London woman, 33, nearly killed by £4.5k gastric balloon that got 'stuck' in her bowel READ MORE: Why do people end up taking their own life after weight loss ops? By Luke Chafer For Mailonline Published: 20:51 AEST, 30 August 2024 | Updated: 20:51 AEST, 30 August 2024 e-mail View comments A London woman who splashed thousands on weight loss surgery was left fighting for her life after suffering a rare complication that left a gastric balloon stuck in her bowel. Alaina Shaw, 33, who weighs 21 stone, paid £4,500 for the procedure — which involves swallowing a capsule that inflates in the stomach, reducing appetite.
If all goes to plan, the balloon naturally passes through the body without the need for a removal procedure. But the former accountant says it felt like she was going to die after the balloon ended up stuck inside her after it moved from her stomach to her intestine. Ms Shaw, from Uxbridge, West London , said: ‘I didn’t lose any weight and thought I was going to die.
I want to warn people about the dangers of getting this done.’ Alaina Shaw underwent a gastric balloon procedure which ended in a near-death experience The 33 year-old lost no weight after her gastric balloon procedure in November 2023 Ms Shaw underwent the surgery in November last year at a local private hospital after doctors told her she could lose up to 20 per cent of her body weight within four months. ‘It was supposed to be a temporary thing - you swallow this pill, they fill it with s.