Frisco-Pyloric Valve 101......The basics (re-re-re-re-re-re post)

The Pyloric Valve.....the most not talked about function that will answer a lot of questions.

If you understand the Pyloric Valve function......things will be a lot easier and explain why we need to do certain things.......


Post Date: 10/5/11 5:58 pm 
 

First, I’m not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV.

This is a level one explanation.....there is more to it....but if you understand this....it will make some sense.

This may be old news to some..... But I’ve noticed a lot of people who have had VSG do not have any idea how the Pyloric Valve works.

This is my understanding how the Pyloric Valve works.

The Pyloric Valve function and how it pertains to your VSG.

The function of your Pyloric valve is the single most not talked about important part of understanding how and when you should eat and drink.

The Pyloric Valve is just that....It is a valve that is located at the bottom of your stomach/sleeve. This valve is in between your sleeve and the small intestine. The basic definition of a valve is an apparatus that opens and closes.

When open this valve it is about the diameter of a dime. When closed it’s opening is closed down to the diameter of the head of a ballpoint pen.

Dense proteins and harder to digest foods will cause the Pyloric valve to close to hold the food in your stomach for pre-digestion...... stomach acids breaking down this “Rough” food. 

That’s why we are told to eat dense proteins first.....To close the Pyloric Valve so food stays in your stomach/sleeve longer so we have a sense of satisfaction.

It takes about 30-60 minutes for the food to clear the Pyloric Valve...... Than it’s OK to drink.

That is also where the term slider food  comes into play. A slider food does not close the Pyloric Valve and as the term is intended.....food slides right past an open Pyloric Valve.

So now the other half of the Pyloric Valve function..... You eat a dense protein like chicken that causes your Pyloric Valve to close. Say for example your sleeve has a 4oz. capacity.....and you eat 4oz. of chicken.....your sleeve is full and holding all 4 oz. of chicken for pre-digestion because your Pyloric Valve is closed. 

So now try and drink something....where is it gonna go? Up.....Up until it hits another valve of sorts..... the Esophageal Sphincter (valve) and above that is a flapper valve. The function of these two valves is to hold food, bile and stomach acids in your stomach and not backing up into your air way. This is a very high pressure system. Thats why when you eat to much or drink after eating a hard to digest food and your Pyloric is closed.....It hurts cause you pressurized your intake track. Vomiting would be a natural pressure release.
 

So you can see how learning and understanding how the Pyloric Valve works is important as it pertains to eating and drinking with a Gastric Sleeve.

So that was kinda like VSG and the Pyloric Valve 101

As you get further a long you will want to use the Pyloric Valve in other ways to keep food in your sleeve longer to stay satisfied longer. 

A sleeve empties faster than a stock un altered full size stomach so sometimes it’s beneficial for you to learn what foods stay in your sleeve longer to extend satisfaction.

Dense proteins are #1 in closing the Pyloric Valve. Chicken, steak, pork, fish.....in that order seems to be the way it goes for me.

Other foods that are hard to digest and help close the Pyloric Valve are foods like:

• Broccoli Stalk
• Asparagus
• Celery
• Cucumber with Skin
• Radish
• Cabbage (I’m testing this right now)
• Bell Pepper

So I hope you understand my 5 cent tour of the Pyloric Valve and how it effects the way we eat with a VSG and how important it is to work the Pyloric Valve to your benefit.

frisco

thanks. that helps a bit...i knew most of it, but never put it together quite like that...kind of like "oh yeah, duh."

This is exactly why I am eating skinless chicken breast for breakfast!!!  Well, not really, it was for lunch but wasn't feeling my hard boiled eggs so I guess I just swapped meals is all.

re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re post ... LOL!!!!  See, I for one appreciate you coming back on here time and time again to remind us all (pre-op & post-op) what we need to do to "keep the path". 

Thanks!  That explanation really puts it all into perspective. 

Thanks for posting again.  I am pretty sure I will need to refresh myself every month for my whole life as to how the pyloric valve works.  You think I would keep that at the forefront.  Glad to say I do remember the no liquids with solid food thing and wait the appropriate time frames.  However, why do I forget to do lean dense protein first at times.  Most of the time I remember and do it right, but every once in awhile I ask myself the question: "How am I eating a larger volume all of a sudden?".  The answer is always that I am either eating slider foods or just not eating the dense protein first and then veggies.  

I need to make this a tickler note on my calendar and have it pop up every month.  :O) 

Thank you for this. Is there a list anywhere of "slider foods"? Also, I keep seeing "slimies" mentioned, what are they???

A slider food is any food (different list for each of us with common culprits sharing) that one can seemingly eat and eat and eat without really becoming full..  Common foods found on slider lists are:  ice cream, nuts, all kinds of chips and crackers, chocolate, candies, mashed potatoes, graves and sauces, highly processed foods of all kinds, cookies, cakes, even cheeses for some. The list goes on and on...Many foods that are NOT protein rich or fiber/nutrient dense tend to be sliders .  We sleevers want to be eating foods that nourish our bodies and satisfy- priority one in decision making.

Yikes! So, in other words, most of the foods that made us gain weight in the first place. This is good info to know and another reason to realize that the sleeve is just a tool not a fix-all. :-)

Ya!, so imagine my shock and dismay when I realized that I had to make a mind change in addition to the surgery, and take responsibility for what I was going to put in my mouth.  It's almost ironic- certainly a huge ha ha to learn that WLS is not "the food police.  It's called growing up.  I'm trying to learn...

And that's why one might choose VSG over RNY - RNY, as I understand it, routes around the pyloric valve...