Can you stretch your stomach

First topic message reminder :

Hi All,

I have read almost every post on here the past couple of weeks and posted myself and received some valuable feedback. Now I am concerned though. Different topics have postings that talk about stretching your stomach out so fast by eating quickly or drinking too much water. I know we have all had different surgeons but I am worried that some give the impression that it's so easy to stretch it out. Is that true? Can anyone give some feedback that their doctors have told them so that I know? Thank you.

Does anyone know when the "long term studies" will be available and can answer some of these questions?

issi how far out are you and exactly what are you eating amounts and all. Lets see if there is a problem ?

applesauce

PS

http://www.gastricsleevesupport.com/the-post-op-page-f4/stomach-stretching-t2921.htm

My understanding is that the ghrelin hormone takes a while to get out of your system. That may be why. It is produced in the pancreas too, so won't completely go away.

One of the things that really sold me on the sleeve was the ghelin being removed and having no hunger. I suffered terribly before the op with hunger pains. Enough to have me doubling over. After the op I still had hunger pains and I was devistated. BUT, I am finding now that instead of having hunger pains an hour or two after eating I only get them minorly during the day. So I wonder if the tummy was still trying to heal itself or the hunger was indeed something else. I still have no real answer to why I don't get the pains anymore or if I do they are very infrequent.

But I suppose what I am trying to say is that the hunger I experienced has all but gone. What does help is to eat protein as it takes longer to digest. Sorry I can't help on the stretching. Personally I believe that if you stop eating when you are full you can't stretch it. Even if you are having food every hour or two.

I've read that older surgeries were performed with a larger bougie (tube to guide the surgeon in shaping the new sleeve), and that the resulting stomach was prone to stretching.

More recent surgeries are generally performed with a smaller bougie, and it seems (although the long-term studies obviously aren't out yet) that the stretching is reduced. (Actual bougie size is determined on a case-by-case basis by each surgeon, so don't quote me).

But there is also at least one poster who has found that the promised reduction in hunger hasn't taken place, because it looks as if ghrelin (hunger stimulant hormon) reduction hasn't occurred for her. Hope that's not your story, too.

As the abdomen's nervous system is not very specific, referred pain could also register as hunger, even if it isn't really hunger. Hmmmmm.... go back to the surgeon and demand further investigation / pain management?

Hope it improves,

Dark

Hi
I'm not nearly as far along as you, so would not dream of telling you different, but.....
can you keep a Food / liquid diary over the next couple of days, and post it here and maybe the experienced ones can give you advise. it may be simply your not eating enough????

In regards to stretching your new pouch, my surgeon did say it can be stretched, if your not careful but if that was the case, he could do another sleeve in the future, I would guess you should be more concerned about leakage rather then stretching at the moment, your new pouch would still be healing?

The dietician said to me today if I overeat (eat more than the plate they gave me to eat off of) then my stomach is elastic and will stretch... suggesting the fact that i'm hungry is because i've already stretched my stomach or am well on the way to it was the impression i got.

I've read plenty on here that says you can't stretch out your sleeve if it's done properly. I don't know what to believe now. Are there any cited references or statistics on this?

I'm starving on this pitiful plate but scared to stretch out my stomach. I'm so hungry it's the only reason i'm still awake my tummy is screaming. Liquids are not calming it. Neither is somac. Neither is the can of chicken breast and ryvita from my allowed foods i ate to try and calm it at 2am, it just screams and feels vacant and achy. My back is killing me. I get that every time i'm hungry the surgeon said it was referred pain. I am not eating enough to feel not hungry still but they are saying if I eat more i will stretch it. But she also told me to eat more if I was still hungry - but not to eat more than the plate holds. All the contradictions are doing my head in big time.

if your sleeve is done wrong, as in on the stretchy part of the stomach you bet it can stretch. Pick your surgeon with care. As I said if your surgery is done correctly it should not stretch. the going from eating close to nothing to about 250ml is NORMAL it is meant to do that. It is not oh my gawd my sleeve has stretched, it is the swelling has all gone and the stiffness has relaxed.

Trust me if I was a surgeon I would put THAT disclaimer on there as well hehehe

The reality tho is in all cases of anything much beyong about 10% weight regain that I have heard of in the last 4+ years ALL have been grazing snacking and bad food choices. The sleeve will NOT fix those things and you can with effort work around the sleeve.

Every single person I have spoken to who has SCREAMED my gawd my sleeve has stretched, oh my gawd i am eating so much has when actually questioned and asked to tell exactly what they are eating at a single sitting before being full is not going much beyond 250ml. They have all been under this illusion that the sleeve would only allow them to eat 100ml for the rest of their lives and that their digestive system wouldnt heal and they wouldnt be able to eat again a LOT faster than they did straight after surgery.

applesauce

My surgeon has a list of advantages and disadvantages of the sleeve on his website.

Top of the disadvantage list is:
� Possible long term weight regain if tube stretches

My doctor must think the stomach can be stretched. On his website is this:

Issues with Tube gastrectomy

1. Stomach tube may stretch up over time leading to late weight regain. The extent of this is currently unknown

2. The amount of weight reduction is in the region of 40-60% of excess wt lost over the first 1-2 years.

3. It is a good option for people living in remote areas because it is a "set and forget" operation which requires little post op follow up or nutritional supplements

4. There is no malabsorbtion to nutrients

5. If weight is regained the second stage of the BPD the intestinal bypass can be added... often laparoscopically as well.

Apple's right, Claire.
And don't forget that as the swelling goes down, you'll be able to fit more in, too - so don't panic about it.
Good luck with the mushies!

Thanks Applesauce, your words of wisdom were just what I needed to read.

sometimes I just can't believe that it is all so easy to lose the weight after the op, and then start to think of all the potential ways I could ruin it all. The nasty downside of having anxiety issues!

if your surgery is done correctly it cant stretch. everybody heals at different rates this means the swelling and the scar tissue produce an unnatural tightness. over time this settles to a stomach of about 250ml. this is normal and ment to happen. now the ability to drink clear liquids is to do with the valve at the bottom of your stomach how easily it empties. this doesnt change with surgery but has no impact on how little you can eat.

applesauce

Does anyone know how easy it is to stretch your stomach after being sleeved?

I seem to have developed a fear that I am stretching it, I think it is because I can tolerate quite a lot of fluids now and am finding things are going down a lot easier.

I am moving up to pureed foods tomorrow and am actually quite scared I am going to overeat and stretch.

any words of wisdom would be greatly recieved!

Claire.

I haven't been sleeved yet but went to an info night last week and the Doctor said the sleeve size they make is narrower than your oeshaghus or however you spell that bloody word. The remaining stomach is the less stretchy part that is more fibrous than the part removed and hence not as easy to stretch. However he did say that it still can stretch on some people but he felt it depends on how stretchy a persons cartilage and fibrous tissue etc is in general. If you are a double jointed really flexible kind of person then you have really elastic ligaments and fibrous stuff so could expect more stretching of the sleeve as your stomach will be more flexible too. They are studying how much the sleeve stretches over the long term so this is why it is really important that we do all the follow up appointments. Its this followup research that has led them to change how they do the sleeve over the years so it is even more successful. Even if you have no concerns they want you to come back so they can measure your sleeve capacity. Bit rich to ask this and then expect you to pay a consult fee as well if you ask me. But maybe they dont, like I said I haven't been chopped yet so take everything I say with 2 shovelfuls of salt.

Keridwyn wrote:

As my surgeon knows I am a sleeve study nut. I refer people to this study which was recently released. It took measurements early and later of the same patients and showed stomach capacity changes.

I just read this study and it was good...there was also another one in the related topics on the right hand side that reviewed 163 patients.

About myself, i have never overeaten to the point where i have to vomit. For me i just start to feel full and i stop....i have also gotten used to the amount that i can eat...i have it either in the same bowl or plate each day that way i can dish up the same amount easily.
But if your having trouble with the amount you can eat i think i would rather eat small and have to eat 2 hours later than eat until i have to vomit....yuk

Nicole

Hi there,
thought I would add my 2 cents worth in, as my experiences are a bit different from what has been posted.

If I over eat, I don't vomit... but I did get incredible pains where my stomach is, radiating up into my shoulder. So the "if you eat a teaspoon more you will chuck it up" doesn't work for me (sometimes I wish it would!).

Having said that - and I think it was Apple that has commented on this previously - if you vomited easily / had reflux prior to surgery you may vomit easily / have some reflux afterwards, and that seems true for me, because I was never a person who vomited easily / freely... even when I had a virus that made me want to vomit!

Regards,
Sophia

This is something I really worry about, I'm nearly 1 year sleeved and haven't lost as much as expected, I have trouble with grazing and craving high fat/calorie foods, its hard with PCOS the cravings kick in and drive me crazy. I do need to start exercising, but have lost the motivation to lose anymore as I've plateaued for so long. Now I've had my holiday need to get moving literally, and lose the last 10-15 kilos. I seem to be able to eat quite a bit, particularly if its snack foods- carbs go down well unfortunately. Nicola

suzie002 wrote:

Thank you everyone. I can sleep now. I have been struggling for the past two weeks. I keep going back and forth with 5 pounds. I haven't been eating much and I see on here that people stall at the 3 week mark but I haven't read where anyone has gained. I know I am retaining water because of missing my blood pressure pill but I didn't think it would cost me 5 pounds. I don't have the easiest surgeon in the world to talk to and I was hoping to go to a seminar this week but it's been cancelled. Thank goodness you all were here. I guess I just wait and be patient at this point. I just drink so much water now and keep getting afraid I am stretching it out and now I know that it's probably not so.

OKAY - Now hear this -
Most of your body is water. I gained 14 pounds when I went in for this surgery because of fluid retention since they did not give me my water pill. It took a little over a week to lose the weight with lasix. If you have a sloppy heart this will happen. You need to go back on your water pill. See your internist, see your cardiologist but get back on your medication ASAP. Do not delay. Repeat - do not delay.

when i last saw my surgeon he asked me..what signs do i get when i know im full?. I said it just hits me and i want to vomit!! He said i have to stop just before that point otherwise over time my stomach will stretch. The problem is...after 7 months you would have thought i have figured it out but i cant get the right balance. I eat small and then im hungry a couple of hours after. If i have a couple more spoonfuls it hits me and i run off to the toilet vomiting up mucous. I just cant get it right!

I agree with Applesauce. At 12 months sleeved (anniversary in 2 days lol), I must own up and admit that I do still have binges and eat the wrong stuff but if I do overeat I know it and feel so uncomfortable to the point that I have to be sick. This isn't a regular occurrance I should say but if I'm being honest I do still struggle with the old bad habits.

Now I have to say that I can't eat a great deal still and know that my stomach hasn't stretched by this. Some days I can eat more than others. Some days I will only have 3 small meals and others I may eat every couple of hours. I haven't put on weight and I should probably say that I specifically aim for higher fat foods occasionally to keep my weight stable and because I have lost more than I aimed for is another excuse for me not to eat right. I know this is all wrong but that's just how it is!

Anyway I believe if it is going to stretch it will be very minute and you will never be the person you previously were.

steph

Keridwyn wrote:

As my surgeon knows I am a sleeve study nut. I refer people to this study which was recently released. It took measurements early and later of the same patients and showed stomach capacity changes.

Thank you for putting that on there. It makes sense. I was concerned that I was stretching it out a few weeks after surgery. I would hope that by the time I am at my goal rate, I will be at the eat to live and not live to eat phase I guess you can say. From what I can see, it will stretch over time but drinking alot since surgery more than likely hasn't stretched it out yet. Thank goodness.

As my surgeon knows I am a sleeve study nut. I refer people to this study which was recently released. It took measurements early and later of the same patients and showed stomach capacity changes.

Thanks Applesauce. I just worry because I just had the surgery on May 28th and I am really struggling. I don't think i am eating too much but the weight gain confuses me unless it's just fluid retention. I mean, I really can't eat very much and I watch what I eat. I eat mostly fish and breakfast is either oatmeal or a poached egg. I eat 4 times a day, one is a snack of four diet crackers and a wedge of laughing cow cheese which is 35 calories. I am just panicking because of the weight gain. I love this forum since I am learning more here than I did at the doctors. I was told I would NEVER be hungry again, even my husband was told after surgery to keep an eye on me since he would have to remind me to eat. Because I get hungry, I think something is wrong. I am so relieved after finding this site. You guys are great!

From what I have seen and understand after healing which can be upto a year streching should be close to impossible IF the surgery was done correctly in the first place. If it was made to big and floppy to begin with then expect problems
Late regain really is the fact you can digetst food a lot easier and faster over time and the very bad habbit of constant grazing.

I can not fit in any more than I could at 6 months and I eat until full , well use to all the time now pretty rare. BUT when I push it I KNOW I have there is no mystery bigger stomach now 18 months out from surgery for either me or the male of the species tho his final stomach size did not settle until closer to 12 months, he had a lot smaller amount until then and now is the same as me about 200-250ml. Both of us are guility as charged for snacking.

But the reality still is I had a satche of porriage for breakfast the other day then ate most of a muffin for morning tea there went my lunch no way could I fit it in. I was able to eat sooner as in mid morning rather than lunch BUT still endd up full and unable to eat a few hours later.

applesauce