Question:
stretching of the pouch

i'm going to be honest because i want honest answers (if there is anyone with an answer) I had RNY on 7/17/06 and took my first drink 8/20/06 and have been drinking liquor every weekend. I want to know how will I know if i've streched my pouch without just knowing ? I know I'm a jerk and I'm SCARED ! I've already promised myself to let go of this habit and wait till the holidays....any answers ?    — nicolecarbon (posted on September 26, 2006)

September 26, 2006
Have you ever heard of the cottage cheese test? I am not sure how to do it, sorry. i have heard that alot of people turn to alcohol after surgery because they can no longer turn to food and they become alcoholics, so please be careful and you are not a jerk, everyone makes mistakes. Tanya
   — Tanya1992

September 26, 2006
Hi, im not sure too much about the pouch but i did find an addy for you..sure hope it helps http://www.pfamos.org/Test.htm dont be so hard on yourself...i had my surgery a month ago and i did not turn to alcohol but i have ate more texured food that im suppose to..and am scared myself so i will be taking this test myself...good luck to ya and big hugss CindyS
   — kurve

September 26, 2006
I am sorry to tell you, but you are on the way to being an alcoholic. One of the three issues that are confronting Gastric people is drinking. You are really not suppose to be drinking since the sugar content is so great. I would suggest that you attend your local support group and seek help. You should be scared as I personally know in my club of a couple people that are in the same situation. You probably will not be able to stop this on your own. You are going to eat your pouch away eventually.
   — Steve Cohen

September 26, 2006
First, sorry for the last dire, doom and gloom "advice" you've received. Drinkng alcohol-- although not wise to do early on-- will not stretch your pouch. Doesn't make it a good thing-- doesn't mean that it does not come with its own health issues-- but drinking alcohol is not necessarily going to derail your weight loss. In fact, and this is not meant to encourage you (because there are lots of reasons to avoid drinking early on), but certain spirits are very low in carbohydrates and won't undermine weight loss because they simply don't add "sugars" to your system. Secondly, if you are over-eating, you will feel discomfort. Habitually over-eating will cause your pouch to stretch. But, whether it is stretched or not, you would still abide by the same eating rules (small, measured protein-first meals that are chewed to death and never consumed while drinking). With that in mind, conducting some sort of silly, inaccurate "cottage cheese test" won't give you any information that you can use. If it "proves" you stretched your pouch, you will need to eat small, measured protein-first meals that you'll chew to death and (to maximize weight loss). If it "proves" that you didn't stretch your pouch, you'll do the same thing. Because, you see, whether or not you've stretched your pouch is not is irrelevant to whether or not you have been relying on alcohol to an unhealthy extent. And, I think you know that you have been. Try to find a professional to speak with about the drinking because without food as a coping mechanism, it is easy to develop a drinking habit that can wreak emotional and physical havoc. The fact that you need to promise yourself that you are going to stop drinking, but that you want to wait until after the holidays (Yom Kippur? Halloween? Veterans Day? ) is an indication that you think your drinking is a problem. The fact that you are drinking during a timeframe when your surgeon probably advised against drinking is an indication that you might have a drinking problem. The fact that your drinking scares you (as you admit) is a big sign that you have what you believe to be an issue with alcohol. The good news is that you don't need alcohol to help you through the emotional turmoil that follows surgery. Your level of self-awareness and your willingness to come here (where you knew you might get some blistering, albeit misguided, comments) is a sure sign that you have the inner strength to address your drinking while succeeding with your weight loss.
   — SteveColarossi

September 26, 2006
I don't think the danger for us of alcohol comes from stretching the pouch. I think they tell us to avoid it because it is so much easier to get drunk now much faster and aloholic beverages are all empty calories and sometimes lots of sugar, which can cause dumping syndrome. I know this because I've done it. It's been over two years since I had my RNY and it was in the summer. By football season I decided to try some alcohol. The first drink I tried was cranberry juice and vodka. It made me dump. The next week I had crown royal. I didn't dump but I got incredibly drunk very fast. Another danger of alcohol is the tendency for us to trade our food addictions for an addiction to alcohol. So please do be careful but I don't think I'd worry much about stretching your ppouch. Just watch you don't get the munchies, don't get too drunk or develop an addiction. While alcohol may not be a smart choice, I have had a few drinks here and there and I'm still around. Just please, do be careful. Best wishes for health and happiness.
   — djfoz

September 26, 2006
Alochol has excess calories early on its a great day to NEVER get to goal:( plus the fast absorbtion really hammers your liver, which is likely already impaired by fatty liver disease. you need to call your surgeon TODAY and see them directly so you can get to goal and not make yourself seriously ill. This is serious, call your surgeon immediately.....
   — bob-haller

September 26, 2006
Traci, I would be glad to be a pen paul I am out three years and now maintanning my weight. I don't know how to give you my e-mail address because we are not supposed to put it on the board. I hope we can get in touch with each other.... Gizzy, or Stacey T
   — Stacey T.

September 27, 2006
Nicole, first off please stop... you had this surg to get healthy and becoming an alcoholic is not one way of doing that. Also, I am not sure why you think that drinking will stretch out the pouch? That is unrelated but you are sliding down a slippery slope. Please get help if you cannot stop. Best wishes, Stef
   — SteffieBear15

September 28, 2006
Nicole, you have been told by several that the stretching of the pouch and the drinking are two separate issues so I won't belabor that. I want to address the alcohol with you. I had RNY in 2000. I started drinking within 6 months (I rarely drank prior to surgery) and within 3.5 years I had become an alcoholic who was so dependent on alcohol that I had to sneak maintenance drinks throughout the day just to stop the shakes. It affects us WLS people differently, the downslide is faster and it can kill us quicker as we damage our livers much quicker. I took my last drink on August 8, 2004. I've been sober a little over 2 years now and got sober through AA. I am intensely interested in helping others avoid the dangers I put myself into. If you want to talk more about this offline please feel free to contact me (this applies to anyone reading this too). There a numerous ways to quit if you find that you cannot quit on your own, not just AA and some very valuable resources on the internet for support. I think it is good that you are recognizing that there is a problem early on and I advise you to address it now rather than later. I also see a red flag like Steve did in that you have to promise yourself that you won't drink for x amount of days, months whatever. I'm glad you are ready to do something and I pray that it is only at the stage where it has become a problem but not such a big problem that you CAN'T quit. If it comes to that, let me know and I'll talk to you more about it. Love and hugs to you!
   — Kellye C.

October 2, 2006
You know what you need to do.
   — Novashannon

November 14, 2006
Nicole, I wouldn't be as worried about stretching my pouch as I would be worried about all the empty calories I am consuming with an alcoholic drink. Please do not talk to yourself negatively. Instead of saying you are a "jerk" tell yourself you are worthy of treating yourself well and give up the alcohol for better choices. Good luck!
   — sby949

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