John S. Weaver, MD

So I had the obera insterted on 4/2/18. I am 5ft 3in and weighed in at 200 I am 31 one years old and have kids. This morning I weighed in at 194 so six pounds lost so far. The nausea isn't great but not as bad others described. Ill I'll keep everyone updated through the proccess. Good luck to everyone else. Updated on 13 Apr 2018: So its now day 11 since I had obera and I have lost 11 pounds as of today I weigh 189 pounds. Im not having any problems with nausea or heartburn since day 3 however I do get "hunger pains" which I'm told is body trying to digest the ballon. I hope to continue to see weight loss and will continue to update this post.

I had my consultation today. I went in with my notes and ready to find out if I have missed anything. I'm waiting for my call to find out when I'll have the procedure. I'm hoping for one week from today, but it will happen when the room is available. I've been doing CrossFit for a few years now. But with this stubborn weight, I am unable to do everything that I want to. When you mention bariatric anything in the CrossFit world you are told, eat this, time your meals, count your macros. I do, I have, and I am. When I cut my calories down to what should be a deficit (cals in vs cals out) I'm hungry and still not losing. Since menopause, I can't seem to figure out my own body. Menopause has made me stuck. I know what's in store for me. I know how it works. I am ready! Updated on 1 Nov 2018: I received a call today letting me know I can have the Orbera balloon Nov. 3rd! I am so happy! I do my shopping tomorrow after my appointment with my Dr. I'll do the one week update to share how it goes for me. Updated on 6 Nov 2018: The procedure went well. I was prepped then next thing I remember is waking up with husband in the room. I was feeling full and thirsty. Started sipping on water got dressed and one my way home. In the car (hour ride) I sipped on PremeirProtein clear. Still felt full, like I needed to burp, no pain, just full. Skip ahead 5 hours, I threw what took me 5 hours to drink, didn't hurt, I actually felt beet after. Had a popsicle and started sipping again this time Propel. That took me all night. Finished up this am. Then the that up. I'm assuming some of the liquid is going through because I am peeing. Worse part is a no caffeen headache. So I made a very weak cup of coffee. Well see how that goes. I'm propped up on my left side other wise I feel fullness and discomfort. I've also taken Tylenol to help with my headache. Had another popsicle. So far so good! Updated on 12 Nov 2018: My first week has been pretty good. I've thrown up twice. Ist on the evening of day 1 and then the following morning. Heartburn is the worse first thing in the morning so that when I take omeprazole. I was told to take it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning with a sip of water, then 30 min later I can have breakfast. That seems to be working. I'm also needing to sleep on my left side to keep the heartburn away. I haven't needed any of the medication since day 4. I guess I have a tough stomach! By day 5 I was hungry. The liquid diet just wasn't cutting it anymore. So I moved onto soft foods and liquids. That's working so far. I've worked out once and have been moving until today. Today, day 7, I am tired. I feel worn out. I'm going to increase my fluid intake, I think I'm getting dehydrated. I've also had to take something for constipation, but then, I haven't really had "food" in 8 days only liquids, so who knows. I've lost 6 lbs, I'm sure 3 of them are water weight, but if I can drop 2lbs a week for the next 25 weeks I will be extremely pleased! I can't say I feel great but I do not feel as terrible as some of the people do. So far so good! Updated on 26 Nov 2018: With the Orbera I have had to learn what I can eat, how much, and when. I have had a couple of mishaps and ended up getting sick. I did, however, manage to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. I only chose my favorite foods and kept the portions very small. I can't eat solid food after 6 PM or I feel too full to sleep. I'll have a protein shake in the evening and seems to work. To combat the heartburn that was waking me up at 4 am every morning my Dr. told me I could take the antacid twice a day. I take one with my evening protein shake and sleep without problems. I am down 15 lbs and couldn't be happier. My goal is to lose 2-3 lbs a week and with the Orbera I believe it will happen!

26-days post procedure. I've struggled with weight my entire life but it has been a downward spiral since my thyroid was removed. Diets were unsuccessful and I was rapidly gaining with no diet increae. After the procedure, I dropped 9 lbs the 1st week but re-gained 3 lbs (likely water weight) the 2nd week. As of today, I am down 10 pounds. My goal weight is 130 lbs. Based on reviews I'd read and my discussions with Dr. Weaver, I was prepared for nausea but it was a non-issue. A few nauseous moments that quickly passed. I was proscribed several anti-nausea meds but stopped taking after day 3 because they made me so very sleepy. I was not prepared for being completely wiped out of energy and unable to focus the first 7 to 10 days. I've followed the diet regiment very rigidly with only one lapse while traveling. I track every single thing I've eat. I stopped all diet soda (this was a big one for me), alcohol, and caffeine. I lost the feeling of being uncomfortably full within 7 to 10 days. Started solid foods by week two. I take Tirosint (thyroid medication) multi-vitamin, colace, krill oil, prilosec, calcium, biotin and B-12 daily. I added fiber at the beginning of week three. I average 500 to 600 calories per day, 50 to 70 grams of protein, 25 to 30 grams of fat, 30 to 40 grams of carbs, and 60 to 70 ounces of water daily. Helpful Phone Apps: "Lose-It" (food tracker), "Round" (medication tracker), and my Withings scale. Isopure bottle drinks from GNC have been a good source of zero carb protein. I was out of town for work for 5-days last week, which was challenging. I packed Premier Protein shakes and Bariwise soups for meals. Socializing / meals out were extremely difficult but I maintained to stay mostly on track. Most nights I told the group that I needed to prepare the next day for work and skipped eating out in restaurants with the group. While at home, I make a white bean chicken chili (and add two scoops of Isopure protein powder) in the crock pot. That is my lunch and dinner most days. When I am craving carbs or something crunchy, I have 5 Nut thin crackers. I did a lot of research on my own about both the procedure and diet. I also have a friend who is almost 10-years post lap-band. She has been an invaluable diet resource. Otherwise, very disappointed in the nutrition support I've received. Sticking to the diet and retraining yourself to making good choices is the critical key to making the balloon work / for a successful outcome and yet the support seems insufficient. The nutritious did a phone consultation before the procedure that lasted about 20 minutes and emailed me recently to schedule another call at the end of February. The idea is to do a phone consulation every other month. I am thankful for my own research and friend. I am not sure that I would be so well informed or have enough information if it were not for my own research and friend. Dr. Weaver is pleasant, the balloon implantation was easy / uneventful, and he worked with me on maximizing my flex spending account as the procedure is not coverage by insurance. His office assistant called the day after the procedure to check on me. I was not asked to make a follow up appointment. So far so good but think I need a few more months to say it was worth it. With that said, I have been unable to lose ten-pounds by diet alone in the last 6 years so I am cautiously optimistic.Updated on 24 Jan 2017: A good point to add. The cost of medications, supplements, and protein shakes added about $300 to cost. Updated on 30 Jan 2017: Enjoyed lunch out with my husband yesterday. We ate at True Foods were most of the foods are greasy, local and organic. I ate about 1/4 of a turkey burger (first time I tried bread) and charred cauliflower as an appetizer. I felt very full but tolerated okay. It was nice to be out and be social. So far I'm down 11lbs.