Question:
Could my opening to my intestines be to big?

Hi... I was just reading the daily questions and saw a poster had said they had a test done and it showed the opening from the tummy to the intestines was to big... making the pouch useless. This has me very worried!!!! I had open RNY 13 mths. ago and have lost 152 lbs. BUT.. now it has slowed down dramaticaly and I feel I can eat way more than I should be able to. I mean I ate a greek gyroe and a side salad today all at once for lunch today. My pouch was compleatly empty and it was 3:00 so I was very hungry. I felt just right after eating. Seems like the last 3 or 4 mths. I can just eat so much at once. What kind of test is it that is done to find out if the opening is to big? Why can't it be fixed? If our pouch isn't working at all how can we possibly control the food since we never could before surgery? by the way... the opening is called the stoma isn't it? I know I'm not eating as much as before surgery but at times feel like I could! I just wont let myself, but how long will I be able to use willpower? I hate to think this might be my problem or that I may have a disruption. Espessialy since our ins. runs out the end of march!    — Deb H. (posted on February 8, 2002)

February 8, 2002
You can be scoped to check for SLD or streched stoma or do various swallows as an addtional way to check. I'm a fan of scopes, myself. Rather than drive yourself insane, just get a copy of your op report & get it DONE. Check & see. Then you'll KNOW if you are just doing natural stretching or if indeed, your pouch is "broken". Really! It's much better to KNOW than to live in terror.
   — vitalady

February 8, 2002
Hi Deb. When you eat runnier foods do they seem to just run straight through without filling you up? I had 2 strictures, so I have had every size stoma possible. They over dilated me the second time so I wouldn't close up all the way again. I was at 12mm and things like yogurt were just flowing through without ever filling up the pouch. This worried me, but I soon started closing up a little to be pretty tight. But when I was still at a 12 I avoided runny foods like yogurt, soup, so that I would get full. What happens when you eat these type of foods? Can you get full off of the runnier foods? If not, you should definitely get scoped to see if it is the problem. And I agree with you that our willpower was a struggle before WLS, how should they expect us to stop eating before full now? THAT is why we had the surgery in the first place. Good luck to you.
   — Cheri M.

June 9, 2002
I'm 8 months post-op and just came home today from a re-do. I too was eating much more frequent and then eventually more than I knew was enough for my pouch size. I had an upper GI scope and that confirmed that the opening from my pouch to intestines had enlarged so that the food was bypassing my pouch and going directly into my intestines, allow me eat more and more frequently. Of course, I didn't want to go through a re-do but I went through it to succeed!! I'm able to move around much easier this time around, since I'm almost 60 pounds lighter. With adequate pain management I anticipate a faster recovery this time too. You owe it to yourself to get this issue checked out. Lord bless you! Maria
   — Maria H.