Hair & Protein....also a stretching pouch question

So its happened. I didn't think that I would lose my hair but its deffinetly started. I can tell that I am losing a huge amount. Is there anything to help with this? Is it because im not getting enough protein or is it just inevitable. Secondly, I see the veterans tell people all the time that it is almost impossible to stretch your pouch out. That you would have to over eat by a considerable amount, frequently. To do so. Is this right? Theres been a few times were ive eaten a bite too much....and feel awful for about an hour after. Are ya'll saying these people that stretch their pouch out and gain all their weight back overeat not just by a bite, but like double what were supposed to? Because if so....my one bite over put me in pain for about an hour, I can't imagine how painful it would be to eat a considerable amount extra....someone tell me if im completely off base here. But after reading a lot of those posts, thats what ive gathered.

BIOTIN!!!!!!!!! It's not just because of the protein...it's because of lack of other nutrients. I would try either biotin (you can get it at the dollar store for, like, two bucks) or Hair Skin and Nails. Or even prenatal vitamins!!!

As far as the pouch stretching....yesssss. It is really hard to stretch it out. I am 2 years post op and had to be opened back up because my roux tube was clogged. My surgeon had to redo the bypass but he said that my pouch was still really small and he had to cut it down even more!!! I looked at him like he was nuts because some days I don't even feel like I have a pouch...sometimes I can eat an entire turkey sandwich! I have heard of people stretching pouch back out to the size of a normal stomach...they must grin and bear it through the pain. I can't imagine! I throw up for, like, an hour straight one bite too much!

Unfortunately, biotin will NOT stop or lessen the hair loss.  It is called telogen effluvium which is caused by the anesthesia and physical shock to the body, which can happen after ANY surgery, and then is compounded in our cases because of the drastic drop in nutrition post op (not just protein and vitamins).  Some people believe that it helps with regrowth, but there is no solid evidence that it does so. NOT getting enough protein and vitamins can make it WORSE, though.

Also, it is physically impossible for a RNY pouch to stretch all the way back out to the size of the natural stomach!  That would require it stretching from holding about 8 ounces of food at about a year out (or possibly up to 16 ounces after two years out if it isn't a dense food) to around 132 ounces!  of going to happen no matter how often, or how much, someone overeats. Whoever told you that is mistaken (or, more likely, is simply parroting something they heard from someone else.. who heard that it happened to their hairdresser's husband's cousin's babysitter...)

What someone CAN do, however, is seriously stretch (as in destroy) their stoma so that their intestine becomes an extension of their pouch, but that is rare.  It is not the kind of thing that happens without the person knowing that they are MAJORLY overeating.  Of all the people my surgeon did EGDs on, who all swore that they were eating right and that their pouch had just stretched out too much, less than 20% had a pouch that was significantly larger than one would expect in a "mature" pouch.  That means that over 80% of the people she saw who were experiencing regain had a normal, small pouch but were just overeating or making poor food choices.

Lora

First, most people do not gain all t heir weight back.  Most people that gain some or all of their weight back have not stretched their pouches.  They are just taking in too many calories.

But yes, in order to stretch your pouch too much, you'd have to overeat by much more than just a bite.

Second, as far as hair loss goes, it is a common side effect of general anesthesia.  It's called telogen effluvium and there is nothing you can do about that.  If you are not getting enough protein, that will cause further hair loss and you can do something about that, so if that's the case, get your protein.

Your pouch is made of the part of the stomach just at the end of the esophagus and along the lesser curvature of the stomach, which is the LEAST stretchy part of the stomach.  (The sleeve is a thin structure that runs the entire length of that lesser curvature.)  Someone has to significantly overeat on a regular basis to stretch the pouch out.  They are more likely to stretch the stoma, allowing food to exit the pouch more quickly, or in extreme (and rare) cases, make the intestine an extension of the pouch, which would allow them to eat much larger quantities of food (but still not as much as with the natural stomach).  Yes, they will know that they are overeating.

Most people *****gain weight (and, as Kelly said, VERY few people gain ALL off their weight back) don't do it because their pouch is stretched (see my other response for my surgeons's experience on pouch sizes in people who have regained significantly).  They do it by making poor food choices, by snacking/grazing in between meals (or at night after dinner), and/or going back to drinking with meals.

Lora

Hmmm... on the hair loss. I had a little hair loss. My labs are great so no difficiency. My surgeon told me just to take the biotin and it has helped so far.

 

Carol