Bread - THE Biggest Culprit!!!!!!

I thought I'd share something that I just recently found out from my doctor.  Some of you may already be aware of this, but I wasn't and I've had my band since 12/2007.  I had repair surgery in 1/2011, so I guess the rules have changed for the lap-band.

My doctor gave me a fill yesterday under the usual fluoro x-ray.  We both noticed that my esophagus was a little more stretched out than usual.  It's not abnormal, but not tight like it should be. I've had a stretched esophagus problem before, but I had the fluid removed and band repaired, so over time, my esophagus has shrunk back.  My doctor asked me yesterday if I've been eating bread and I said on occassion, but not every day or every meal.  He said even one bite can create a problem. He said that bread swells up in the esophagus/stomach and causes the esophagus to stretch.  He said rice does the same thing.  So, basically, whatever can absorb moisture and expand, then it's a culprit for any WLS patient.   He said if the esophagus gets stretched out, it acts like a 3rd stomach and allows us to eat more.  No amount of fills will correct this, but actually makes it worse. If we get too tight, the food sits in the asophagus and not in the stomach.  

I just thought I'd share this information with you all.  It's a huge "awakening" to me and I'm so thrilled that my doctor does every adjustment under fluoro for every patient. He can correct the problem before it gets worse. 

It seems now that the Band Rules need to be updated to correctly educate everyone. I guess for me, I need to know all the REASONS for the rules in order to better understand and obey them. 

I was banded 9/19/11 and i didnt know that... thanx for the info, I know Rice and bread are our worst enemies!!!!

My doc is a bit more specific. He says this is an issue with doughy white breads, the sort that go into a sort of ball as you chew.

He is perfectly happy for me to have dense whole meal or granary bread..

Kate

I had no idea..all my doctor ever said every time I see him is no rice, pasta, breads. I figured cause of the carbs count. nothing to do with what you said. I since banded haven't ben able to swollow most breads...rice sometimes works. I had both the last few days and was wondering why my stomach is so bloated and gassy. The rest of me is normal and I have this hudge bloated stomach. He gives me the fill in the port I never read of fluro x-ray.

I totally agree with this, I am going on 7 years post op and I can pretty much eat every thing, but as soon as I eat bread, I cannot eat anything else for that day, it tighten me up and plug me up for hours. Rice is another devil, I ate some Chinese food at a luncheon at work about 4 months ago, and it just sat and got stuck in my pouch, it was ugly, I vomited repeatedly for HOURS until every piece of rice came up, I just could not digest it.

Other than that my life is pretty normal with no problems or Pbing, I rarely PB, I just try to stay away from bread and rice. I would bet many people bands have slipped for trying to repeatedly eat rice or bread on a restricted band. Overall my band has been good to me over the years.

I would like to hear more about the Fluoro x-ray.  I have been banded four four years (and lost 132 lbs!), and I've never had a fill with x-ray.  I am going to ask my doc about it very soon.  Rice is rough on me.  I can eat dense breads, but not doughy ones!  Thanks for the input!

Vkmays, a lot of docs don't do XRay fills because they believe that any exposure to radiation, howver small, is best avoided unless there is a specific reason to do it.

Kate