Gastric Balloon
I joined a balloon FB group after hearing about this as it SOUNDS good...but to me it combines the worst of ANY bariatric for cost, pain, discomfort, problems, for LIMITED weight loss, no permanent change, and the only benefit is no surgery.
The worst it can offer is the ballon breaks and lodges in the intestines requiring immediate surgery, to me this method is as bad the the old 'wired shut jaw' of the 1980s.
People actually GAIN weight pigging out beforehand, so the $5-9K they spent is wasted losing the 15 they just gained for a total of only 20-30 lost.
Balloons come out after 4-6 months, cause MANY difficult daily/hourly issues with vomity, gastric distress, for very little reward ~ 20 loss lost.
What I saw on FB (which may reflect only the more uninformed posters) are people what int quick solution, do NOT even try to change nutrition habits, complain about not being able to eat favorite foods, etc.
NEW balloon ideas are coming- an air filled one, one that dissolves after 4 months.
There is competition from gastric MDs now to surgeons who no longer control the market.
NOT every weight can have this, I believe the BMI must be under 40...I could be wrong, the leader "Obera" is just one product in several other tools and equipment they make for bariatric.
"Data on the use of the system in 125 individuals with BMI 30 to 40 kg/m2 were presented earlier this year at Digestive Disease Week 2015. The participants lost an average of 22 pounds (10%) of their body weight after the balloon had been in place for 6 months and maintained 19 pounds of that weight loss 3 months after it was removed."
