Frisco- Pyloric Valve Basics-101 (re-post)

  frisco
on 3/5/12 3:44 am VSG on 09/30/09  
The Pyloric Valve.....the most not talked about function that will answer a lot of questions.

If you understand the Pyloric Valve function......things will be a lot easier and explain why we need to do certain things.......


Post Date: 10/5/11 5:58 pm 
 

First, I’m not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV.

This is a level one explanation.....there is more to it....but if you understand this....it will make some sense.

 

This may be old news to some..... But I’ve noticed a lot of people who have had VSG do not have any idea how the Pyloric Valve works.

 

This is my understanding how the Pyloric Valve works.

 

The Pyloric Valve function and how it pertains to your VSG.

 

The function of your Pyloric valve is the single most not talked about important part of understanding how and when you should eat and drink.

 

The Pyloric Valve is just that....It is a valve that is located at the bottom of your stomach/sleeve. This valve is in between your sleeve and the small intestine. The basic definition of a valve is an apparatus that opens and closes.

 

When open this valve it is about the diameter of a dime. When closed it’s opening is closed down to the diameter of the head of a ballpoint pen.

 

Dense proteins and harder to digest foods will cause the Pyloric valve to close to hold the food in your stomach for pre-digestion...... stomach acids breaking down this “Rough” food. 

 

That’s why we are told to eat dense proteins first.....To close the Pyloric Valve so food stays in your stomach/sleeve longer so we have a sense of satisfaction.

 

It takes about 30-60 minutes for the food to clear the Pyloric Valve...... Than it’s OK to drink.

 

That is also where the term slider food  comes into play. A slider food does not close the Pyloric Valve and as the term is intended.....food slides right past an open Pyloric Valve.

 

 

 

So now the other half of the Pyloric Valve function..... You eat a dense protein like chicken that causes your Pyloric Valve to close. Say for example your sleeve has a 4oz. capacity.....and you eat 4oz. of chicken.....your sleeve is full and holding all 4 oz. of chicken for pre-digestion because your Pyloric Valve is closed. 

 

So now try and drink something....where is it gonna go? Up.....Up until it hits another valve of sorts..... the Esophageal Sphincter (valve) and above that is a flapper valve. The function of these two valves is to hold food, bile and stomach acids in your stomach and not backing up into your air way. This is a very high pressure system. Thats why when you eat to much or drink after eating a hard to digest food and your Pyloric is closed.....It hurts cause you pressurized your intake track. Vomiting would be a natural pressure release.

So you can see how learning and understanding how the Pyloric Valve works is important as it pertains to eating and drinking with a Gastric Sleeve.

 

So that was kinda like VSG and the Pyloric Valve 101

 

As you get further a long you will want to use the Pyloric Valve in other ways to keep food in your sleeve longer to stay satisfied longer. 

 

A sleeve empties faster than a stock un altered full size stomach so sometimes it’s beneficial for you to learn what foods stay in your sleeve longer to extend satisfaction.

 

Dense proteins are #1 in closing the Pyloric Valve. Chicken, steak, pork, fish.....in that order seems to be the way it goes for me.

 

Other foods that are hard to digest and help close the Pyloric Valve are foods like:

 

• Broccoli Stalk
• Asparagus
• Celery
• Cucumber with Skin
• Radish
• Cabbage (I’m testing this right now)
• Bell Pepper

 

So I hope you understand my 5 cent tour of the Pyloric Valve and how it effects the way we eat with a VSG and how important it is to work the Pyloric Valve to your benefit.

frisco

 

 

Thanks Frisco. I am not sure why my program says that after you drink you should wait 15-30 minutes before eating. If the liquid goes right through the open pyloric valve, then why must I wait to eat?

I wondered this too. My program says the same thing. I thought I saw someone post about how you don't have to wait after you drink to eat, that you can drink right up until you take your first bite. The way my understanding of the pyloric valve is, that makes sense. Perhaps it's just a precaution that our programs don't want us to do this? I don't know, but I've been drinking until about 5-10 min before eating and I hope it's ok.

I started this too Yolanda. I am hoping that I will be better able to get all my fluids in this way, because I have been struggling with this.

****Follow your doctors instructions (PC disclaimer)

I can tell you what I do......

- I drink up to the very moment I start to eat.

- I wait for 1-2 hours before I resume drinking fluids.

frisco

Keep reposting Frisco...I read it every time as a reminder and use this info to explain to other people.  It's very helpful!!!

This was very helpful thank you for the post! I knew I couldn't drin****il 30 minutes after a meal but lately I've been slipping up a little.  This is a good reminder to wait!

Just wondering, if I do forget again and I drink after eating could that stretch my sleeve?

The general consensus seems to be that there is very little you can do (outside of medical procedures) which would actually permanently stretch a well-formed and fully healed sleeve.  If your stomach is full, any additional foods or liquids ingested will likely back-up into your esophagus, quite possibly causing nausea or vomiting.  

I would imagine that by 30 minutes after a meal some of your food may have passed into your intestines, especially if you have eaten some things which are not dense proteins, so there would be some space in your stomach for a small amount of liquids.  If you are not getting sick when drinking too soon after eating, this may be why.  Digestion doesn't always happen at the same pace though, so you are taking a risk whenever you drink too soon.  Vomiting is not only unpleasant but also very hard on your body, so you should limit this risk by trying to always wait at least half an hour after eating before you begin to drink again.

Sleeve stretching happens over time..... by repeated over eating.

Some say, that the sleeve can't stretch.

It's human tissue not steel and even steel can stretch.

If the sleeve can't/doesn't stretch.... why does eventual capacity range from 2-3oz. to 16+oz. ????

The sleeve generally empties about twice as fast as a normal un-altered stomach......approx. 45minutes vs. 90minutes.

So resuming drinking in about 60 minutes is about the soonest I start drinking again.

frisco