Question:
What does a person do wrong so that the pouch stretches?

Also, if this happens, how do you know and if you cut back on food, can it go back to the way it was? Any other information on this will be helpful to me. I remember reading about so many things before surgery, and now I cant remember it all and need a refresher course.    — joycemarra (posted on August 11, 2008)

August 11, 2008
The pouch can be stretched...but it takes a lot of over eating and abuse to do this. Most people cannot handle that kind of pain from overeating...To me, it is far worse than dumping...I've done it by eating too fast or talking and eatingand not realizing I ignored the "Signals that I was satisfied) That leaves me in such pain...I have had to go and vomit to relieve the pressure...Trust me, I don't do that often! It's just awful. I do not like feeling "full". But some people can push these limits daily and be able to eat all the wrong foods and lots of it. I think the biggest probelmis stretching the stoma more than the pouch. It starts at surgery about the diameter of a pencil...and with time goe to the diameter of a nickle...Some people stretch the stoma to the size of a quarter...After a while the food just goes right thru and passes out of the pouch so fast and it's hard to feel full, so they keep eating...While their pouch is ot stretched, their stoma might be. So it's best to eat slow...and not over eat to put somuch pressure on the stoma such as drinking with meals and having that water sit heavy on the food forcing the stoma to have all that pressure and forcing it to open and stretch. Some people have a dialated stoma, meaning it opened and never closed back to a normal size...and that causes the stomach to empty so much faster. It happens. Those people often need revisions. I don't know how common it is...But I know several people who have a stretched stoma. It's difficult for them to keep their weight down although none that I know have gained back all their weight either...But they struggle and it's so hard for them...Sometimes it's not their fault...I have not met anyone that eats poorly and doesn't truly know it's their fault...We know when we are not eating right and following pouch rules...We really do. So don't break the rules...often. Hey, I'm a rule breaker now and then...I had stomach surgery , not head surgery! (stolen quote)
   — .Anita R.