Your next step depends on which balloon you have. Spatz3 requires a scheduled endoscopic removal. Allurion is designed to empty and pass naturally, usually without a removal procedure. Follow the instructions for your balloon and the plan your JourneyLite team gives you.
For placement preparation, medicines, diet stages, and background on both balloons, see the Spatz3 & Allurion balloon guide. Complete your assigned lessons in the gastric balloon course.
Spatz3: plan your removal
Contact JourneyLite around 6 months after placement to arrange removal. Spatz3 must be removed by 8 months; it is not designed to pass through the intestine.
Allurion: plan for passage
Allurion is designed to deflate after about 4 months. JourneyLite’s course describes passage around 16–20 weeks; timing varies. Keep your follow-up appointments even if you do not notice it pass.
Preparing for scheduled Spatz3 removal
Removal takes place at JourneyLite Surgery Center with endoscopy and sedation. Your clinician drains the balloon and removes it through your mouth. You will be monitored afterward before discharge.
Arrange a responsible adult to drive you home. Follow the team’s instructions about medicines, transportation, and activity after sedation.
Endoscopic-removal preparation
These steps apply to a scheduled endoscopic removal, not routine Allurion passage. Your stomach must be empty to reduce the risk of aspiration during sedation. Inadequate preparation may require rescheduling.
- 48 hours before: stop solid food. If your team prescribed Reglan (metoclopramide) for removal, begin it 48 hours beforehand and follow the prescription directions. Contact us if you do not have the prescription or cannot take it.
- During this preparation period: JourneyLite’s removal protocol includes frequent sips of Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, or Coke Zero to help clear food from the balloon. Follow your team’s liquid and medication instructions.
- 12 hours before: have nothing to eat or drink. Confirm the cutoff time with your team, including any instructions for essential medicines.
Personal instructions take priority. If your appointment instructions differ from this page, or your health or medicines have changed, contact JourneyLite before starting preparation. Patients with another endoscopically removed balloon should follow their own device-specific removal schedule.
What to expect when Allurion passes
Allurion has a valve that opens so the balloon can empty. The empty balloon is designed to travel through the intestine and leave the body with a bowel movement. Routine passage does not require endoscopy or anesthesia.
You may notice a cool sensation or intermittent abdominal cramping. You might not see the balloon pass. Do not use the Spatz3 fasting or Reglan preparation for routine Allurion passage unless your clinician gives you a separate procedure plan.
If you notice passage and feel well, notify JourneyLite by text at 513-572-1718 during office hours. There is no need to retrieve the balloon from the toilet. If you have not noticed passage by the expected time, contact the team for guidance.
Natural passage is the intended process, but complications can require endoscopic or surgical treatment. Do not assume persistent pain, vomiting, or difficulty drinking is normal passage.
Keep your follow-up and long-term plan
Schedule an appointment with both a provider and a registered dietitian about one week before expected removal or passage. JourneyLite’s course notes that these visits can be virtual. For Allurion, your team will help plan around the expected passage window.
Discuss hunger, eating patterns, activity, weight maintenance, and whether a medical weight management program is appropriate. Medicines after balloon treatment require an individualized plan.
Continue your prescribed balloon medicines while the balloon is present. Ask your team when to stop acid-reducing medicine after removal or confirmed passage; do not change medicines just because the expected date has arrived.
When to call urgently
Call JourneyLite at 513-559-1222 for severe or worsening abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, inability to keep liquids down, marked abdominal swelling, or symptoms suggesting dehydration or blockage. A sudden loss of fullness much earlier than expected also needs assessment for possible early deflation.
Call 911 or go to the emergency department for a medical emergency. Tell the treating clinician that you have a gastric balloon and show your patient identification card if available. Do not wait for an office-hours text response when symptoms are urgent.
Balloon removal and passage questions
Can my Spatz3 balloon pass naturally like Allurion?
No. Spatz3 is not designed for natural passage. Contact JourneyLite around 6 months after placement and arrange removal by 8 months. Delayed removal can lead to serious complications, including intestinal obstruction.
Do Allurion patients need the 48-hour removal preparation?
The fasting and prescribed Reglan steps on this page are for scheduled endoscopic removal. They do not apply to routine Allurion passage. If your clinician schedules a procedure for a complication, follow the preparation instructions supplied for that procedure.
What if I never see my Allurion balloon pass?
You may not notice it. Keep your follow-up visits and contact JourneyLite if the expected passage window has passed or you are unsure. Seek urgent care for persistent vomiting, severe pain, or inability to drink, whether or not you have noticed passage.
Can I stop my medicines on the expected removal or passage date?
Ask your care team. Continue the prescribed plan while the balloon is present and confirm which medicines to stop, continue, or change after removal or passage.
Open the gastric balloon course
Updated October 7, 2026. Sources: JourneyLite gastric balloon course (balloon removal and post-removal lessons); JourneyLite’s existing endoscopic-removal protocol; FDA Spatz3 patient information; FDA Allurion patient information.
This page supports the instructions your care team provides. Your individual treatment and appointment instructions take priority.