Robert's story - 5 months after Orbera balloon insertion

I knew I had to do something but I couldn’t afford to take much time off work as this is a busy time of year for me and I need to travel a lot. In an ideal world I would have opted to the gastric bypass but the timing wasn’t right for me.

I had an Orbera balloon inserted 5 months ago and have managed to carry on working and travelling throughout. I felt pretty rough for the first 5 or 6 days but kept as active as possible in order to take my mind off it. I have taken advice from the dietitian (usually by email as I have been abroad and kept missing the clinics) and have managed to educate my eating patterns despite having lots of business lunches. Colleagues can really notice the difference and I feel they have a bit more respect for me. I certainly have more respect for myself. I’m really glad I have taken this step. I may decide to opt for the bypass further down the line and, if I do, I will definitely go back to Professor Humadi’s team at the Spire. In the meantime, I’m proud that I’ve managed to lose 16 kg – it’s enough to make a difference and to motivate me to keep trying when the balloon is removed.