When you’re overweight, your health and your self-esteem suffer. You’ve probably been told to change your diet or exercise more, but that doesn’t work for everyone. If you want to lose weight without invasive surgery, what can you do? The Obalon® Balloon System is a noninvasive procedure that allows you to get rid of the pounds fast.
At Snow Bariatric Center, which serves the communities of Fort Worth and Flower Mound, Texas, Dr. Robert Snow provides weight loss solutions in a variety of ways. Dr. Snow and our team give you a number of options when you want to be healthier by shedding excess weight.
The Obalon Balloon System is an innovative way to effectively lose weight, while also making lifestyle changes to accommodate sustainable weight loss. The system is nonsurgical and only requires you to swallow a pill.
If your BMI is between 30 and 40, and you’re ready to commit to dietary and lifestyle changes, Dr. Snow recommends the Obalon Balloon System to help you achieve your weight loss goals.
The balloon is encased in a gelatin pill and is made of plastic. It’s folded up inside the pill, which has a tiny tube connected to it. Once you swallow the capsule, Dr. Snow verifies its placement in the stomach with an X-ray. Then, he inflates the balloon with a nitrogen sulfur-hexafluoride gas mixture. The size of the fully inflated balloon is similar to an orange and effectively decreases the capacity of your stomach.
About a month later, you swallow another balloon to further decrease the available space and increase weight loss. Two months after the first balloon was placed, you can have a third balloon placed to enhance your results.
The balloons can stay in for six months, and then are all removed in an endoscopy procedure. You need sedation for this procedure, but it’s not surgical.
After the placement of the first balloon, there’s really no downtime involved. You can go home, but shouldn’t eat any solid foods for the first few days. You may have an upset stomach, so it’s important that you drink plenty of water during this time.
Dr. Snow recommends a liquid diet for the first three days after the placement of the Obalon balloon. This allows your stomach to get used to the foreign object, and decreases nausea and vomiting.
You’ll follow a very structured routine for the six months after the balloon is placed. For the first few weeks, you need to modify your eating habits to allow the balloon to do its job and help you lose weight.
Dr. Snow and our team follow your progress very closely during this time. You may see a nutritionist or a personal trainer to help you establish an exercise routine that’s right for you. He tracks your weight and measurements frequently to keep tabs on your progress.
After the six months are up, Dr. Snow removes the balloons with a short endoscopic procedure. He simply inserts a flexible tube with a camera through your mouth and into your stomach.
You can go home the same day, but you’ll need a driver since you had sedation. The key to success is sticking to your diet and exercise routine after the balloons are removed.
One of the great advantages of the Obalon Balloon System is that it’s not a surgical procedure. This greatly decreases any risks to your body and health.
You are, however, putting a foreign object in your stomach, so you may experience some side effects, such as abdominal pain or bloating.
Nausea and vomiting may also occur as your body gets used to the balloons in your stomach. You may also have a little bit of indigestion.
The Obalon Balloon System uses gas to fill the balloon instead of liquid, which is a much safer alternative.
If you’re interested in losing weight using the Obalon Balloon System, please call one of our offices in Texas today. You can also request an appointment online using the booking tool on our website.
