When I decided to go to Dr. Afonso Sallet clinic, I was already aware that I had to do something to stop the increasing of weight. I was experiencing the impairing of my health conditions, such as hypertension and sleep apnea. Up to that point I had preferred to ignore the severity of my state.
The use of the BIB was presented as an alternative for helping me to loose weight, with the advantage that there were no undesirable side effects, which had been the case with the other medical treatments I had been submitted since I was four-year old.
The work done by Dr. Sallet's team, in conjunction with the support from family and friends, and the fact that I had become aware that it was the time to change my life, were fundamental for the success of the treatment.
I had always been very afraid of undergoing any type of surgery, and the endoscopic placement of the BIB was another reason for my choice of this method.
I was very well prepared by Dr. Sallet's team in terms of information and the procedure took place with absolutely no hitches. The only reaction, which I had been informed about, was some nausea in the first three days. Afterwards, I felt absolutely nothing. Today after ingesting a smaller quantity of food, my body feels satisfied, I do not suffer and there are no side effects whatsoever. Also, and completely differently from all my previous experience, I am very calm about doing the treatment and there has been no effect on my family and social relations.
To help with the successful outcome of the method I am on an associated balanced diet and I am allowed about 1,000 kcal/day, following the orientation of the team dietitian.
I have lost more weight than expected: when I started the treatment I weighed 183.6 kilos, after four months, the weight loss is around 35 kg.
Some important facts have happened: a great improvement in quality of life, including work; I am swimming again, something I always liked to do and had given up from fear of forcing my body too much; in addition to other things which may seem banal, such as being able to cut my toe nails without help. All these have encouraged me to stay with the treatment.
One thing I never thought was important, but today I realize is very relevant is the fact that I now accept my body better in its reduced volume and people now notice and praise me for this change. My self-esteem has increased a lot. Today I realize that I have gained not only in terms of my health, but also in terms of my social and professional life. My sleep apnea has also improved a lot according to my wife. I also feel much better disposed towards discharging my obligations.
The treatment has been so beneficial for me that I now know how important it is for me continue with and reach a point I had thought was impossible before.
The loss in weight decreases the risk of having to undergo surgery and I am now prepared for this. Shortly we will be deciding what method to use, but I am sure this is the way to a better, healthier and longer life. I have learned that I can be much happier and that I do not need to eat so much to achieve this.
I believe it is important to make it clear to people, as Dr. Sallet and his team do, that the BIB is not a magic formula for losing weight, but rather an excellent help in a treatment which I consider to be very complex, due to all the characteristics of obese patients, including the causes and consequences of this obesity. But I would like to point out that from all of the many treatments I have done, this has been by far the most successful one and without any undesirable side effects.
My most sincere thanks to Dr. Afonso Sallet and his team.

Armando de Luca Júnior, 43 years of age
Biologist
São Paulo, SP





I have been suffering with the fact of being above normal weight ever since I was 10 years old, because due to an inadequate diet, I began to gain weight by on average 10 kilos per year. This happened in spite of the fact that I did not like my body, but my desire and anxiety to eat were always very great.
From the age of 12, my parents began to look for treatments to help me. I went on a number of diets and took all kinds of medicines, but none of them helped: I lost very little weight, and then when I did manage to lose some weight, afterwards I would put on even more weight than before.
I continued to get fatter and fatter. My life became very limited, because fat stopped me from doing a number of things such as walking a lot or running: my legs and knees hurt; going to the beach or to the swimming pool was out of the question, because I did not have the courage to take my shirt off in front of other people; they would always stare at me and make me feel uncomfortable.
Inevitably, at school I was given all sorts of nicknames.
I always wanted to buy nice clothes, surf Bermuda shorts, but had to take what would fit me.
As a result of all this, I began to stop enjoying life and I became depressive, not wanting to do anything. I stopped studying, having fun and would not even play. Eventually I stopped even liking myself.
Frustrated, my parents began to look for some surgery to reduce the stomach, but they gave up. They thought it was too early and that it would be too radical a change in my life, apart from all the risks inherent to all surgeries.
One day, searching in Internet, I found a treatment that really caught my attention and that of my parents: the BIB (BioEnterics Gastric Balloon). We found it interesting and decided to learn more about it.
We went to Dr. José Afonso Sallet's clinic, where everything was shown and explained to us. The best thing was that there was no risk of complications during the procedure.
After that, I underwent the treatment, feeling very confident and today I am able to say that I am very happy. I have lost 17 kilos with no suffering in a two-month period.
Obviously I have to follow a diet, but I eat well, I don't have that desperate and compulsive sensation of having to eat.
I now feel better inside as well as out.
I am going to a gym, to the beach and the swimming pool (I can take my shirt off) and am relating to people at school, which I did not do before.
I must say that I did not find any other method where so much could be gained in so short a time.
I feel good about life today and I know I will feel better still.
I would like to thank Dr. Sallet for being a great doctor, very attentive and dedicated. And for having given us fat people an opportunity to become healthy again with this marvelous technique.
So this is my message to other teenagers who are suffering with diets: don't wait any longer, don't be afraid. This is the way to do it and with no suffering.

J.P.B., 14 years old
São Caetano do Sul, SP