STRAIGHT UP....

So.... I need to know.... It is possible to really ruin your pouch? To stretch it out completely to where it is useless to you? I need to know..... Thank you!

I do not believe that will be likely to happen. I was told the pouch is expected to stretch and is supposed to stretch. at 1 year out I was told to expect to eat 1 - 1/2 cups of food per meal, and I do depending on the density. salad a lot more, meat a lot less. somedays i can eat more, other days less. If I eat a lot of fruit and veggies, or dry crispy stuff it is amazing how much will go in my pouch. I do think the choices of what you put in your pouch will affect your ability to lose and maintain. however, Some people who chronically overeat over a long period of time, ( not just once or twice or ocaasionally) , will stretch out ther esophagus or the first part of their small intestine, or stretch out their stoma which makes them not fill up.

I asked my surgeon this question,,,he said since the pouch is made from the very top part of the old stomach, it is not as flexible, and will not stretch to hold over a cup or so. He said major weight gain and WLS failure, is from usually eating the wrong things, like fast food and high sugar and high fat foods. He also said, of course, a ruptured staple line could cause you to be able to eat more, and you may not have any other symptoms. If you think your pouch is stretched, you might get checked for that. Hope this helps.

I think those of us with recent RNY surgery could safely say NO to that question. Our new pouch is seperated from our old stomach and will naturally stretch for up to 2 years. We can't ruin it. However those who had surgery some time back could have a staple disruption which would allow the food to overflow from the pouch into the original stomach. If you aren't sure which surgery you had done I'd suggest calling your surgeons office and asking if there is a possibility of a staple disruption. One way you could test your pouch is to eat dense protein only at meal time. See how much the pouch will hold. At 32 months I am full on 4-5 oz of protein. Pouch rules for dummies suggest the cottage cheese test, but I don't remember how much they are able to consume. My problem isn't what I eat at meal times, but rather wanting to snack two hours later. My surgeon allows one snack a day. I was hungry between meals and had a problem with low blood sugars. I finally decided my surgeons plan wasn't working for me. I now eat small amounts 5-6 times a day. I figured out which snacks would do the least amount of damage. My favorite snacks are an apple, pear, banana, 12 almonds, sf popcicle, etc. I averaged 1019 calories a day last month. For me maintaining my weight is about the food choices I make rather than the quantity. Protein fills me up quickly, simple carbs make me want to keep eating. Best of luck!

The problem with stretching isn't where the pouch is concerned, but the stoma. To avoid the stoma stretching and allowing food to flow more easily from pouch to intestine, my surgeon puts a mesh band around the stoma. Honestly, I don't think it can be rendered useless. I would bet that when post WLS'ers re-gain, we aren't having problems with our pouches, but probably not eating what we should. I think if we continue to focus on the basics, we would maintain our loss or start to lose again. My nut says she sees it so much - post-op'ers re-gaining - so to be careful not to fall into the carb trap.