Question:
Did I stretch my pouch or disrupt the staple line??

I am 7 months postop down 107 pounds. About 5 days ago I noticed all of the sudden that I don't get full on the same amount of food that I did the day before. My family thinks it's all in my head because my doctor gave me a hard time at my last visit a couple weeks ago. But, Yesterday I started having very sharp stabbing type pains in my lower abdomen that is intensified with drinking or eating. I am scared that something is terribly wrong. I am terrifed to eat and even more terrified to call my doctor since she has already screamed at me once. Any advice is welcome.    — bevewy (posted on November 16, 2002)

November 16, 2002
Hi Beverly, I think you are doing great! Staple line disruption does not hurt. I had it and there are virtually no symptoms other than being able to eat about twice the amount you could eat. I disrupted (was not transected) at 6 mos post op after I had lost 68 lbs. I just quit losing all together and felt like I could not get full. I ate TWO Lean Cuisines and still did not feel full. I went back at 11 mos postop and was "redone" with transection. Now I have lost an additional 60 lbs. I feel great now! Are you transected? Not sure what caused your pain but sometimes I feel that type of pain with gas. Are you having regular BMs? Could you possibly have a hernia? I have heard that most times hernias don't hurt unless they become strangulated and then the pain is so intense, you must have emergency surgery. And no food will go down or come out, if you know what I mean. I hope you are feeling better, but most of all,your doctor has no right to yell at you! What was her point? If you continue to have pain, insist on an upper GI to see if there is some problem. If she yells at you, find another doctor. You are really doing well at 7 mos postop and losing that much! Don't continue to suffer though find a doctor who will help you asap.
   — Mylou52

November 16, 2002
hi beverly:) i cant answer the pain in the abdomen question as ive never had that type as of yet. but i just wanted to say congrats on your weightloss and that at anywhere from 6 to 7 months out, its pretty common for a person to be able to accomodate a bit of more food. youve always had more room its just that your pouch is healed better now and alot of the swelling has gone away .several of my buddies that have had wls felt an increased appetite right around the 6 month mark or a bit after so thats pretty normal i think. best of luck to you. i hope i never have a sld as im not transected either. for certain reasons, my surgeon does not do it that way and with as much research as i thought i had done, i didnt realize that non transection was even an otion. i just assumed that every doc did it the same. i hope all is well for you and me and everyone! :)
   — carrie M.

November 16, 2002
You didn't say if you were transected or not...? Most have no pain with it, but I did. BUT it was acid type, mule kicked me in the sternum type pain. Definitely high, not low. You didn't say if things are moving along nicely, if you get my drift. If you continue to have pain in lower abd, you gotta take yourself in SOON and not dink around with it. A bowel obstruction can make labor & delivery look like a good time. Picture your intestine, (garden hose) with a belt over it, or looped around it, now make it tighter, tighter...... see? Can't mess with it or reason it away. Even morbidly obese people have real problems, much as we have had a lifetime of being told they're in our heads.
   — vitalady