Posts by Timothy Reed8

Sarah James7 said:A friend of mine did this back in Cleveland last year, and if I recall correctly, she shelled out about $6667 for the whole thing. She was constantly feeling miserable and nauseous—I guess you just can't eat like you used to anymore, so your body needs time to catch up. Anyway, the balloon actually ruptured while they were deflating her stomach at the hospital (it's a long story), and then, because she’s such an idiot, she refused to go back in to have the balloon removed because she hadn't even lost enough weight yet. She was terrified of how the doctors would react. Eventually, she finally bit the bullet once she realized how dangerous it was to leave it in there. Honestly, it felt like she just threw all that money straight down the drain...

Sounds like she totally ignored the instructions... you can't mess around when you've got a foreign object sitting inside your body.

cosmicskipper222 said:If that balloon is actually playing some part in this whole brainwashing thing, then welcome aboard!

Look, my head is all over the place when I'm crashing from too much sugar or whatever, but things feel totally different when I actually eat right... obviously I'm more level-headed then... but man, I can never stay on track for long. I'm counting on the balloon to help me learn how to stick to it and make it a permanent habit.

Hmm... I don't know how you guys view this, or what you think a balloon could actually do for you, but here’s my take...

Look, after spending basically my entire life struggling with weight, hating everything I see in the mirror, and just dealing with all the awkward crap that comes with it... I'm exhausted. I'm done.

And honestly? I've realized I'm totally powerless against the monster known as "massive portions." Why? Because I eat my feelings. Every single emotion—the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the absolute worst—gets met with food. I want to stop. I want to learn how to just eat normally and make that stick as a lifestyle.
I think I'm finally ready for this.
But I need help.

What I'm looking for from the balloon is a way to reset my system—to train my body to recognize what a decent portion looks like and to fix my whole head-space regarding food and exercise so I can actually sustain it.

I've seen people online saying six months isn't nearly enough time to "reprogram" yourself. But honestly? I think I can pull it off because I'm willing to put in the work and help the balloon do its job just as much as it helps me.
"Teamwork makes the dream work!" 🙂

I'm over on Vineyard. I’ve been doing all these damn tests there... so far I’ve knocked out an endocrinology checkup (did bloodwork, an EKG, spirometry, and X-rays; just waiting on the results now), a gastroscopy, and an abdominal ultrasound. Still gotta deal with psychological testing too.
Once those results and tests are in, if they actually give me the green light for the balloon, who knows how long the wait for the procedure will be.

mistyranger51 said:What's your BMI looking like—is that why the doctor recommended it? And have you managed to make any progress yet?

My BMI is 36.5. But because of my build, people are always like "you don't even look like it"... if only they saw the actual measurements 😛 Ugh, my legs are absolutely killing me from the weight 😢

The first thing they suggested was meds... like Alli. I told them I wasn't feeling that and wanted a balloon or gastric sleeve instead, but said I'd listen to the pros and weigh my options.
Now my medical records just say I'm "interested in an intragastric balloon" and I've got tests pending... currently waiting on hormone results, should be ready in about three weeks.

As for the cost, the balloon itself is 6 $0.00, but once you add the procedure and tax, it ends up being closer to 10 $0.00. (That's what the hospital told me) ... fingers crossed insurance covers some of this... we'll see 🤷 ... otherwise, I might have to put it on a credit card 🙄

Just gotta say it one more time, I would be so incredibly grateful if someone who's actually had the balloon implanted could reach out... info online is super thin, even though I've scoured the web top to bottom 🙂

Hey mistyranger51, thanks, you're a lifesaver!😍🙂

Seriously, jadesailor14 is a legend! 😍

mistyranger51, thanks! I had no clue they even did these installs in Cleveland!
But I heard you can actually get it covered for free now if there’s enough medical reason to say the thickness is a health risk... I mean, my knee popped out twice, my ankle is constantly clicking, my muscle tone is non-existent, and my cycle is a total mess... 🙄 plus, who knows what else they might find... 😢

I tracked down some numbers for Barack Obama's office, but man, getting a hold of him is impossible... 😕

Thanks. I’ve skimmed through some of it already, but honestly, I wasn't really paying close attention—there are just way too many damn pages.🙂

Hey there!

So, my GP actually suggested I look into getting an intragastric balloon implanted.

I've been fighting my weight my entire life, so honestly, maybe this balloon thing could finally be the help I need.

But man, I'm totally lost when it comes to how the actual procedure works. If anyone here has already gone through it, let's talk. I really need to hear some real stories.🙂