Question:
Just what does it take and how much time does it take to stretch a pouch?
I ask this because of all the questions surrounding" did I stretch my pouch?" The other reason I ask is because the surgeon's nurse informed me that "oh no 1 cup of salad was toooo much and hoped I didn't stretch my pouch...." PLEEEASE..I was not real cool about her supposed "scare tactic" over c'mon salad....just the facts please...instead of this heightened broo-haha. I'm not looking to stretch--but I don't want this needless frenzy either--please just give me the real scoop on pouch stretching.....Thanks — Wannabe A. (posted on February 17, 2003)
February 16, 2003
I am 6 mos out, the past 2 wks I have been eating all the wrong things and
so much of those things that I was sure I stretched my pouch. SO, needless
to say I was alarmed, I had just eaten a whole McD's Guarter Punder w/
Cheese (including the bread) in 15 minutes, i eamiled my dtr the next day
and here is his response ..."Your weight loss is on schedule (95lbs in
6 mos) The earliest sign of a structural problem with the surgery is rapid
weight GAIN. The reality is that your pouch does stretch. This is normal.
The bypass protects you from absorbing excessive calories, RELAX"...
Good Luck to you. Heather (Open RNY 8/15-305/210/150)
— heathercross
February 17, 2003
The stomach is a very supple organ. It streaches, that is why people can
eat so much. Your pouch is just part of your stomach--it will
strech--nothing can stop the streching. That is why we have to learn to
eat small portions and make wise decisions. Lots of people post on here
about having the surgery to be normal. I'm sorry, nothing about this
surgery is normal. It is a wonderful tool--but each and everyone one of us
must learn to follow the rules. 6 months post op 256/182/135
— barbara A.
February 17, 2003
Picture a balloon. Hook it to an air compressor and blow. It blows up and
bursts, yes? Just as one large meal will make us blow up & hurt. But
fill a balloon SLOWLY with water and see how huge you can make it and the
balloon never feels a thing. That's grazing. Of course, the pouch can
stretch to accomodate4-8 oz of "meal" after awhile, then go back,
sorta like you can pull your lip out to look at your gums. But you mean,
STAY stretched. Grazing or REPEATEDLY eating til way too full would do it.
Eating a slightly larger meal of watery food won't.
— vitalady
February 17, 2003
My brother had surgery a little over a year before me. At the time of my
surgery, he was still doing fairly good. He has now gained back 30-40 lbs.
sadly, but he also eats things that he knows will make him dump and he
drinks with his meals. His advice was to me: Don't drink with meals, and
don't try sugar. If you know that you CAN tolerate it, you WILL eat it.
He also believes that his love of sugar (sometimes he doesn't dump) has
made him dump alot. When you repeatedly throw up your food, you can
stretch the stoma. He no longer feels full when he eats. Now the fear of
watching him slowly start to fail at this has scared the dickens out of me,
and I watch everthing I eat. I measure most of my food and stop when I
feel satisfied, not full. I agree with you that scare tactics like your
nurse used are not nice, but I think she meant well. As far as 1 cup of
salad goes, lettuce chews down into water, if it was one cup of chicken,
I'd say oh no, but you sound like you are doing fine. Good luck!
— Dana B.
February 18, 2003
Yes, there is alot of hype about stretching your pouch. And the truth is,
it is supposed to over time a little. We're not supposed to eat 1oz at a
time for the rest of our lives, otherwise to get in atleast 60grams of
protein, we'd have to eat like every hour, which is considered grazing. I'm
not maintaining my weight and not longterm yet, but my best advise to you
is measure your food and don't eat until full. I'm over 8 months pst-op and
down 105lbs. I'm amazed that i can still only eat 2-3 oz at a time, I know
many can eat more. But i'm very happy with this, I measure my food and
hardly ever eat until I am full. I usually stop a few bites before I feel
the full sensation. I'm glad you didn't take what the nurse said to heart.
I've learned that although my surgeon and nurse are well-informed and
knowledgable about WLS, they are not nutritionists, so I listen to many
things, but I know where to get my info from! Goodluck to you
— Lezlie Y.
February 18, 2003
I don't know how far post op you are or what size pouch you have to know if
a cup is to much. I do know I am 6 months post op and a cup of salad I can
eat comfortably and I am pretty sure my pouch is not stretched more then
what is normal for a 6 month post op but I do have to eat salad very slow
or it bothers me. The other posters are right to lettuce chews down to
next to nothing. My appetite is increasing now both as far as head hunger
and what i can physically hold. To satisfy that I am trying to not snack
and though I get the urge I have managed to stick with that for the most
part and I am adding more vegetables to my meals. I eat my protien first
but I am having salad more often and just today I have made a pot of
cabbage soup. Very low cal and low fat and I figure if I really feel the
need to eat more a cup of that will fill me very full and not hurt
anything. It's time to make new healthy habits and find substitutions that
work for us but don't sabotage our efforts. I have lost 105 pounds and my
doctor says that is right on track and not to exceed a cup of food per meal
and try to stay close to 1/2 cup volume. Good luck to you.
— Carrie D.
February 18, 2003
I am at 6 1/2 months post op and my hunger is increasing as of the past
week or two. I was told by my surgeon that the weight loss would slow down
and it has but I am still losing weight. (208lbs since 7/26/2002). The
nutritionist said that the pouch would expand and it has in my case. Good
luck to you all.
— Lawrence R.
February 19, 2003
I am 10 months post op (open rny) My surgeon told me that looking at the
pouch after a year, it does not stretch. BUT it does seem to work
"more efficiently". I suppose this is why one can eat more food
I guess....because the pouch works more efficiently and moves the food
through quicker. It makes sense to me so I believe it. I also heard that
the pouch is the part of the stomach that does not stretch very easily
anyway. Hope this helps to answer your question.
— Peggy D.
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