Gastric Balloon in Turkey

What is Gastric Balloon?

Patients who have excess weight that they cannot get rid of with diet or exercise can benefit from gastric balloon procedure. Gastric balloon is an inflatable device that is placed into the stomach endoscopically for a certain period. It takes up space in the stomach, thus reduces the need to eat more food. The fact that it requires no surgical intervention makes it preferable for many patients.

Losing Weight with Gastric Balloon

Gastric balloon is found helpful to many people who want to lose weight. So as to lose weight after the gastric balloon surgery, you will need to follow a specific diet. This diet can be separated into three periods in terms of what you can consume:
1st Stage – Liquid Diet: In the first 7 days, you will need to follow a liquid diet. All the liquids that you consume should be smooth ones that contain no bits. So as to compensate for your protein need, you should drink high protein shakes. Herbal teas and clear soups will be your go-to drinks in this period.

2nd Stage – Puree Diet: Once the liquid diet period is over, you need to follow a puree diet. Again, the food you consume should not have any bits in it. You should aim for a creamy consistency when preparing your food. Everyday, you need to have 5-6 meals in smaller portions. The moment you feel full, you should stop eating. In this stage, you can puree pretty much anything and eat. Don’t forget that if you eat more than your stomach can hold, you might vomit.

3rd Stage – Soft Diet: While transitioning to the normal diet, you need to consume soft foods that you can mash with your fork. This period will last for 3 days. At this stage, you can start having 3 meals a day, and you can eat healthy snacks between the meals if you feel hungry. You can start eating scrambled eggs, beans, stews, cheese, etc. You should avoid food with mixed textures, like cereal, or food that have seeds.

4th Stage – Normal Diet: After 15th day, you can start introducing regular food in your diet. The only food that you might need to be careful about are dry meat, bread, rice and pasta as they might make you feel uncomfortable. You should have 3 meals a day without skipping, and should not leave more than 4 hours between the meals.
No matter on which stage you are, you should make sure that your diet is balanced. In other words, you should make sure that it contains enough nutrients. You should drink 2 liters of water everyday to keep your metabolism up and going. Also, you should drink some water 30 minutes after every meal to ‘clean’ the balloon.

 Who May Be a Candidate For a Stomach Balloon?

Gastric balloon surgery is a weight loss treatment. Anyone who wants to lose weight, but cannot with only diet and exercising can have a stomach balloon. It is also preferred as it does not require a high BMI level like other surgical procedures, like sleeve surgery or gastric bypass do. However, so as to reap the benefit of a gastric balloon, one must be strong-willed and follow the special diet strictly.

What Happens During The Gastric Balloon Procedure?

Gastric balloon procedure does not require general anesthetic. It is done under sedation in 20-30 minutes. Once the patient is unconscious, the surgeon places the balloon inside the stomach endoscopically. It is inflated in the stomach considering the patient’s stomach size. Once it is done, the patient can go home in 1-2 hours.

Recovery from Gastric Balloon Procedure

Gastric balloon Turkey is not an invasive procedure, so, there is not a long and uncomfortable recovery period. You are discharged from the hospital soon after the operation, and can return your daily life immediately. The only thing that the patient needs to adap to is the diet.

Gastric Balloon Side Effects and Complications

After a gastric balloon procedure, you might feel nausea and a bit of discomfort. These effects will only last for a few days and will not affect your daily routine. In rare circumstances, the balloon can deflate, or it can move through your digestive system. It will cause a blockage and will necessitate another procedure to remove the balloon.
Other risks are ulcer, a rupture on the balloon, or perforation on stomach wall.

How Long Should the Gastric Balloon Be in My Stomach?

Mainly, there are two types of gastric balloons; 6-month balloon and 12-month balloon. Gastric balloon price changes depending on the type. Considering your weight loss goals, you can choose one of them. 6-month balloon is relatively cheaper and does not necessitate much post-op checks. Once it is done, unless you have a problem, you can keep it until the 6th month. However, 12-month balloon necessitates regular post-op checks in every 3 months to see if the balloon needs any adjustments. Also, as the balloon will stay in the stomach acid, even though the material can withstand it, the surgeon needs to check if there’s any ruptures or damage on the balloon.

Average Weight Loss with Gastric Balloon

How much weight you lose after having a gastric balloon depends on your routine, and metabolism. Generally speaking, gastric balloon helps losing 7-15% body weight in the first 6 months. If the patient prefers proceeding with the treatment, the total weight loss can go up to 30-45%. However, so as to get these results, the patient should strictly follow the post-operative diet and maintain a healthy lifestyle in general.

Do I Need to Exercise After Surgery?

After having a gastric balloon, you will be advised to adopt a healthy lifestyle. So, you should start exercising as well. In the beginning, you can start with 10-minute walks around the house, and increase the duration gradually. In time, once you get used to the routine, you can introduce new exercises like cycling, swimming or weight lifting to your routine to both encourage weight loss and help maintaining your wellbeing.

Can I Drink Alcohol After Balloon?

After having a gastric balloon, it is not advised to drink alcoholic beverages until you are 6 months post-op. In the event that you consume alcohol, you might experience discomfort, heartburn, increased gastric acid production. Also, alcoholic beverages are generally rich in calories, so it is against the goal you are trying to achieve.

Is Gastric Balloon Safe in Turkey?

Turkey hosts many gifted surgeons in different areas. Thus, it has become a very popular destination for people from all around the globe for different healthcare services. Gastric balloon is one of these procedures that has become very common lately due to its non-invasive nature. Gastric balloon surgery cost is also relatively cheaper in Turkey. Before committing to anything, you need to take your time to find an experienced surgeon. You should be comfortable enough to ask all your questions and ensure that you make an informed decision.

Gastric Balloon Price in Turkey

Gastric balloon price in Turkey is cheaper when compared to other countries, which is why many people prefer visiting Turkey to get the treatment done. Even though there are factors like the surgeon’s fee, hospital fee and other expenses like transportation, accommodation, etc. gastric balloon surgery cost is still reasonable in Turkey.

The aim of this article is to give you a general information about the surgical intervention in question. You need to make more research about possible complications and risks of this selected procedure in order to make an informed decision. Please note that complications occur more frequently with patients who are obese, smoke, and have a history or lung or other chronic underlying medical conditions.

Smokers are recognized to have a significantly higher risk of post operative wound healing problems with a subsequently higher potential of infection as well as operative and post operative bleeding. Patients should discontinue smoking for two weeks before and two weeks after surgery. Although it helps to stop smoking before and after surgery, this does not completely eliminate the increased risks resulting from long­ term smoking. Smoking also has a long term adverse effect on the skin and ageing process.