Gastric Balloon Journey

Today is day 5 since the procedure and I feel completely and utterly rubbish. I don’t have the energy to structure a post so I’ll bullet point. I wasn’t well sedated and the procedure was horrific.  The flight home made me very weepy and I had cramps the whole way.  I vomit 1-2 times per day I’m dehydrated- my pee looks like orange lucozade I am taking pain relief, anti sickness, anti acid reflux x 3 (an acid, gaviscon and Raniditine) and a multivitamin  My meals consist of sipping water throughout the day I haven’t tried blending food or anything yet- today I’m mixing an isotonic drink with water and trying that. Yesterday I had half a cup of tea.  My energy levels are almost non-existent.... Besides after my midday vomit, when I feel fabulous and can function like a human for 2 hours.  I wish I had it done in this country so I felt like I could ask for some advice, and maybe an IV drop.  I weighed myself yesterday and I’ve lost 10lbs in 4 day...

Today is the day! I'm flying to Prague at 16:10 today.  It dawned on me that I've never stayed overnight in a hospital in my life. I've never been more than an outpatient for a scan. I've never worn a hospital gown - will everyone see my butt in it?  I'm not going to lie- the nerves are creeping in. I'm not sleeping properly. I'm not worried about the procedure so much (I've never been under anesthetic before), but the afterwoulds is scaring me. I hate nothing more than being sick, I cry and gag and sweat and I think there's no worse feeling.  Then there's the potential stomach cramps... I cry when I pluck my eyebrows which is an indication to my pain threshold.  I've packed some protein water, some ice lolly moulds, some vomit bags.... and I'm just hoping everything is alright. I plan to update my blog daily while I'm away. I might even record a video from the clinic.  Wish me luck! 

I’ve been having some issues with communication with the clinic in Prague. It was one thing I was worried about with booking it abroad. I’ve been the Prague twice before, and both times I’ve noticed that customer service isn’t really something they pride themselves on, so I shouldn’t be surprised. Initially, I didn’t get the email reply to my enquiry, but then when Vojta, my contact resent it, I could see he had sent it before...But I’ve had to chase them down for almost a week for a booking confirmation. I even sent an email to them threatening to look for another clinic, then BAM! Reply instantly.  I’ve seen numerous people have traveled to Prague, but now it’s filling my head with doubts.  Today I had to make the decision- do I trust this place? I had already booked flights and accommodation.... But I could live with that loss. However, today I was asked for my deposit.  I decided to trust it. I know a few people have said online that they used this clinic, so ...

I decided to start preparing what I’ll need to take to Prague for my gastric balloon procedure 1 month prior to leaving the country. After all, one of the life changing aims of this is to become more prepared.  In the months leading up to the procedure, I’ve read reviews, personal accounts, FAQs from doctors, and all kinds of tales about the few days following the procedure. It’s grim.  Basically, sticking a foreign object down your throat and into your stomach does not make it happy. Pretty much every patient who gets the 1 year balloon suffers a cocktail of nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps while your body tries to get rid of the balloon. Some people end up on a drip due to dehydration. Getting the procedure in a foreign country adds extra need for preparation. If I need something, I can’t just nip to Holland and Barrett and translation apps aren’t always the best, so I figured becat to take things with me which I can. The procedure does include anti nasea, indiges...

A week of difference  Since booking my appointment for gastric balloon insertion, I’ve been trying to be more Mindful about what I eat and how much I move. My friends and I are doing a step challenge which is really helping. I got the least amount of steps in the whole group last week, so this week, even if I was the worst I’d make a big improvement.  I’m working on a target of 10,000 steps per day. It sounds easier than t is! I’ve been to the gym most days and on the day I didn’t go to the gym I had to do an hour walk to get my steps!  It’s going well though! I’ve lost 1.9kg in a week! And I’m super happy that my friends are supporting me. I’ve been slowly telling people about the procedure and feeling more confident to mention it to people.  1 month and 2 days until insertion.  I’m only on 9165 steps, off I go.....

What Clinic Should I Choose?  Back in February this year, after another failed New Year diet attempt, I started looking into the gastric balloon. I felt like it was now or never, that it is something that I need to do in order to prove to myself that I can lose weight and become a healthier person.  I looked into  NOSC  which handily has a clinic in Washington- about 20 mins drive from me. I also went onto a couple of other websites -  Nuffield Health , Spire Healthcare and some others. I had decided earlier this year that I would end up going through NOSC, based mostly on the level of support provided.  According to their brochure, they provide you with a dietician, personal trainer and weekly catch up calls with an advisor to check how you're doing. This sounded great  to me because I'm useless but massively afraid of failure, so someone checking in on me would have to make me work harder. In the last 4 weeks however, I decided to go in ...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I’ve officially booked my trip to Prague for the gastric balloon insertion.  I fly out on 01.10.18 and return on 05.10.18. My flights were not that expensive (105GBP per person) and an apartment through AirBnB was 117 GBP for the 4 nights. My dad is coming with me, because it’s the only way to keep my mam from freaking out about the whole thing. I can tell from her voice that’s she’s nervous about the whole thing, but she trusts I’ll be okay with my dad there to support me. Now that I’ve booked it I’m not actually sure how I feel, but somehow all this chatter, and telling a few of my friends over the past few days has been made a lot more real. For the first time since considering the balloon, I actually feel a little scared.  What if it doesn’t work?  What if I’m still hungry and manage to overeat with the balloon? What if something medical happens and the doctors in the UK refuse to treat me?  And worse of all, niggling at the back...

Hi. Welcome. This is something I haven't done in so long, I'm not sure I can put into words how I'm feeling. Somehow it's easier for me to type than to speak out loud about topics like weightloss, diet (ugh), exercise, but I know that once I tell the world what I'm doing, there will be questions asked to my face, and I'm not sure I'm ready to answer them yet.  But I know where I want to start; Today, I stepped on the scale for the first time in months. I was outraged at the number in front of me. Why had I been avoiding the scaled in the first place? Because I knew I was bigger than I'd ever been, and becauase I knew I've been shovelling food down my throat like it was going out of fashion. I've been buying bigger clothes, it's a cycle I know only too well. Lose weight, gain weight, lose weight, gain weight. I've done it my entire life.  I'm pushing 30 and, I feel it. I know I'm not as sprightly as 16 year old me, r...