Text by Alison Hope

Obesity is rapidly becoming the developed world's biggest health problem, with over 9,000 deaths a year in England being caused by obesity alone (source: NHS Choices). Obesity is not simply a case of carrying a few extra pounds that can easily be shifted by making a few changes to the diet and incorporating exercise into day-to-day life, it is a serious medical condition. Medical professionals often define obesity as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more, though a patient with a BMI in excess of 35 is classed as morbidly obese. Obesity is a condition that develops gradually, often as a result of poor lifestyle choices, such as an unhealthy diet that contains too much processed or fast-food, and insufficient physical activity or exercise, although other factors such as genetics and the side-effects of medication are also known to contribute to increased weight-gain and eventual obesity. Patients who are obese are likely to develop a number of health-related conditions which include arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart-disease, high blood pressure, infertility, and stroke. Instances of depression are also very common in patients with obesity. In short, obesity is something that needs to be tackled.

Dealing with obesity is not always as straightforward as eating less and exercising more, and many obese patients have battled with their condition for years, following different types of diet plans and medication, before making the decision to undergo bariatric surgery, more commonly known as obesity surgery. This type of treatment comprises of a surgical procedure that reduces the size of the stomach, and can only be effective when the patient follows the specially prescribed eating plan.

While obesity surgery is a big step to take in the battle against obesity, the benefits include effective weight-loss, which puts the patient on the right road to living a normal life, and reducing the risks associated with obesity. As with any type of surgery however, there are risks involved, and patients are of course advised to research their options thoroughly before committing to a procedure. A further drawback of obesity surgery is the cost – surgical procedures can cost upwards of GB£ 6, 000 in the United Kingdom, a price-tag that makes surgery prohibitively expensive for many patients.

In recent years, Poland has emerged as a popular destination for patients from the United Kingdom and Ireland seeking dental treatment and cosmetic surgery, which can sometimes cost up to 70% less in Poland than in the United Kingdom or Ireland, and procedures are carried out by highly skilled surgeons who operate in modern clinics that are equipped with the latest technologies. One such clinic is Art Plastica in Szczecin, a spotlessly clean private clinic with friendly English-speaking staff in a quiet suburb of Szczecin in Northern Poland. Evidence of the fact that the clinic is receiving an increasing number of patients from outside of Poland can be found on the coffee table of the warm and cosy lounge area of the clinic: a heavy, leather-bound book containing personal messages from patients starts off with messages of thanks and praise written in Poland and German, but as you flick through the pages to more recent dates, the messages are increasingly signed by patients are from towns and cities including Belfast, Nottingham and Bournemouth. Many pledge to recommend the clinic to friends and family.

One of the specialists operating at Art Plastica is Dr Jacek Butkiewicz, a pioneer of obesity surgery in Poland, who performed the first bariatric procedure involving a gastric balloon in 1986. There are several different types of surgical procedure that address obesity, including the gastric bypass and gastric band. The gastric balloon is an effective treatment for patients with a BMI of 25-30. A gastric balloon is a soft, expandable balloon which, when inserted into the stomach, is filled with either sterile saline or air. When full, the balloon floats freely in the stomach, and cannot pass into the bowel. It reduces the size of the stomach and creates a feeling of fullness, which means that the patient is unable to consume large quantities of food; however it is only effective if the patient follows a specially supervised diet. Monika Chomiuk of Art Plastica clinic explains, “During the course of gastric balloon treatment, patients should avoid consuming products that are considered to contain so-called empty calories. This means that they need to avoid large amounts of fatty processed meats, cheese, sweets and alcohol. During the second week of treatment, the patient can start to include semi solids into their diet, and depending on the patient’s tolerance, solids can be introduced though the patient should not exceed 1000 calories per day”.

As with any procedure, the gastric balloon does carry a number of risks, including damage to the digestive tract, larynx or trachea, as well as perforation or bleeding in the digestive tract. Patients may also experience nausea or vomiting shortly after the balloon has been put in place, however the risks can be minimised by following the carefully prescribed aftercare advice, which includes following a specially supervised diet. The gastric balloon is however a reversible procedure, which means that it can be removed at any time. In fact it is often removed after six months, by which point sufficient weight has been lost. Whilst the gastric balloon can be an effective means of weight-loss, it is by no means a quick –fix solution. As Chomiuk explains, “Because the balloon in the stomach creates a feeling of fullness, it acts as an aid to weight reduction and may help the patient to adhere to the prescribed diet. The patient will have a much greater chance of maintaining the weight-loss once the balloon has been removed if they maintain and improve their diet and make changes to their behaviour while using the balloon.”
 

Obesity Surgery – The Patient’s Story

Maria from Dublin flew to Szczecin to have a gastric balloon inserted at the Art Plastica Clinic last year. She was delighted with the results, losing 3 stone in eight months. She talks exclusively to Discover Poland.

“I had a BMI of 36, which meant that I was seriously obese, I tried everything – different diets, but I felt like I was fighting a losing battle, as I was never getting any results. I had heard about how the gastric balloon was an effective way of losing weight, so I researched it on the internet. One of the clinics that I came across was Art Plastica, which seemed to be very patient-patient friendly, and also the price of the procedure was much lower than here in Ireland. I met Nina, one of the clinic’s representatives here in Dublin, and she was able to explain the procedure to me, answering all the questions and concerns that I had. Nina could also establish whether the gastric balloon was right for me, before I travelled Poland.

I travelled out to Szczecin with some other ladies from Dublin – we were all going to Art Plastica to have a gastric balloon fitted, so it was great to have some moral support. This was also my first ever trip to Poland. The procedure itself was quite straightforward, and it only to about five or ten minutes. The hardest part of the treatment was being disciplined with everything that I ate – I could only eat very small amounts of food at first, until the balloon settled into my stomach. For the first couple of weeks, I could not eat any solids, so I had to prepare everything that I ate with a blender; even bananas had to be mashed before I could eat them.

Since having the gastric balloon fitted, I have lost three stone in eight months, and I have really transformed my life, in fact I have since become a bit of a fitness fanatic, and I was to tone up following such successful weight-loss. A gastric band might not be suitable for everyone, however I it has really worked for me.”
 

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