Christopher E. McGowan, MD

Hi My name is Rosie! This review is my 2 year Post ESG UPDATE YEYYYYY OMG, I don’t even know how to begin… 2 years ago, I was hopeless, depressed and tired. At 233 pounds on a 5’4 body frame, my knees made me unable to walk more than 10 minutes, therefore I had to leave my loving career behind.(hairstylist/beauty instructor) Couch bounded, sick and just sad I was broken in every way. Until one day I read something online about ESG and decided to look further. With ESG being a novel procedure I was very careful in choosing my provider and I wanted the most experienced Doctor, so when I researched further, Dr. Christopher McGowan came online as the most authority in ESG. I went on youtube ask him a couple of questions and after that On the following week, I packed my bags and traveled from Atlanta to North Carolina seriously on a leap of faith on only getting some kind of help, however thanks to True You, My family and I are forever grateful for this wonderful work that was so transformative in my life! I was looking for a little help, and gained my whole life back!

COULDN'T AGREE MORE!!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. I was so excited to lose 35-40 lbs that I gained in a blink of a eye. I’ve tried EVERYTHING my GP has put me on weight loss med didn't work I did all kinds of blood test everything came back normal thyroid, blood sugar, I was low in vitamin b12 so the Dr. made me come in for b12 shots snd continue on my weight loss med NOTHING Tenuate didn't work phentermine didn't work I did over the counter alli nope I worked out I did the KETO diet I did the HCG shots and diet spent money on personal trainers nothing was working. Then I heard about the ORBERA BALLOON, I did my ORBERA research I was over the moon ready to get in and do this I thought I found my golden ticket.So many positive reviews online. I scheduled my procedure RIGHT AWAY! (5/9/19) I haven't lost much weight i fluctuate 5-10 lbs I thought at first it was because it was hard to follow my diet because I was working 10 hour days 4/5 days a week and didn't want to pass out at work. I made a drastic decision and stoped working.I was going into a real deep depression and thought I wasn’t working out enough eating right.I called my ORBERA Dr asap and voiced my concerns.My Dr. and his nurse are amazing and very informative the Dr. immediately put me on Saxenda (rx day 8/22/19) the Dr was assuring me this was going to help me loose another few lbs but like the other things it hasn't worked I'm just more bloated more gassy and a new symptom burping. Im so depressed I haven't been able to get out much because I’m just out of it mentally exhausted. I have tried everything except for a more invasive weight loss surgery and that is something 1. I cant afford and 2. I’m not at the BMI I have to be at. After I have my ballon removed in about 1 1/2 months I'm scared I will spiral up and gain weight and for certain fall into a deeper depression. I paid for something that didn't help me.This procedure may help a-lot of other people just be aware that you may fall into the little to no weight loss category or the heavy side effects that come with it. Side note; Dr McGowen and his nurse are extremely compassionate and caring. I had a choice to go to a Dr that was about a hour away from me but decided on Dr McGowen who is 3 1/2 hours away. (I consulted with both drs before I made my decision) Im sorry for the rant but this is my experience and I’m close to my 6mo mark and have lost a whole 5-10 lbs again it fluctuates

Previously I worked for a large corporation in technology so I would be sedentary all day long, in addition to being stressed out and not want to do anything after working late in the evenings. I would rush home to de-stress by binge watching TV and ordering elaborate meals to go. Eventually my fat jeans became the only jeans I could wear and eventually becoming too small. I started walking, and eating food only from health food stores like Whole foods. My personal motivation for the procedure began when I became tired of working at losing weight with no progress. For me nothing was working. Not light cardio, not eating foods exclusively from the local health grocery store, nothing. After seeing the Orbera commercial a couple times I googled Doctors in the area that provided the procedure. I called the doctors office and scheduled a consult and everything was seamless. I had a ton of questions and concerns that were all answered and then the procedure was scheduled. I did quite a bit of research prior and every question or concern I had was answered with confidence from the Doctor. The placement of the balloon feels like you have a large meal and I did not have any bad side effects. The only nausea I experienced was day 2 or 3 walking in the grocery store near the raw meat counter. Being hydrated definitely helped and the weight seemed to fall off. I resumed my normal routine immediately and had no issues. I made a point to take a multivitamin and the only thing I had to get accustomed to was not eliminating often as there was not much food going in. Working out just took my results to the next level. As of my removal date I was around 55lbs down!

I decided it was time to make a change in my life for an overall better way of life by losing weight. I've put on weight over the past 4 years and after hearing about the Orbera procedure thru friends, social media and YouTube, I decided to do a little more research and learn more about the procedure. After an extensive review of the procedure I decided I wanted to go for it.  I searched for local providers in my area  but their were none, the closest doctor I came across was Dr. Christopher McGowan at Cary Gastroenterology in Cary, NC. I too researched him. Everything I read about him and his service as a physician was extremely positive which put me at more ease of making the next step of contacting his office to initiate the beginning of my weight loss journey. I sent an online query on a Tuesday morning and immediately recieved a phone call from his office. The representative who assisted me was named Tiffany. She provided me with thourough information regarding the procedure, cost, and arranged an appointment for me to meet the physician the same day to discuss next steps in receiving my Orbera balloon. I arrived at Dr. Mcgowans office that afternoon for a consultation nervous as nervous can be. I was promptly checked in and greeted by Tiffany and then escorted by Dr. McGowan's assistant Tesha to begin my consultation. My encounter with Dr. Mcgowan was nothing short of AMAZING. He explained the procedure in depth to me, listened to my goals, explained the risk and never made me feel uncomfortable in starting this journey. After my consultation and meeting Dr. McGowan I knew he was the physician for me. I immediately decided to schedule. His assistant Tesha came in with me and coordinated my surgery date, provided me prep information and provided me reassurance that, Dr. Mcgowan, herself and Tiffany will be with me every step of the way. She never lied!!! After my procedure Dr. McGowan gave me his personal cellphone number so I can call or text him if I had any issues. I've called him, texted him and he has never failed in responding to me. He has been so supportive of me in this journey. Im currently down 32 pounds and 18 more to go to meet my target goal of 50. Dr. Mcgowan has been great in encouraging me to lose weight. Because of him I'm finally confident again and back to living my BEST life. Im extremely satisfied in choosing Dr. McGowan and Orbera....two of the best decisions I've made in years.

I've struggled with my weight for 8 years. I would succeed for a while and then regress. I've had the most success with this because the more I lose, the more I want to keep moving. Cons: 0 really. Air pumped into abdomen in initial procedure caused pain for 4 days [this is rare]. (I will add photos later.) Updated on 13 Oct 2017: I've struggled with my weight for 8 years. I would succeed for a while and then regress. I've had the most success with this because the more I lose, the more I want to keep moving. Cons: 0 really. Air pumped into abdomen in initial procedure caused pain for 4 days [this is rare]. (I will add before/after photos later.)

I had the Orbera balloon inserted in October 2017. Removed April 2018. I lost a total of 26 lbs at most. I was extremely sick for the first 4-5 months, and I lost most of my weight during the first 1-2 months. I was too weak and sick to even walk, nevermind work out. I took the nausea and heartburn medicine as prescribed. I did not experience heartburn, but I was nauseous all day, everyday (even when I was sleeping). I vomitted so bad sometimes that I thought the balloon was gonna come out as well. Most of the time I would just vomit bile or water because there was nothing left inside of my stomach. I was so weak and exhausted all the time that I had a nurse come to my house to give me IV fluids on atleast 4 occassions. Luckily I was unemployed at the time so I could lie in bed all day with a bucket beside me. Which kinda made it worse because of the debt that I incurred without any results to show for it. Once it was removed, I was still traumatized by food and scared to eat for about the first month. But after that the weight came back on pretty quickly. By 2 months after removal, I was back at my original weight. I had always eaten pretty healthy and exercised moderately, so when the weight started coming back I was confused. The doctor tried every presription under the sun to help me lose weight. Phentermine and several others. One costed almost $100 for 7 days worth (and I had really good insurance). Not to mention I kept getting billed for the nurse to come to my house to do the IV treatments. I was extremely dehydrated because I vomitted so much. I had a toddler at the time so it was devastating for him to watch me be so sick all the time. Everyone is different, this is just my experience. I am one of the ones that believed that simply changing eating habits and exercising would work. I tried everything. Before and after the balloon (not during because I was too sick), I really tried everything. I followed the nutritional plan, got a personal trainer, took the meds, etc. The only good thing about this whole experience was Dr. McGowan, his nurse Tesha and Tiffiney. From day one, Tiffiney was a doll. I felt like she was family by the time it was all over. Tesha, the same. Along with Dr McGowan, their customer service, support, responsiveness, helpfulness, compassion, etc was unmatched by any Dr and team I've ever had. I know it's not their fault that the balloon did not work for me personally. I met and kept in touch with another lady who had an even worse experience than I did. She removed hers early and only lost a total of 8 lbs. She is livid. But anyway, the doctor and his team made the experience less traumatic for me because of their great service. I don't know if they are just great salespeople or what, but I am convinced and absolutely sure that had I had another team this review would be way more of a bashing rant. They truly were awesome. Dr. McGowan is very knowledgeable and patient. My aftercare ended over a year ago, but if I called or emailed him right now, his nurse would respond willing to help in anyway, right away. I did just refer a friend of mine and she's most likely going to go forward based on my praises of Dr. McGowan and his team. I'm now considering the ESG but I can't afford it right now as I'm still paying off the Orbera bill. Lol. Good luck. Just pray about it before you make a decision.