People gain weight due to a sedentary lifestyle and unbalanced diet there are various options for eliminating the problem of excess weight, which in turn negatively affects people of different ages. Gastric balloon, one of these options.

What is a Stomach Balloon?

People who complain about their excess weight have a question about what is a gastric balloon. To begin with, we must say that this method has been applied all over the world and has proven its reliability. However, it is not a surgical procedure as it is believed. In some cases, it can be considered as a preparation for bariatric surgery. In the gastric balloon operation, a balloon filled with water or air is placed inside the patient’s stomach, and it is characterized as a process in which the patient does not sleep completely.”

The gastric balloon takes place under the influence of anesthesia, and since it is a simple operation, it takes a short time, which means that people should not be afraid of it. In addition, there are absolutely no complications that would put the patient’s life at risk after the operation. Many people wonder whether the gastric balloon is useful or not. The gastric balloon does not mean that the patient does not feel hungry after the operation. Because it is placed in the stomach only to restrict the basic amount of food that the patient eats. In other words, the stomach of a person who begins to eat in the shortest possible time is filled up and the feeling of fullness occurs, and therefore the person who eats less will lose weight as quickly as possible.

How is The Gastric Balloon Inserted?

Those who wish to take advantage of this procedure conduct research to find an answer to the question of how to insert the gastric balloon. The operation has a preparatory stage; Where the patient must fast for eight hours
before the operation. That is, the last thing that can be eaten eight or ten hours before the procedure. The person must come to the center where the operation will be performed on an empty stomach in the morning and then an intravenous line is opened to the patient before the operation, to give the patient intravenous sedatives, which in turn aims to put the patient in semi-dormant state.

Gastric balloon is characterized by being a painless process. During the procedure, a small camera called an endoscope is used to place the gastric balloon inside the stomach. Thanks to the image that the camera reflects on the external screens, the doctor who will perform the operation has an opportunity to see the internal structure of the stomach in detail. During the procedure, the camera is lowered over the esophagus into the patient’s stomach. At this stage, it is checked whether the patient has problems such as reflux, ulcers or gastritis.

Gastric balloon After it is lowered into the patient’s stomach, the inflation process begins, where a physiological serum is used to inflate the balloon, and as a result, the balloon inflates to a size of 450-500cc. This process is completed within a maximum of 15 minutes, during which the patient must rest for 1-2 hours after the operation. There are no serious side effects after the gastric balloon operation, and there is no problem for patients to continue their daily lives.

What are The Advantages of Tthe Gastric Balloon?

Due to the lack of a surgical procedure, patients are discharged in a very short time and go on with their lives.

• Using the endoscopic method, the balloon is placed in the stomach within a maximum period of 15 minutes.
• After the patient rests for a while, he returns to his daily life.
• In the event of unexpected complications, the gastric balloon is deactivated.
• Gastric balloon. It does not adversely affect the work of any organ, especially the stomach. In addition, when removed after 6-8 months, it is noted that the stomach returns to its original state.
• After the operation, within 6-8 months, the patient loses 9-15 kg of weight and begins to see the effect of the gastric balloon.
• It is a process that can be repeated if no benefit is found after its first procedure.
• Less expensive compared to other weight loss methods.

What are the Disadvantages of Gastric Balloon?

People’s health is not negatively affected by the gastric balloon.

• You may experience some side effects. They include vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea.
• The possibility of bleeding is very low.
• The risks of anesthesia and sedation are rare, if the health status of the individual is analyzed in the best way, these risks are eliminated.
• Note that the stomach balloon may burst or leak. But, thanks to technology, through examinations a solution to this problem was found.
• It is not a gastric bypass operation, so a person who does not care about his nutrition may not lose extra weight despite the gastric balloon.

What are the Side Effects of Gastric Balloon?

• Vomiting and nausea are one of the side effects of the gastric balloon. However, these effects disappear within two or three days at most.
• Because a foreign substance is placed in the stomach, the patient may feel abdominal pain for a short time.”
  Things to consider and nutrition after gastric balloon

Nutrition after gastric balloon procedure is very important, as experts recommend, that the patient should be fed a completely liquid diet, especially for the first two or three days. That is, soups, juices and grain-free compotes can be eaten. Also, plenty of water should be consumed, A person should consume 2 liters of water in summer and 1.5 liters in normal times.

Liquids should not be drunk during meals, the patient should start taking liquids half an hour after a meal. A protein-based diet should be preferred instead of carbohydrates. In addition to 30-35 minutes of walking daily, and exercise should not be neglected.

What is The Cost of a Stomach Balloon?

It must be said that citizens from different countries in both Europe and the Middle East come to Turkey for gastric balloon surgery, and the reason for that, is the low prices of the operation. In addition, attention is paid to even the smallest details to achieve patient comfort. The cost of a gastric balloon, averages 2500 USD. However, in order to obtain accurate information, you must communicate directly with the center that will perform the operation.