Personal story till surgery
I was always a very skinny child and was always thin until reaching puberty when I found my weight hard to control. I am 34 years old and a classic yo yo dieter. Ive always been very healthy until recently discovering high blood pressure however I don't really realise I have it !! I have always longed to gain control of my weight and suffer from really low self esteem due to my weight problem. My mum died when I was 20 years old and I feel my weight has been affected as I comfort eat. My mum was always a dieter and helped me growing up to control our weight. As there is no one there now to keep a check on you things for me have slipped drastically!! Time for action.

Your diet experiences
As mentioned previously a classis yo yo dieter. I have tried most diets and even the slimming pills from the doctor but nothing seemed to work. I only ever drink semi skimmed milk, don't have butter, sugar or much fried food but still the weight piled on.

What is your reason for surgery?
I believe if you are unhappy with something you should do your best to change it or stop moaning about it. I moaned for too long until discovering your website.I had been accepted for a breast reduction but when I saw the surgeon he said I needed to lose 2 stone before he would do it. At 5ft3 and 14 stone I really tried to lose weight as the incentive to have the surgery is immense but no luck so opted for a procedure to help me on my way.

Personal experiences in Belgium
My personal experience was excellent. We stayed in a hotel in Brussels and did 1 day sightseeing before my procedure. The hospital was very efficient and when a minor problem occurred I called Jaap and this was sorted and plain sailing from then on. The friendly staff and consultant made me feel at ease and a visit from Jaap also made a big difference. I was only in the hospital for a few hours and flew home a few hours later. I would definitely use Belgium again.

Results after 1 month - 3 months
A really quick result at first over half a stone in two weeks but couldn't eat hardly anything at all. Now nearly 3 months later I have lost just a stone. However, I can eat almost anything now and even large portion sizes if I feel like it.! Im exercising to try to speed up my weight loss as I would have like to lose 3 stone over the 6 months. But its hard now. Ps the stomache acid is sometimes a problem too.

What did you find difficult comparing with before surgery?
I was only off work 4 days and had 3 days of discomfort now nothing. I can do anything as before.

Would you do it over again?
I opted to have the Intragastric Balloon as wasn't ready to have any surgery as never been in hospital before! However as the results have now really slowed down I wish Iwould have maybe opted for the lap band. I do not regret having the procedure done as losing a stone is better that putting one on! Just hope can keep losing some as it only stays in for 6 months.