, which you must consult with your nutritionist or doctor. For this, you can do a blood test.** - **Changing the way you eat** - **Eat slowly, take small bites of solid food and chew.** - **Be sure to eat slowly and stop eating as soon as you feel full** **We expect your first meals to be no more than 3-4 meals.** - **When you are on a soft diet, you should not eat more than one plate.** - **When you can eat solid foods, your meal pattern should be as follows:** - **Have three regular meals without snacks a day.** - **Plan your meals in advance.** - **Choose foods that are mostly solid.** - **Choose foods from all major food groups.** **Each main meal should contain protein such as meat, fish, beans, beans, vegetables and carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, potatoes.** - **Eat one bite of each food in turn.** - **Avoid eating high-fat and sugary foods.** **Do not eat food and liquids together and avoid drinking for 30 minutes after eating.** - **Before eating and 1 hour after eating, focus on enjoying your food.** - **Avoid facing the TV and talking on the phone while eating.** - **Pay attention to your body's signals of hunger and satiety and learn when you feel full and when you don't eat.** - **Chew each bite 20 times.** - **Pause for 20 seconds between bites.** - **A meal should last approximately 20 minutes.** - **beverages and liquids** - **Avoid eating liquids 30 minutes before and 1 hour after meals.** - **Try to drink 2 liters of liquids every day and always have a drink with you.** - **Drink slowly throughout the day. A small glass should be consumed in 1 hour.** **Do not use a straw to drink your liquids. This may cause gas or bloating.** **Foods you should not eat.** - **Some foods may stick to your balloon.** - **Foods such as overcooked rice, overcooked pasta and soft dough breads are likely to be sticky and should be avoided.** - **Avoid eating foods that are hard to chew, such as meat, stringy vegetables or fruits with skin, nuts, popcorn, etc.** - **Large pieces of food can cause obstruction and vomiting. So make sure you chew your food well.** - **Avoid chewing gum because it causes bloating.** **\*Gastroenterologist in Mashhad\***