Dolittle

The $4,000 Diet Pill The magic fat blaster you've always dreamed about is here, and it's drug-free. Liz Krieger explores the latest treatments. By Liz Krieger on Jul 22, 2014 It sounds like something out of Alice in Wonderland: a pill that truly makes you smaller. "Pill," however, is something of a misnomer because inside this capsule is actually a deflated balloon, called the Obalon. But it can help you shed pounds—without even trying. Here's how it works: First, you swallow the pill, which is attached to a long, slim tube. Once the pill has made its way to your stomach, doctors use the tube to inflate the balloon with gas; the tube is then disconnected and pulled out. The balloon can stay in for up to three months, and you can have up to three balloons in place at a time. The idea is that the balloon(s) simply make you feel full. After 12 weeks, during an endoscopy done under light sedation, a doctor deflates the balloon and removes it through your mouth. Although manufacturer Obalon Therapeutics makes no specific weight loss promise, in a recent study, 110 patients lost an average of 50 percent of their excess weight, or more than 8 percent of their total body weight, in three months. And while the Obalon is not FDA approved for use in the U.S., since 2012, patients abroad have been swallowing the pill, which has a price tag of up to $4,000 a pop. (In the U.S., preliminary safety trials have been done, and a larger, clinical trial is planned.) The most common complaints are nausea and vomiting, but those tend to dissipate after 72 hours, says bariatric surgeon Ariel Ortiz, director of the Obesity Control Center in Tijuana, Mexico, who helped develop the Obalon. As with any device, there's a chance it could cause an obstruction if it got lodged in a tight spot, notes bariatric surgeon Aurora Pryor, director of Stony Brook Medicine's Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center on New York's Long Island. The odds of a balloon actually popping are rare, according to Obalon, but if that were to occur, it should travel (uneventfully) through to your, um, bottom line. For U.K. resident Helene Fleckney, 45, the Obalon has ended a long struggle with her weight. Fleckney enrolled in an Obalon trial last fall, ultimately swallowing two of the pills over several weeks. Twelve weeks later she had both balloons removed—and was 19 pounds lighter. "It's quick and painless," says Fleckney, who notes that she has lost an additional six pounds since then. "I've gotten used to eating smaller portions," she says. This pill "could be a serious game changer in the field of obesity treatment," says John Morton, director of bariatric surgery at Stanford Hospital & Clinics in Palo Alto, California. Pryor says that a reversible device like this could straddle the line between bariatric and plastic surgery: "I could imagine someone wanting this before a big reunion or something." And for some people, doing it a few times in a row may mean they can extend the treatment past the three-month mark, although studies of that duration have not been done. For more information visit www.stomagic.com or www.obesitycontrolcenter.com or call 1-866-376-7849 link to complete article: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/health-wellness-articles/latest-weight-loss-treatments-0814

The staff at the OCC usually orders carry out at lunch time. Just mention it to the front office staff that your friend needs to order something. I don't know how much it costs, but I'm sure its reasonable.

This subject drives me nuts. A lot of American doctors do their fills this way. Why? I have several ideas, but I can't go there. I don't know where you had your band surgery done and I don't know how much a fill would cost you out of pocket. But, I'd seriously consider looking at having someone else do your fills. If you do decide to try a different doctor, find one that does the fill with a barium swallow at the same time. The OCC does their fills using this procedure. Using the barium during the fill procedure lets the doctor see if you have restriction while injecting the saline into the band. Otherwise, play the fill game with your doctor and insurance and eventually you will get to the point you'll have restriction.

I always tell everyone the same thing. Having WLS is a life changing event. Everyone has a range of anxiety. So, don't fret about it, just make a decision and live with it. There's a lot of info here at the forum, jump in and start reading. Good luck and just take a deep breath and relax.

ALL TRAVELERS ARE NOW REQUIRED TO SHOW A VALID PASSPORT OR PASSPORT CARD WHEN ENTERING MEXICO! IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR PASSPORT OR PASSPORT CARD, YOU WILL BE DENIED ENTRY INTO MEXICO! IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CALL THE OCC AT 1-866-376-7849 EXT 80

I've always had a hard time getting in the daily recommended levels of protein.

I had a couple bouts with it. But most of it was cause by being on the liquid diets before and after surgery. My body wasn't used to having any amounts of sugar. I ate a small piece of cake and ice cream, that was enough.

How's your protein intake?

This topic is for those who are coming to the OCC for Gastric Plication surgery during the 2014 year. This is where you can meet patients that could be at the OCC at the same time as you.

This topic is for those who are coming to the OCC for lap band surgery during the 2014 year. This is where you can meet patients that could be at the OCC at the same time as you.

POSE weight loss surgery is a new technique done completely through your mouth, no external incisions. From what I just read, it's very similar to Plication surgery, which is the folding of the stomach walls to reduce the size of your stomach. When I "Googled it" I saw infomation on the subject, but got the impression that it was in FDA testing trails at this time.

I'm one of those WLS patients that has a hard time getting in my daily protein requirements. Every once in a while I'll run into an very informitive website that will help me with protein ideas. Recently I found one called Unjury.com. They put out a great news letter via email that's full of great recipes and protein tips. You can go to their website and sign up for the email news letters without buying anything. I'm pretty picky when it comes to protein. I have a cupboard full of different brand protein shakes I'm just not to fond of. I'm not trying to promote Unjury's products, but I can say that I've tried their chicken broth protein mix and found it to be pretty tasty. I haven't tried any of their other products. If any of you forum members have tried their other products, please share your opinion. If you have tasted other protein products from other protein manufactures, good or bad, please share your thoughts concerning their products. Thanks Dolittle

I've had the revision surgery,, I can say I've never heard of a Sleeve patient getting food stuck. I personally have never had an issue with this.

If your a lap-band patient you'd know this term very well. LOL. A "fill" or "unfill" is short for a band adjustment. All gastric bands have saline inside of them. The more saline you add to the band, the tighter it gets and thus gives you more restriction. The opposite happens when you remove saline. Aftercare is one of the negitives of the gastric band. This is why the trend is now going towards patients choosing to go with the VGS or what is known as "the sleeve" or placition surgery. I can say I really loved my band. When you have the proper fill and have hit that so called "sweet spot" the weight just flies off.

When I had my band, I still went back to the OCC. Living in the Midwest, aftercare was becoming a major PITA. Then I started having acid reflux and other small signs of band rejection. Before the stuff hit the fan I opted to make the switch and went with the VGS (sleeve). So far I'm happy with the sleeve, but it's a different learning curve.

I don't know about Canada, but I listed it in the medical expense section of the US1040. You can also wrote off airfare, hotel expense, food and etc.

I'm in day 24 of the post-op diet. So it's pureed foods. Don't get hunger pains. I do have gas pains,, like certain foods will give me gas, then I will release that "gas" and feel better, or its telling me I better head for the potty. lol. I'm down 15lbs from the time I started my pre-op diet. Very slow going, but I knew this would be the case since I'm a lap band to sleeve patient. I feel pretty good.

I've never tried the OCC's Enspira protein, but I've had reports that it's a good product too. What's your opinion on it?

I'm one of those WLS patients that has issues getting in my daily required intake of protein. Right now I'm in the 3rd week of the sleeve post-op diet. To me,, protein shakes are something to be desired, tastefully speaking, most are just tolerable. The other day I went searching on-line and found www.unjury.com and ordered their 5 star tasting, 21g protein chicken broth mix. I have never posted anything like this before, but when I find something good, I'll tell you about it. I found the 21g protein chicken broth to be exactly as advertised and it does taste like chicken cup o soup without the noodles. I may order their unflavored protein, so I can add it to other things to get my protein in. I'll keep you posted on that product when I get it and try it. If any you forum members have tried it, please post your opinions on this product or other brands of protein.