I had the gastric balloon in for eight months and will tell you the good and the bad. The first few days were pretty bad, nausea and some vomitting. It does take some getting used to. I would suggest having four or five days to recover before getting back to work. I lost 21
pounds during the time I had the balloon. It may not seem like a lot but it meant a lot to me. If you eat too much, it physically hurts so you learn to cut back on your portions. I found the smelly burps were worse when I ate a lot of vegetables, especially salads. I drank water with some lemon juice to help. But they were still there. I had to take an acid reducer, omeprazole, twice a day for the entire time I had the balloon. It was meant to only be taken once a day. The stomach acid production was intense. The balloon is not a magic
cure, after a couple of months, you can pretty much eat what you like and the quantities gradually increase. The best part is that now it is out, I never want to feel the desperation I felt before having the balloon so I am committed to maintaining my reduced portions and excercise. I thought after having the balloon out I would feel very hungry but, for now, I'm not. It is not a magic
cure but can reinforce reduced portions so your brain can get used to being satisfied with smaller amounts. For right now, I know I don't want to go through it again but can't say it was all bad. Good luck to all that try it. It again becomes a personal choice. I was lucky, nothing really bad happened. I am now on to a reduced portion and excercise program to maintain and reinforce what I was able to accomplish during the last eight months.
