Anyone who loves travelling and discovering new tourism destinations, but also struggles with excess weight and obesity related medical problems, may want to consider becoming a medical tourist. Gastric balloon Poland is a great choice for people who want to have a short vacation, see a beautiful European country and undergo an affordable bariatric surgery at the same time.
Is Bariatric Surgery a Good Choice for me?
This is always the first and the most important question anyone should consider before making a decision to undergo a weight loss surgery. Nowadays, obesity and overweight have become serious problems in the majority of European countries and worldwide. More and more people must face the fact that they cannot control their weight anymore and being overweight has turned into being obese. When asked about the difference between obesity and overweight, people usually have difficulties in differentiating between these two terms. They are often used in the social media and on TV, but the difference in meaning is usually not explained in more details. People suffering from obesity or overweight have an excess amount of body weight, which usually have a negative impact on their health. In the case of being obese, a person has an excess amount of body fat whereas being overweight means that there is an excess body weight including muscles, fat, water and bones. Obesity is considered as a serious disease and usually leads to more health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart diseases and hypertension.
Obesity can develop into morbid obesity, which is extremally dangerous to people’s health. Being morbidly obese means that the risk of one or more obesity related medical conditions increases significantly due to the excess weight problems. BMI (Body Mass Index) of a person who is morbidly obese is usually 40 or higher and it is a decisive factor in qualifying for any type of bariatric surgery, including a gastric balloon. What is more, a person whose BMI is between 35-40 but suffers from the so-called comorbidities (obesity related health problems) also qualifies for a weight loss surgery.
Am I a Good Candidate for Gastric Balloon?
A good candidate for a gastric balloon is a person with BMI between 27 and 35. In 2010, the restrictions changed and overweight people with BMI under 27 can also be qualified for the procedure. Gastric balloon is often used in the case of extremely obese patients in preparation for more complex surgical weight loss procedures, such as gastric bypass, to start the weight loss process before the surgery.
Gastric balloon is a non-surgical type of weight loss procedure, also known as Orbera balloon. During the procedure, a soft silicon balloon is placed in the stomach pouch only temporarily. After six to twelve months, it is removed by surgeons. The balloon is an artificial filler which helps to reduce storage capacity of the stomach pouch. It means that a person with gastric balloons feels satisfied after eating even a small meal. Gastric balloon is a non-invasive, safe and very simple procedure which takes only about 30 minutes. The only thing a patient should remember is that the balloon needs to be removed after a couple of months, when the patient reaches the desired weight, so in the case of this procedure, a second visit in the clinic is mandatory.
The weight loss results observed after gastric balloon procedure are usually surprisingly good. However, the final outcome depends on individuals and their attitude towards post op healthy diet, doctor’s instructions and change in their lifestyle in general. The majority of patients after gastric balloon procedure lose up to 15% of their excessive weight in the first six months. Eventually, it is possible to reach even 50% weight loss.
Choosing a weight loss surgery is certainly a life changing decision that can improve its quality and bring back joy to people’s lives. Patients need to bear in mind that losing weight is a difficult, long-term process which needs systematic efforts. However, benefits are definitely worth the efforts. Losing weight means a smaller risk of obesity related health problems such as high blood pressure, heart diseases, reflux, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol levels and many more. It has been proved that bariatric surgeries help to relieve social isolation and depression, which are both very common problems among people with obesity.
The Growing Popularity of Medical Tourism
In the past, the term medical tourist was used to describe a person who needed to travel from the less-developed home country to the developed western countries in search of more advanced clinics and medical procedures not available in the home country. Recently, a shift in medical tourism destinations can be observed, with more and more people from western Europe and the US deciding to travel abroad to find the top-quality and affordable medical treatment services. The quality of medical services offered in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary has increased significantly in the recent decades and the affordable prices are something that definitely attract medical tourists.
Gastric Balloon in Poland
Poland is a great country for undergoing a gastric balloon procedure. This country has become one of the most popular European tourism destinations. It is well known not only for its beautiful nature, rich history, culture, breath taking landscapes and hospitality, but also extremely attractive prices for various kinds of medical treatment services including weight loss surgeries.
Weight loss surgeries in Poland have become the most popular type of medical procedures chosen by patients from Western Europe. The prices for gastric balloon start from only 1990 GBP, which is often even 2-3 times cheaper than the gastric balloon cost in the UK. The cost of travel from the majority of big European cities to Poland is relatively low and the number of direct flight connections has been increasing each year. In other words, gastric balloon in Poland can be a great opportunity for anyone who does not want an expensive weight loss surgery in their home country.