Can your lapband pouch stretch?

Brandi H.
on 5/23/10 1:55 pm - Wilmington, OH
Im a bit confused, i have had my band sinse march 16th 2010...i am 40lbs down.

But i've read a few different places people talking about how they don't want to stretch their band pouch out?

 Is this really possible? 

What damage can be done if it DOES stretch?

How does is become stretched?

And can it go back to normal?

Wow..just never really thought of this. And now im kinda afraid of messing up my weight loss attempt if i ever "over do" it...
--Brandi
WHO DEY!
[
GO BENGALS!]

kathkeb
on 5/23/10 2:51 pm
You can certainly over-eat and cause a band slippage.
Actually, the band does not slip or move since it is sutured into place, but you can cause your stomach to slip up into your esophogus --- and cause a dialation.

Usually the first part of treatment is to completely unfill your band and then see if things will 'settle' on their own -- and then start to slowly re-fill --- this whole process can take a few months.

Once you have experienced this, it is much more likely that it will happen again -- and can lead to having your band removed if it becomes chronic, or if things do not settle on their own.

Eating too much (repeatedly) can really mess things up.
Kath

  
cushingsa
on 5/23/10 9:00 pm - Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
 Thanks for the good info.  Another good reason to not over eat.

Sharon
  
"He is able who thinks he is able." 
Buddha

  
Keelan
on 5/23/10 3:08 pm
I was also told by my surgeon and nutritionsist that drinking carbonated drinks can stretch your pouch. I know it's a scareey thing to think of cause we wait so long for surgery and for the weight loss to happen and then allof a sudden you have another thing to worry about. I guess thats why it's so important to follow post-op instructions.
Congrats on the weight loss.

Kee.


 
HW:274  SW:238  CW: 150.0  1St goal: 199.8  2nd goal:174 (100 pound lost)
My Persoanl Goal: (HIgh)150 (Low)140


1st goal acheived December 27th/2010. 1 week after my 3rd month surgery anniversary.
2nd goal acheived June 4th/2011. 2 weeks after my 8th Month Surgiversary
.

Gall Bladder surgery April 12,2012

You can either believe it will happen.....or believe it won't.  Both are self fulfilled prophesies. For Me it has happened.  My Surgery was September 21/2010

Lisa O.
on 5/24/10 2:50 am - Snoqualmie, WA
Your pouch is still part of your stomach so yes, it can stretch.  Usually it's from over-filling it by eating portions bigger than the pouch holds.  The stomach is very elastic and will stretch to accommodate what you put in it. If you only over-eat on occasion it will likely go back to normal,   but in our case, food has no place to go until it digests enough to go through the opening of the band. If you over-fill your pouch often, over time, it will stretch and stay that  way.  If the small pouch expands past the width of your band that's called a dialation.  What you're doing is creating a bigger pouch that will hold more food which basically defeats the purpose of having the band. 

If a pouch dialation is detected, (only visible by floro or and upper GI), the protocol is to empty the band so food will pass through easily in hopes that the elastic stomach material will snap back in place.  If caught early enough it usually will, but if you've abused your pouch over a long period it may not go back all the way.  The other thing that can happen is that you over-fill your pouch so much that food is backing up into your esophogus which can also cause the same thing to happen there which is called an esophogeal dialation.

The bottom line and key to keeping your pouch small, like it's intended to be, is to keep your portion size to less than 1 coup of food at each meal or less than 4 ounces. 

Portion control is important in so many ways for the band patient!

You're doing great btw!  Congratulations on your WL!

Lisa O.

Lap Band surgery Nov. 2008, SW 335. Lost 116 lbs.  LB removal May 2013 gained 53 lbs. Revisied to RNY October 14, 2013, new SW 275.

    

    

LisaSCV
on 5/24/10 4:26 am - Santa Clarita, CA
 Just like stretching your stomach overtime by overeating, you can do that to your pouch.  My Nut that ran our HMO's classes really pushes us to measure our food so we don't overeat.  She says not to go over 8 oz which is a cup.  I still measure my food (I'm a year out) because I can't seem to put food on the plate & stick to only a cup!  Guess that's why I got so big!  I don't think once in a while will cause your pouch to stretch, but the times I've gone over a cup, I feel so icky & sick from being too full, so I don't recommend it for that reason too.

Hope this helps
Lisa
1st fill 2.5cc's; 2nd 1.0cc (202.2 lb); 3rd .5cc (197.4); 4th .5cc (192); unfill .5cc; 5th .3cc; 6th .2cc (177.8); 7th .2cc (169.4); unfill .1cc; .1cc(168)
         
Brandi H.
on 5/24/10 8:09 am - Wilmington, OH
WOW! Thank you to everyone *****sponded. I am in shock. I found myself re-reading each response 3 or 4 times. lol.  I have done so so so much research with this finicky band of mine....and never knew any of this!!! Im a bit afraid of over eating now.

What about the foods that lets you keep on eating..like chips...ice cream...etc....will that stretch your band as well??? Or no because it slides right through?

Not that i want to sabotage ANYTHING. I guess im just trying to get my facts straight.
--Brandi
WHO DEY!
[
GO BENGALS!]

Most Active
×