Gastric Balloon in Tijuana Mexico
A gastric balloon or intragastric balloon can be a good alternative for patients who are overweight or have grade I obesity and want to lose somewhere between 30 and 45 pounds, without having to undergo bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. During the gastric balloon procedure, Dr. Liza María Pompa González will insert a balloon inside your stomach to reduce its capacity for food by a third or up to half. The size of the gastric balloon will vary depending on the size of the patients’ stomach, gender, and height. This procedure is performed at our state-of-the-art surgical facility at LIMARP® in Tijuana, México
With a gastric balloon, patients can experience the long-term benefits of learning portion control while simultaneously losing weight; guided throughout their process by the nutritionists and psychologists of our multidisciplinary bariatric team.
What Is a Gastric Balloon Procedure?
This treatment involves inserting a saline-filled silicone balloon inside your stomach to help you feel fuller faster by limiting the amount of food consumed. Although stomach size varies from one patient to the next, the average stomach is around 1.5 liters in volume. Once the silicone balloon is inserted into your stomach, it is filled with a saline solution in order to occupy about half of your stomach.
A Non invasive Weight Loss Treatment
At LIMARP International Center of Excellence for Obesity in Tijuana, Mexico, we offer multiple options for gastric balloon as a noninvasive weight loss treatment. Rather than making an incision, Dr. Liza Maria Pompa González can insert the balloon directly into the stomach through the esophagus. Once placed, the balloon is inflated and restricts the amount of food you can eat at each meal.
How Is the Gastric Balloon Performed?
Before beginning the procedure, Dr. Pompa will perform a diagnostic endoscopy to ensure you are a good candidate. At LIMARP®, the gastric balloon is placed during a simple, nonsurgical procedure that takes less than 15 minutes and is done under mild sedation in one of our surgical rooms.
To start, your throat is numbed with a local anesthetic spray. This will help keep you comfortable during your treatment. Using a tiny endoscopic camera, the deflated gastric balloon is inserted into your stomach through your esophagus. Dr. Pompa will then use a small catheter or tube to fill the balloon with approximately 400 to 700 milliliters of sterile saline solution.
After the appropriate amount of fluid has been added, the catheter will be removed and the built-in seal will close the balloon.
Once placed and filled, the balloon will float inside the stomach, as it is too large to pass through the gastrointestinal tract.
Once your procedure is completed, you will be taken to a comfortable recovery room. You will spend one night at our hospital and our surgical team will monitor how you adapt to the balloon. In some cases, our local patients can go home in less than 24 hours, but this depends on various factors and can only be determined by our expert team.
What to Expect during Gastric Balloon Recovery
Once the procedure is successfully performed and you have been cleared for release, a friend or family member will need to drive you home. Patients who are cleared for early release must spend the first 24 hours in the company of someone they trust. If you are a foreign patient, we will ask you to stay at our facilities for the night and return home the next day with a companion.
Due to the endoscopic nature of the procedure, it is normal for the throat to feel sore for a day or two, you may also experience nausea and a feeling of fullness in the abdomen. Most patients are able to return to work and their normal routines in approximately three days.
You will be placed on a 14-day transition diet to help you adjust to your new eating habits. During the first days you will only have clear liquids, the rest of the week, you will be on a liquid diet which may include items like denser soups, yogurt and natural fruit juices. On days 7 through 14, you will follow a pureed food diet. This will help you transition to solid foods again
Life after Gastric Balloon Placement
With the Gastric Balloon in place, you will feel full sooner after meals, thus eating less and losing weight in the process.
During this time, it is important to change your long-term eating habits. You will work closely with a LIMARP dietician and specialist trained in the weight loss system to maximize your results. Your new healthy habits will not only aid you in achieving your weight loss goals, but also help you maintain a healthy weight. Patients typically achieve the most weight loss in the first six to eight months.
Once you have successfully responded to your new and improved healthy lifestyle, the balloon will be deflated and removed in one of our surgical suites and under sedation, you will be following a special diet prior to removal to aid in locating the balloon. It is important that once the balloon is removed you continue your healthy eating habits and exercise plan.
Benefits of the Gastric Balloon Procedure
Compared to other surgical weight loss procedures, the gastric balloon procedure provides patients with many benefits,* including:
- Nonsurgical treatment
- Reversible treatment
- No incisions or sutures
- Minimal recovery
- Fast and effective results
- It is important to note that weight loss is limited compared to that of other procedures.
Are There Risks of having Gastric Ballon?
Placement of a gastric balloon is a relatively safe procedure with little risk. However, like all medical treatments, uncommon but potential complications can occur, they include:
- Anesthesia: In rare cases, some patients may have an adverse reaction to the anesthesia used.
- Over-inflation: If too much saline is used to fill the gastric balloon, it can result in abdominal discomfort, vomiting, nausea or swelling of the stomach. These symptoms may occur as early as one week after the procedure. Removal of the balloon is often necessary to address these complications.
- Punctured esophagus: As with any endoscopic procedure, there is a minimal risk of the esophagus being punctured by the instrument. This complication is extremely rare.
- Stomach blockage: In extremely rare cases, the balloon may rupture, deflate and cause a blockage in the digestive tube. The intragastric balloon is filled with a dye that will change the color of your urine if deflated. It is important to contact your doctor right away should this occur.
- Stomach ulcer: To reduce the risk of a stomach ulcer, your doctor may prescribe an anti-ulcer medication, which is usually taken the entire time the balloon is in the stomach. This occurs because the balloon will naturally rub against the mucous of the stomach.
We will fully inform and educate you on each of the potential risks of the procedure and on how you can protect your health throughout the treatment.
Find out more today
Find out how the Spatz intragastric balloon can help you lose weight by scheduling an appointment with Dr. Pompa. Contact our office online or call (619) 270-8823 to talk to a member of our team.
Gastric Balloon FAQs
Choosing which weight loss procedure is right for you is an important decision that can significantly impact your life. At LIMARP®, we strive to ensure our patients make informed decisions about their treatment, to that end, Dr. Liza María Pompa González has answered some intragastric balloon FAQs to help you know more about this treatment, including how long you will need to keep the balloon, potential risks, and the expected results. If you decide to undergo this procedure, our team can provide treatment at our Tijuana, Mexico, practice where you will receive the highest level of care.
How is a Gastric Balloon Different from Other Treatments?
A gastric balloon is a non-surgical alternative to many popular bariatric procedures, such as the gastric bypass or duodenal switch surgery. This alleviates the need for incisions or extensive recoveries. Because the balloon is eventually removed, the procedure is also reversible.
What is the Average Weight Loss with Gastric Balloons?
According to a recent study, average weight loss after six months has been of about 11 percent of the patients’ total body weight. After about one year, patients have been able to maintain about 70 percent of their initial weight loss.
Schedule Your Consultation
Our team is always happy to answer any questions and address your concerns at any stage of treatment. To learn more about the gastric balloon as a weight loss solution, contact us online or call us at (619) 270-8823. Dr. Pompa will work with you to find a solution tailored to your needs.