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Gastric balloons are one of the range of weight loss procedures that we offer at Phoenix Health. If you have a BMI over 27 the Orbera intragastric balloon could be right for you, particularly if you only need to lose a stone or two and don’t fancy the idea of more invasive treatments like weight loss surgery.
You have a choice of a balloon that can stay in the stomach for 6 months, or the newer Orbera 365 that can remain in place for up to a year.
The procedure involves swallowing a gastroscope (a flexible tube with a video camera at the tip) into the stomach under sedation or a light anaesthetic. It takes about 20 minutes and most people can leave hospital later the same day.
Nausea, cramps and sometimes vomiting are common in the early days after balloon insertion as your body gets used to it, but we will provide you with advice and medication to reduce the severity of these side effects.
Most of the weight lost happens in the first few months after insertion. The idea behind the 12 month balloon is to increase the likelihood that the weight lost will stay off for longer.
When it comes to balloon removal, this will involve another day case admission for a gastroscopy under sedation 6 or 12 months after insertion.
Under sedation your doctor will gently perform a gastroscopy to inspect your stomach and ensure that it is safe to insert the balloon. The balloon itself comes collapsed down within a soft thin tube that is passed alongside the gastroscope into your stomach where it is safely inflated under direct vision with sterile saline fluid containing a small amount of blue dye.
The filled balloon is too large to pass into the bowel beyond the stomach and so it stays behind causing you to feel full. This helps control food intake by decreasing portion size and appetite.
After 6-12 months (depending upon which balloon you choose) there is a risk that the balloon could start to gradually deflate and so you must return to have it taken out. This involves another gastroscopy under sedation during which the balloon is punctured, grasped and withdrawn from your stomach, gullet and mouth along with the gastroscope. It would be potentially dangerous to leave it behind because (unlike thinner balloons such as the Allurion Elipse balloon) deflated Orbera balloons do not pass easily through the intestine and there is a risk a deflated balloon that passed out of the stomach could cause intestinal obstruction requiring emergency surgery.
Watch the animation video to find out more about how we insert an Orbera intragastric balloon.
Cost is important, when considering any surgical procedure, but safety is always paramount.
Please don’t risk your life and health by choosing cut-price overseas surgery. UK surgeons regularly see the harm done to patients resulting from botched weight loss operations and inadequate aftercare arrangements.
Our GMC-registered UK-trained surgeons are regulated to a very high standard. They will have an honest and open discussion with you about the risks and benefits of different kinds of procedures and answer any questions you have. You can be confident you are getting good advice, and being treated by a reputable team who will always be there for you after your treatment.
If you like the idea of an Orbera balloon, the next step is to arrange a series of in-depth assessments with your surgeon and dietician. We also ask you to complete a screening questionnaire designed to identify unhelpful psychological or emotional factors (such as binge eating) that might prevent you getting the most out of your balloon. If we feel this is the case, we can arrange for a psychologist to give you one-to-one support if you wish. The Triple Assessment (surgeon, dietician and psychology screening questionnaire) costs just £100 but we will refund this in full if you undergo the procedure with us.
If you’re not suited to an Orbera balloon, you won’t have wasted your money as we will discuss alternative options with you. It is very rare for someone to be unsuitable for any kind of weight loss intervention.
We don’t believe that ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to aftercare. Our packages allow you to design a programme that suits your individual needs.
You can choose
All of our packages include support from dieticians who specialise in the nutritional needs of someone who has had a gastric balloon and all give you on-going access to our surgeons and nurses.
If you wish to have the balloon removed due to early intolerance we will do this for you at no additional charge.
To help you start your journey, we offer a range of flexible finance packages (subject to approval) that can spread the cost over 2- 5 years. Looking after your health is the best investment you can make. The cost of an Orbera balloon depends on the package you choose:
Should you be one of the unlucky minority who struggle to tolerate the balloon in the first couple of weeks, there is no extra cost to you for having it removed early.
What is the waiting time for Orbera gastric balloon treatment?
We can book you in for a free (refundable) assessment within a matter of days.
Once this is completed, if you are suitable for the Orbera balloon and happy to go ahead, we can give you a provisional date for treatment.
It is always a good idea to have a ‘cooling off’ period when taking big decisions, but even so it’s unusual to have to wait more than 4 weeks between consultation and treatment.
You will be treated in a private hospital with a choice of locations around the UK.
How much weight can I expect to lose with an Orbera intragastric balloon?
The number of stones or kg you lose depends on how high your starting weight was.
Clinical studies have shown that patients typically lose 10-15% of their body weight in the first 4 months after balloon placement.
So if you weighed 95kg (15 stones) we’d expect to see 1.5 to 2 stones weight loss, most of which is lost in the first 4 months.
Once the Orbera balloon is removed, won't I just put all the weight back on?
A gastric balloon is a great way to kickstart your weight loss and so long as you make healthy lifestyle and dietary choices a part of your routine you should keep most of the weight off.
Indeed clinical studies have shown that most of the weight lost in the first 4 months after balloon placement will stay off up to a year later.
What are the main complications of an Orbera gastric balloon?
In the first few days after balloon placement, mild to moderate symptoms related to the balloon are common and expected. These are:
Because we know these troublesome symptoms are likely to happen we provide you with a supply of strong anti-sickness and antacid medications along with advice as to how best to control them. They usually settle within 1 week.
If they don’t improve, we might have to consider IV rehydration or even early balloon removal. Analysis of thousands of patients who have had Orbera balloon insertions indicates that early removal is required in up to 4% of patients.
Are there other risks and side effects later on?
The first thing to say is that after the expected symptoms in the first week or so, most Orbera balloon patients don’t get any complications at all. So it is worth trying to persevere with troublesome early symptoms if you can.
Apart from early balloon intolerance, the most commonly reported later problems (all uncommon) are:
Why do you put some blue dye in the balloon fluid?
It gives us an early warning that a balloon is starting to deflate earlier than expected. Although harmless, the blue dye leaking out of a gradually deflating balloon will get absorbed by the stomach and excreted through the kidneys colouring your urine a blue-green colour.
If you see this colour change in your urine you must contact us straight away so that we can arrange for you to come in urgently and have the balloon removed before it fully deflates and becomes small enough to enter the narrower small intestine. If this was to happen there is a risk that the balloon will block the intestine and need surgical removal to relieve the obstruction.
How much does an Orbera balloon cost?
An Orbera balloon with Phoenix Health costs
If you are eligible for one of our flexible finance packages an Orbera balloon can be paid for monthly.
Can I get the Orbera Gastric Balloon in Ireland?
Yes.
At the present time we only offer a gastric balloon service (Elipse and Orbera) and outpatient follow-up/gastric band adjustment clinics in Northern Ireland.
Irish patients wishing to undergo gastric band, sleeve or gastric bypass surgery are treated in England and followed up either virtually or face-to-face in Belfast.
What are the main differences between an Orbera balloon and the Elipse balloon? I can see you offer both.
An Allurion Elipse balloon has the advantage that it does not require admission to hospital for sedation and endoscopy (a flexible camera passed into the stomach) as it is swallowed with a glass of water in the X-ray department.
It is also designed to deflate spontaneously after 4 months and pass safely through the bowel without causing obstruction. This means it doesn’t need to be removed by a doctor using a second endoscopy during a second hospital admission.
Weight loss results after Orbera and Elipse placement are broadly similar, although the Orbera can be left in place for longer (up to 12 months, compared with 4 months for Elipse).
There is some evidence that the Elipse balloon is better tolerated than Orbera in the early weeks after placement as it seems to have a lower early removal rate.
Because Orbera requires 2 hospital day case admissions, Orbera balloons are slightly more expensive than Elipse.
What are your Terms and Conditions?
You can read our terms and conditions here: Phoenix Health Terms and Conditions
Let’s take the first step today. Simply use this form to arrange a chat with one of our team. They’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about the procedure and set up your free* in-depth consultation with a surgeon and dietician.
Or give us a call on 01244 738 159 (Monday -Friday,
9am -5pm)
*£250 consultation charge (surgeon, psychologist & dietician) fully refundable when you book a procedure with Phoenix Health
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