Stretching question...
I know anyone can stretch their pouch out and even sleeve to a degree. My question is since most the stretchy part of the stomach is removed with the sleeve is there a little better chance that it won't stretch out as much as it could with stand alone RNY?
I get that we should never overeat but I'm still curious as to if it helps a little in that area. Thanks.
-Amie
on 9/16/14 2:32 am
The "stretchy" part of the stomach that is removed during a VSG is the same part of the stomach that is sectioned off during an RNY. It's called a blind stomach. Each surgery has its positives and negatives. I view malabsorption as a positive. It gives you a jump start. Rny cures gerd but you can't take NSAIDs. Some of us dump(get sick if we eat to many sweets or high fat foods). I have no problem with that. It keeps me more aware of what i am putting in my mouth. If i eat more than a few bites of cake, i know i will be sick afterwards. I view that as a positive. VSG keeps your pyloric valve in tact which prevents dumping but it's restriction only procedure.
Some of the new patients will be a cheering section for their surgery buts its good to hear the benefits and negatives of all surgeries.
"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue." --- Dorothy Parker
"You may not like what I say or how I say it, but it may be just exactly what you need to hear." ---Kathryn White
on 9/16/14 4:15 am
I am 7 yrs post op Rny. I had a scope done 3 weeks ago. My pouch was the proper size for a long term post op and my stoma wasn't stretched. It's not made out of weak material. It's made of the remnants of the vsg. It's smaller than a vsg. 3 oz at first. It will eventually stretch to a cup to a cup and 1/2. A person can't live on 3 oz's forever.
I did however have a complication. One you won't have to deal with. My remnant stomach reattached to the pouch and formed a fistula/a hole. After 7 yrs of zero issues with gerd all of a sudden I was drowning with bile.
I went in for a revision last week. They removed my stomach. Yay!! I have a reconstructed pouch. Not because it stretched but because it had a hole in it. I don't have a pyloric valve and I have the benefits of the lower end of the RNy. So I have the best of both worlds. Which you will also..
A ds ds is a great surgery but it does take a huge commitment. Rny is also a great surgery. You have restriction along with malabsorption.
"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue." --- Dorothy Parker
"You may not like what I say or how I say it, but it may be just exactly what you need to hear." ---Kathryn White
Ok thank you so much for replying again! That makes sense to me now. I'm sorry you had to go through that but glad that it ended up being a benefit to you as well! I'm very curious what my sleeve will look like when I get my endoscopy next week. I'm thinking there is some dilation but I still have restriction so I don't think it's crazy stretched out. Every time I go to the DS site snd read, there just seems to be so many complications. I get that it can be open with RNY too I just feel like RNY is a better fit for me personally.
-Amie
on 9/19/14 9:56 am
The more realistic issue is the stoma stretching, not the pouch.
The stoma is what stretches with RNY and contributes to things like reactive hypoglycemia, and so far things like stomaphyx and rose procudure are busts. There is no solution to a stretched stoma yet other than revising the stomach back to a sleeve or DS and restoring the pyloric valve, if it hasn't been cut off in a previous surgery.
The RNY pouch rarely stretches. The stoma is another matter. Sadly, there's not a lot you can do to control this, other than eating small amounts. Some peoples' stoma just stretches, through no fault of their own. Some of it is surgeon technique, some of it is how the body responds to the surgery itself.
The complication rate isn't really much different between the RNY and the DS. With both surgeries you MUST commit to taking vitamins and mineral supplements every day for the rest of your life, and how much and how often should be based on your individual lab results. I know some RNYers who take more vitamins than some DSers.
I knew that, based on previous diets, I was a LOT better at doing things (like taking a handful f pills four times a day) than at NOT doing things (like resisting bacon! *grin*) all day, every day. I knew I needed the life-long malabsorption of calories that only the DS offers. I'll be 11 years post-op come December, and I'm still "in love" with my DS!
Im new to this forum and hope this is OK. I had RNY in 2010. I went from 350 down to 235. I don't drink alcohol or any carbonated beverages. My weight stayed at 235 for a long time. Now it is moving back up. It went from the 230s to the 240s to the 250s and now 260. I exercise every day, drink lots of water and take my vitamins. My problem is I can eat a normal meal and 5 minutes after eating Im hungry again. I can limit my calorie intake and under normal cir****tances a normal person loses weight. My weight goes up. I don't know if my pouch grew. Im considering revision surgery as I don't know what to do. Im very depressed & need help to go back down. My insurance plans do pay for revision surgery as I looked into it.
