As much as I like Blogger, I'd become frustrated with the lack of imaginative templates and also because it's been down recently.
I moved to the family website, same title, and a template I enjoy looking at:
Mrs. Spratt
See you there!
February 08, 2006
February 02, 2006
Stomach Balloons--Quick Fix?
The balloon technique is being tried out on big patients in Louisville, Kentucky but hasn't been approved by the FDA yet. What is it? A silicone balloon is slipped down the patient's throat, inflated with some saline solution and placed in the stomach for about six months. During that time, the balloon makes the patient feel fuller and so they don't eat as much.
I think of the things that people find so attractive about surgery is that the weight starts coming off...fast. The average weight loss is 33-44 lbs over the six months the balloon is in the stomach. That's an average loss of up to 1.6 lbs a week.
But what about those people who knock off at least that all by themselves? Well...I don't know how many people can lose like that but I sure can't anymore. My loss has been agonizingly slow so I can understand why a "quick fix" like balloon surgery would be appealing. After all, it's definitely less invasive than the lap band and let's not even discuss gastric bypass.
Some of the side effects include nausea but hey, I could live with that. But...what about other concerns?
What if it leaks? There's a blue dye in it to detect a leak.
What if it moves? It won't--it's too big.
Will it show through my abdomen? Nope.
I'm not sure why the magic number is six months, but at about that point the balloon is deflated and removed. If you still need to lose weight (as I would) then you'd get another one put in.
There is still one big concern: what happens when you're done losing weight and the balloon is removed? Does the weight stay off? In about 1/3 of cases, yes. Another 1/3 gains some weight back and another 1/3--OH NO!--gain it all back.
By the time the balloon comes out, though, doctors hope that the patients will have made lifestyle changes so that the weight stays off. This is definitely not one of those "as soon as this thing comes off, I'm getting a big piece of cake!" deals. Supposedly you get post-op support as well.
It's something I want to learn more about. I read the article here.
I think of the things that people find so attractive about surgery is that the weight starts coming off...fast. The average weight loss is 33-44 lbs over the six months the balloon is in the stomach. That's an average loss of up to 1.6 lbs a week.
But what about those people who knock off at least that all by themselves? Well...I don't know how many people can lose like that but I sure can't anymore. My loss has been agonizingly slow so I can understand why a "quick fix" like balloon surgery would be appealing. After all, it's definitely less invasive than the lap band and let's not even discuss gastric bypass.
Some of the side effects include nausea but hey, I could live with that. But...what about other concerns?
What if it leaks? There's a blue dye in it to detect a leak.
What if it moves? It won't--it's too big.
Will it show through my abdomen? Nope.
I'm not sure why the magic number is six months, but at about that point the balloon is deflated and removed. If you still need to lose weight (as I would) then you'd get another one put in.
There is still one big concern: what happens when you're done losing weight and the balloon is removed? Does the weight stay off? In about 1/3 of cases, yes. Another 1/3 gains some weight back and another 1/3--OH NO!--gain it all back.
By the time the balloon comes out, though, doctors hope that the patients will have made lifestyle changes so that the weight stays off. This is definitely not one of those "as soon as this thing comes off, I'm getting a big piece of cake!" deals. Supposedly you get post-op support as well.
It's something I want to learn more about. I read the article here.
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