Question:
This is regarding the stretching of your pouch......

Please help! Everyone I know keeps coming up to me and saying, " Your pouch is just gonna stretch back to the normal size if you dont watch it"or, "your just gonna tear your staples right out!" Is this possible? I know it can stretch, butI recall hearing you can never stretch it that much that you'd be eating normal portions again...right? I know with the old surgeries that peoples staples did just pop out and they grew double there size. I havent heard that in the site yet....please give me a correct response to say to these people. (mostly Rns and more)    — [Anonymous] (posted on September 12, 2000)

September 11, 2000
I sure get sick of hearing this said. Everyone seems to know better. "Walk a mile in my shoes". I mean like how much do they really know about this? Have they had it done? Who do they know who had it done and how recent was this? Did they read the official reports or hear from someone who heard that someone else said that they heard that... So far in my quest I have had two dieticians say that there is no malabsorbtion procedures being done anywhere on anyone and that these have not been done for 20 years or more...these people are all dead from the "old" procedures (this in response to my stating there is a malabsorbative component to the surgery) I guess Michelle C and her husband are ghosts here RIGHT? Ignorance takes many forms ... this is just another put down. I like the Julia Sugarbaker comment, Just ask them "What experience do you have with this?" Another person dsssng you.
   — JennyLynn A.

September 12, 2000
I am already planning my responses to these types of questions (I know exactly who at work is going say these negative things when she finds out about the surgery). I'm going to say "Thanks for your concern but I'm following my doctor's instructions on this/that. Thanks again." And then change the subject!
   — Kristy J.

September 13, 2000
Yes, you can stretch your pouch and in fact, you WILL stretch your pouch. If you get a 1 oz pouch and stuff a 4 oz meal into it, yes, it will stretch. If you graze or drink with meals, it will stretch. Our doc has us eat 5 to 6 one oz meals a day until goal wt. On staple line disruption, yes it can happen. It happened to me. But we don't RIP them out in an eating frenzy! If it did, my husband's would have gone by now! I'm more careful, always was and now have the safer transected stomach. It's somewhat thoughtful that they want to save you some grief, but at the same time, it's rather rude to assume that everything you try will fail. The same people have NO problem recommending yet ANOTHER diet, do they? You're wise to check it out. Yes, my staple line did disrupt, and guess what? I survived it and my revision and so while it was not pleasant, it was very survivable.
   — vitalady