Stretch Sleeve
So I know this gets asked a lot but there is always a million different answers. Can you stretch your sleeve? My doctor says you have to REALLY try to do it and it is not easy. However it can be done to a point. I just get nightmares of waking up fat again and everytime I am able to eat a lot of food I freak thinking I stretched it out!!!
Ditto to the dense protein! Still can barely eat steak and I'm almost a year out.
Per Dr Alvarez' book, "The bigger the calibration tube or bougie, the more 'stetchy' stomach is left in you. . .If a 32 Fr beougies is used, the sleeve will stretch out a minimum percentage with time, and will never stretch out to the size the stomach was before surgery."
Per Dr Alvarez' book, "The bigger the calibration tube or bougie, the more 'stetchy' stomach is left in you. . .If a 32 Fr beougies is used, the sleeve will stretch out a minimum percentage with time, and will never stretch out to the size the stomach was before surgery."
HW -- 255.8#; WW/pre-op lost 22.6#; CW -- 152.2#; GW 140#; 103.6# GONE FOREVER!
That is basically the same answer as I got, the smaller the sleeve, the less stretchy tissue is left to stretch. However, it does heal, which means you will be able to eat a lot more later than you can now. At almost two years out, I can eat so much more than I could earlier, so use the honeymoon period to maximize the weight loss.
This is just my own experience and my own guess...
but first I think the smaller bougie size, the less stretchability. The way it was described to me is that there is a part of the stomach like banana peel/leather, and then the rest is like one of those hefty stretch bags. With a 32 bougie you're basically eliminating all the stretch hefty bag part. So even though bougie size may not make a huge difference in initial volume, I think the bigger concern is on propensity to stretch.
Also, I think at first part of the restriction is from healing/scarring/swelling. My stomach has probably stretch a tiny bit from month 4ish, but mostly that's deceptive because of what I eat. If I eat gummy white bread and braunsweiger, sure, I can eat pretty well. Or chips or crackers go down beautifully. And I'm a little more lax on those than I was at 4 months. But when I try to eat a burger or some chicken or steak, it's still very small portions.
Now, the best idea is to not leave it up to chance. Don't allow your stomach any chance to stretch. Portion your food, eat that amount, and you're good to go. Now...I'm not that good...but I thought I'd throw that out there!
but first I think the smaller bougie size, the less stretchability. The way it was described to me is that there is a part of the stomach like banana peel/leather, and then the rest is like one of those hefty stretch bags. With a 32 bougie you're basically eliminating all the stretch hefty bag part. So even though bougie size may not make a huge difference in initial volume, I think the bigger concern is on propensity to stretch.
Also, I think at first part of the restriction is from healing/scarring/swelling. My stomach has probably stretch a tiny bit from month 4ish, but mostly that's deceptive because of what I eat. If I eat gummy white bread and braunsweiger, sure, I can eat pretty well. Or chips or crackers go down beautifully. And I'm a little more lax on those than I was at 4 months. But when I try to eat a burger or some chicken or steak, it's still very small portions.
Now, the best idea is to not leave it up to chance. Don't allow your stomach any chance to stretch. Portion your food, eat that amount, and you're good to go. Now...I'm not that good...but I thought I'd throw that out there!
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