does a pouch shrink?

I was contacted by a friend from high school since she knew I had gastric bypass too. I'm 5 years out. She's 7 years out. She is now having problem with keeping amounts of food down. She says that's she's back to first weeks amount of food. She's losing a vast amount of weight. Doctors are saying they've never heard of a pouch shrinking but what else can it be. Endoscopy proves no strictures. Doctors are referring her back to the surgeon. Anyone heard of such a thing? 

She is eating less food so losing weight.  I don't believe her pouch shrunk but that it is a mental issue.  I go through times when I don't eat much and lose weight rapidly.  For me it is a form of anorexia and I have to be sure to eat.  I eat six very small meals a day and that keeps me stable.  I can easily forget to eat because for me RNY removed all hunger.

Her surgeon will probably refer her to a therapist who deals with eating issues. 

My belief is that your stomach is living tissue and reacts to emotions/moods/sickness/stress...so on.  So my stomach seems to shrink when I am excited, anxious, stressed, sick.  I can't eat as much.  I'm not saying it actually shrinks but seems to be linked to my moods, feelings and illnesses.   

This is my experience.  Maybe I am in the minority.  Maybe it's because I have a band.  I don't know.  Maybe your friend is experiencing the same thing on a much greater scale.  Just a thought.   

It's good that she's being referred back to her bariatric surgeon. Something is going on in there, obviously, even if it's not a stricture. I hope she gets to feeling better soon.

If you suddenly start eating a lot less, the same thing happens witha pouch that happens with the natural stomach: the slight stretching that normally happens when you eat (which signals the "full" sensation) doesn't happen (because there is not enough food to make it happen) and so, afetr a while, the pouch/stomach seems smaller, even though it really isn't.  (That is what people try to accomplish when they go back to liquids for a full week.)

Since they have already done a scope on her to rule out a stricture, ulcer, etc., they would also have been able to identify if -- by some weird quirk of nature -- her pouch was significantly smaller that it should be. So if the report did not indicate that, her pouch size is fine. Since they have eliminated the physical aspects of the pouch, it isn't at all surprising that they are sending her back to her surgeon.

As the others have said, it is more likely to be something psychological, and hopefully her surgeon will recommend someone who can help her figure it out.

Lora

I had problems eating food after my surgery and still have to force myself to eat!  I just had to eat one or two bites like 15-30 minutes apart to maintain my weight, or would lose to much.... It could also be what she is drinking, it could upset her stomach before she eats!   I am over 10 years out and still have to just take bites.... Raw vegetables seem to affect your small stomach to!