I’ve had issues with my weight all of my life, however, it became even more difficult to control following a car accident in 2013 whereby I was diagnosed with chronic nerve pain in my lower back. This pain affected my mobility for many years, so I found it difficult to walk a distance or exercise in the gym. I am also a nurse; as you can imagine, we tend to eat on the run due to such a busy environment. I chose to eat chocolate as my go-to snack because it was easy and fast between seeing to patients and running the shift.
I had a bad relationship with food and I was a terrible emotional eater. I would binge and even leading up to my balloon, I would eat around 5-6 bars of chocolate a day and eat McDonald’s every day for a full 4 weeks. I felt so fed up with how I looked but it made the eating worse because I was feeling so unhappy and struggling with my mood. I looked around the internet for something that could be used as a tool to aid me in finding the willpower and support to lose weight. I had been the biggest I had ever been hitting 17 stone.
Discovering The Gastric Balloon Group
I contacted a couple of companies and found The Gastric Balloon Group were the most professional and informative. Before I knew it they had booked me in for a consultation with the consultant 2 weeks following my initial call. Little did I know that this was going to be so massively life-changing for me.
The Balloon Fitting
I had my 12-month Orbera365 balloon fitted 10th Feb 2021, so as I write this I am week 17. The day I attended to hospital we remained in a national lock down – the hospital was set out so all clients where distanced. They had sanitizer available, washed pens between clients and more, making me feel 100% safe. The staff were welcoming as soon as I walked through the door and I was shown to my room within a couple of minutes. The ward nurses where amazing and continuously came to check on me and reassure me. The procedure went smoothly with a nurse by my side so I was never alone. Not long after this I was able to keep down a few sips of water and was then released home.
My First Week with a Balloon
The first week was a bit of a battle for me as my body adjusted to the balloon – I had nausea and vomiting along with trapped wind in my chest. Thankfully, I did have medications provided from the hospital to help with this. After around 5 days of the first week the side effects slowed down and by day 7 the nausea had stopped. Based on how I feel now I would do it all again. I returned to work after 1 week, however, due to my job being so demanding along with a lack of nutritional eating options I decided to take another week off.
The weeks following I begun trying different foods. I had to adjust to the new portion sizes as my stomach could only manage smaller amounts before it begins to ache. It’s given the opportunity to really experiment with food, and I now know which foods don’t agree with me such as pasta and rice.
Aftercare & New Progress
Through their aftercare package, GBG provided me with an excellent and extremely helpful Personal Trainer coach via online. I found myself struggling to motivate myself at Week 14, so I decided to sign up with a local PT at home instead. 17 Weeks into my journey and I have lost 35lbs (2 Stone 5lbs) and 34 inches across my body. It’s amazing!
I wouldn’t have been able to this alone without the balloon being the tool I needed to succeed. I’m beginning to feel my confidence grow, and now I’m finally feeling more comfortable with the skin I’m in. So far, the balloon has taught me a lot about portion control, eating healthy and not eating when I am not hungry. The balloon has changed my life and I will continue on this journey, hopeful that I will hit my target. I’m so glad I opted for the 12-month balloon as I still have around 4 stone to lose.
Thanks for All the Support!
I really like and appreciate that you get continuous support from GBG. I am contacted at least once a month for a check-up and review of progress. When these calls are made I am always reminded that if I am struggling or in need any further advice, I can contact the group at any time via phone or Email. This is something I would highly recommend if you are struggling with weight like I was before.
The balloon is a tool, you take away what you put in! I have treated this as a lifestyle change.
