Actress Jackie Matubia has undergone non-invasive surgery where an inflatable silicone balloon was inserted into her stomach in a bid to lose weight.
Matubia opened up about undergoing the procedure in a series of posts on her Instagram account.
She revealed that she had lost six kilograms in one week from a starting weight of 105.5 to 99.3 kilograms.
“Today want to give you a small story about my weight loss journey. It’s barely one week and I have lost almost 6kgs,” she wrote.
The actress revealed that she went to a Nairobi clinic on Thursday last week for gastric balloon placement.
Matubia was recorded swallowing what looked like a pill and accompanied it with water before being hooked up to fluids.
“And just like that, it was done. However, after this, you have three days of feeling nauseated and a little bit of vomiting but most importantly hydrate! Hydrate! Through IV,” she posted.
Gastric balloon placement
Laparoscopic gastric balloon placement is a non-surgical weight loss procedure which involves the insertion of a specialized balloon inside the stomach through the mouth using an endoscope.
It is an endoscopic treatment for obesity that together with a balanced diet and physical activity helps lose weight.
An inflatable saline-filled silicone balloon is inserted inside the stomach to occupy space and limit the food-carrying capacity of the stomach. This makes one feel full sooner and limits their intake to smaller portions. The procedure is temporary and the balloon is usually removed after a period of six months.
Gastric balloon placement nonsurgical procedure has been shown to reduce 10 per cent of total body weight.
The balloon is inserted via a pill that is swallowed with a glass of water. It is inflated with gas. The gas may reduce the risk of acute pancreatitis that can occur with saline-filled balloons.
A total of 3 balloons are inserted. The second balloon is added a month after the first one, and the third is added during the second month. [sic]
Apart from Jackie Matubia, Catherine Kamau also underwent a gastric balloon placement procedure in June this year.
Kamau said the procedure costs between Ksh350,000 to Ksh500,000.
She underwent the procedure after she was declared Class 1 obese bordering Class 2.