Question:
Has anyone heard of the mini pouch?

I had the full open in July. When I went to the Dr. for my 6 month check up I asked him about gaining the weight back. He said he gave me the mini pouch so the chances of regaining the weight are virtually nill since it is totally sealed from the rest of my stomach. Anyone know what the mini pouch is??    — michelle M. (posted on April 3, 2001)

April 3, 2001
Mini pouch? Gosh I've heard the term before.. I don't think its a different procedure I think he is talking seriously about the size of your pouch or even perhaps how it is closed off. I would ask him to explain that would help a ton.
   — Dawn R.

April 3, 2001
I don't know what a mini pouch is....but I do know that the stomach lining pouch and old is expandable....always! Maybe he ment that he made it really small so there is no way you can get it back to the size it was.
   — [Anonymous]

May 24, 2001
I am planning on having surgery with a mini pouch soon. The normal rny surgery leaves a 20-30 cc stomach, while the mini pouch leaves a 5 cc pouch (about the size of a grape). This is a newer technique that means you are very suceptible to dumping (because the small stomach really cannot handle sugar). There is also less chance of stretching at all, and certainly not anywhere close to a size where you could begin to regain weight. The research I have done says that 20%-30% of the patients who have the larger pouches have to have them redone later because of weight gain due to stretching. I am surprised your surgeon didn't let you know the exact type of surgery and what was involved before you had it done. There are plenty of support groups out there that I would recommend you look into, if you aren't already. Here are some links with more information (some of them mention Drs. Sapala and Wood, who are the doctors that will be doing my surgery): http://www.micropouch.com/index.html http://www.personalmd.com/news/n0807112709.shtml http://www.wndu.com/news/mommo/mommo_314.php http://www.ivanhoe.com/plasticsurgery/safersurgicalweightloss.shtml http://www.ahc.umn.edu/NewsAlert/May00/050100NewsAlert/49093.htm Hope this helps. God bless, and take care.
   — mregalad

May 16, 2003
I am four weeks post-op from Dr. Wood's micropouch. Definately read up on the differences between the pouches! At a support group meeting of his, I talked to a woman who had a "typical rny" done with the larger pouch (she gained back mostof her original weight); she went through CORI for the smaller pouch and has amazing results! My thinking was that if I am going through all this, I want something with more of a "guarantee"-- a higher number of patients with little weight gain.
   — Angela G.