Are you struggling with obesity? Have you battled this problem for years? Or have you lost weight only to see it return with a vengeance? Have you attempted diet and exercise, only to fail in meeting your goals? Then perhaps you need to look beyond what are considered “traditional” weight loss options and get more aggressive.
Longstreet Clinic’s Center for Weight Management offers numerous methods that can yield significant results, and that includes the cutting-edge OrberaTMIntragastric Balloon System.
The Orbera system weight loss solution that can produce results as striking as some bariatric surgery procedures – without the permanence of those procedures – and it is simple, safe and affordable.
Gastric balloons have produced life-altering changes for many patients and could be just the method you need to kickstart your path to weight loss success.
How it Works
The Orbera is a saline-filled balloon, designed to help patients lose weight through portion control.
It is placed in the stomach of patients via a non-invasive procedure that can be accomplished outside of an operating room. The procedure does require sedation, however.
During the procedure our doctors will advance a thin tube into your throat. This tube, or catheter, will be contain the unfilled, or “uninflated” balloon. Next, the doctor will insert a second tube, a flexible endoscope fitted with a tiny camera, down your esophagus and into your stomach. The camera allows the doctor to watch closely as they fill the balloon in your stomach.
Once the balloon is in place, the surgeon inflates the balloon with sterile saline to fill space in the stomach. The inflated balloon sits in the stomach and makes you feel fuller sooner.
This is a simple, non-surgical outpatient procedure that only takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
After the procedure, the balloon can stay in place for up to six months.
Once in place, the Orbera reduces the amount you can eat, all the while retraining your brain and digestive tract to better anticipate when your stomach is getting full. Fewer calories ingested due to portion control is what leads to weight loss here.
While you live with Orbera, we will also be working with you to help you develop new eating habits – a lifestyle change that will enable you to maintain a healthier weight more easily once the balloon is removed.
Removing the balloon is similar to placement. During a 20- to 30-minute procedure under a mild sedative, the saline will be removed from the Intragastric Balloon and the balloon will then be removed through the mouth.
Your path to your weight loss goals may not be finished upon removal, however, and we will continue to work with you to help you maintain the advances and changes made over the previous 6 months.
There are also very few side effects and risks associated with Orbera. That said, you should discuss all possible concerns with your doctor before determining if this method is right for you.
Contact us today for more information.
Results from the Orbera system
On average, patients that utilize Orbera lose 3 times the amount of weight they would with diet or exercise alone. This is due to the fact that they are eating less and feeling full for longer periods. Studies have also shown that gastric balloons, while in place, help diminish the production of hunger hormones within the stomach.
Results prove that patients can lose up to 50 pounds with Orbera – and the habits you grow accustomed to while carrying Orbera will continue to aid your weight loss in the months and years following.
The risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disorders and other risk factors associated with obesity also displayed improvement in a majority of patients during and after Orbera placement.
Those are the kind of results that can grab your attention. And if you find yourself in need of help losing weight – or if you’ve lost weight before only to see it return with a vengeance – it is certainly an option when discussing with our highly-qualified and board-certified staff.
This procedure requires a lifetime commitment to make healthy choices in order to experience long term results, however. The Orbera system can help get you started and produce significant weight loss – but only during the time it is in place. There is nothing to keep that weight from coming back once it is removed – except your commitment to better eating habits and overall health.
Questions? Call us at 770-534-0110. Ready to get started? Fill out our history form before your appointment.
Who Is Orbera Designed for?
The Orbera Intragastric Balloon System is a weight loss solution meant for patients that have a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 30 and 40.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) determined that possessing a BMI above 30 is classified as obesity. Untreated, obesity can lead to a host of other health problems, including:
- Pulmonary Disease (includes abnormal function, sleep apnea, hypoventilation syndrome)
- Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (includes steatosis, steatohepatitis, cirrhosis)
- Gall Bladder Disease
- Gynecological abnormalities (includes abnormal menses, infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome)
- Osteoarthritis
- Gout
- Phlebitis
- Cancer (includes breast, uterus, cervix, colon, esophagus, pancreas, kidney, prostate)
- Coronary Heart Disease (includes type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension)
- Cataracts
- Stroke
- Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
Curing obesity, through either surgical or non-surgical weight loss, can lead to the reversal of or relief from a number of these health concerns. This happens for a number of reasons, each unique to various bodily systems. And studies show that consequential weight loss reduces these issues in many patients by a significant percentage.
There is also a 95 percent improvement in the quality of life for patients who lose significant weight, while five-year mortality rates drop by 89 percent. And that does not to take into account an increased mobility and an increased energy and quality of life experienced from weight loss. The psychological effects of dramatic weight loss can be just as uplifting as the cessation of physical ailments – termed co-morbidities by the medical profession.
That is why the Center for Weight Management treats each patient for life. We are not here to help you lose weight and then send you on your way without a support system. At Longstreet Clinic, our goal is to maintain relationships and help you through every step of your lifestyle change. Ultimate weight loss success is dependent upon a continued commitment. Will there be peaks? Absolutely! Will there also be the occasional valley or plateau? Unfortunately, that’s also likely, as it’s not easy to make a life change.
But that’s the case with any weight loss regimen, and the best way to maintain your goals is via support, education and determination. And the Center for Weight Management will be here to make sure you never want for any of those factors.
Advantages of a Gastric Balloon
- Simple, non-invasive procedure to insert the balloon
- More aggressive than nonsurgical medical weight loss
- Does not require a massive change in diet or restrictions on what can and cannot be eaten
- Low risk of side effects
- Can kickstart significant weight loss for patients fighting obesity and its side effects
Disadvantages of a Gastric Balloon
- Does not require a lifetime commitment – for those patients who need a hard set of rules in order to stick to a diet
- Not as aggressive as surgically-aided weight loss
- After it is removed there are no more changes guaranteed unless the patient sticks to the diet and lifestyle changes implemented while the balloon is placed
- Cannot prevent the yo-yo situation of regaining weight
Get Started Today
Losing weight is about finding what works best for each patient. The staff at the Center for Weight Management understands there are no cookie-cutter solutions or “typical” approaches to weight loss. We understand that each patient faces unique challenges based on his or her history, genetic make-up and current life status.
Non-surgical weight loss has proven a significant aid to many patients across the country and here in northeast Georgia, and we will work with you to determine just how best to serve your needs and meet your goals.
Ultimately, we’ll find the right path for success together. And should Orbera not be the right choice for you, we will find the solution that will get results and get you on top of your health.
Are you ready to change your life? Contact us today to learn more about our non-surgical procedures and take the steps toward regaining control of your health and happiness.
Longstreet’s Center for Weight Management is proud to offer all of these options at our multiple north Georgia locations.
Want to learn more? Watch our online seminar then fill out our contact form and our office team will reach out to you. Or please call our main office at 770-534-0110 or toll-free at 877-921-0110.
