Weight, Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Are All DOWN! - Connecticut

2 Months in and I have lost 17lbs/8%. My blood pressure dropped 20 points and my cholesterol dropped 35 points. So, would i do this all over again...YES! It was very expensive as insurance does not cover it. But I was on a diet roller coaster fro 3 years and was desperate as I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea (that's gone too!) I feel like I am back on track with my health. It has not been easy, however, so do not think this is a magic pill!

Insertion was simple. No pain, in and out of surgery center in 3 hours. First 24 hours was uncomfortable. Very nauseas, vomited twice, could only drink small quantities of water. I was able to eat soft, liquidy foods after 48 hours and then more regular solid food day 3 on. I ate about 1000 calories a day, the first week. Felt extremely full at the end of the day, and had brutal acid reflux the first month ( mostly at night, even with head propped up.) I was on 20 mg of omnaprezole, but doubled that after my first month and that helped tremendously with the reflux. I did not experience any weight loss my first week, which was beyond frustrating, as most people see a 3-5% or more weight loss then. I also experienced a lot of gas...burping and farting all day and all night (tums, gas x, rolaids, ginger ale - nothing helped!), which lasted about 7 weeks, then it all but disappeared. I also experienced morning nauseas the first 2 months, so rarely was able to drink a full cup of coffee and hardly ever eat breakfast. That has almost gone away too.

Because my weight loss was so slow the first few weeks, I began working out about week 3 (I really was too nauseas before that to even try!) I workout about 3 times a week and maintain about 1000-1300 calories a day. My weight loss has been slow and steady about 2 pounds a week.

I am just starting week 10 and have more energy than I have had in the last few years. I just had a full blood work up done to compare to before the balloon and my blood pressure and cholesterol are down significantly and my sleep apnea has improved a lot too.

So, was it worth it? Yes, so far! Realize, you have to fight through the first 2 months. It is not easy to adjust to this foreign object in your stomach. Even tonight...I had a bowl of almond milk and raisin bran for breakfast, greek yogurt for lunch and a bowl of sausage soup for dinner and feel stuffed up to my throat. And yes, spit up does happen when I overeat. Unpleasant, but a good reminder to not over eat!

The fullness sensation can be overwhelming sometimes. You need to relearn how to eat and drink with the balloon taking up the majority of your stomach space. Its easy when eating at home, but not so easy at restaurants, when old habits resurface. Forget having that glass of wine with dinner! Or even a glass of water...it takes up too much room. Salads, broccoli, asparagus and onions wreak havoc on my stomach these days. Even steak can be hard to digest. I tend to stick to yogurt, eggs, fish, soup and a small amount of carbs (like a lite english muffin or small baked potato.)

Good luck everyone. Please don't hesitate to ask me questions!