20 weeks preggo.. thinking my pouch could be stretched?

[sweetkissez42061 0]

Okay everyone.. We all know when your pregnant you have cravings. Ive been REALLY bad:blushing:. I eat healthy most of the time.. but sometimes I eat things we arent supposed to such as breads and pastas.. Since I was 10 weeks preggo Ive had the feeling of a constant lump in my throat (I thought it was stress/aniexty). Some days I have it.. and some days I don't. I finally talked to my OB about it and she tested my thryoid.. which was fine (shes sending me to a specialist after the baby is born). A friend of mine also has LAP-BAND®® and she mentioned Ive probably stretched my pouch bc I can eat SOO much more then what I used to. Like tonight for instance.. I made an omlet with veggies in it.. I used 3 eggs to make the omlet.. I was able to get down about 3/4 of it! I KNOW thats to much! I only had the band about 4 months before I found out I was pregnant.. So my fill was only at a 3 which my Dr. refers to as a "prime". He didn't want to unfill me bc he wanted me to continue to lose or just stay the same. So far Ive gained about 4 pounds..and thats within the last 3 weeks. Anyone have any insight on this problem or am I just being paranoid?!?!

Thanks in advance!!

[BetsyB 9]

I wouldn't leap to the conclusion that you've stretched your pouch. I would be more inclined to think that your growing baby is exerting abdominal pressure that is causing new sensations for you.

3 eggs is about 6 ounces. If you at 3/4 of that, it's not an outrageous amount of food.

Caloric needs increase during pregnancy. Not a ton, but some. Even to maintain weight, you need 300 or so more calories/day--which is why you are hungry.

You might need to have smaller, more frequent meals to meet your needs.

You say that your surgeon didn't want to unfill you--so that you could continue to lose (or at least maintain). During my last pregnancy, my doctor was fine with me maintaining, too---as long as I ate well. That said, your surgeon is NOT the doctor who should be calling the shots about this---your OB is the one with the reins. Is s/he on board with continued loss?

If you have fluctuations in band tightness, be aware that changing hormones are responsible. What is "prime" today may be too tight tomorrow---and your surgeon, not being an OB, may not be particularly responsive to this. You will have to be your own advocate so that you can proceed through the pregnancy comfortably and safely.

I wouldn't bat an eyelash at a quick 4-pound gain. Chances are, it's fluid-related. But even if not, pregnancy gains can come in fits and starts. I gained all of 2 pounds my last pregnancy--and they showed up overnight. No biggie.

ETA:

You've got 2 doctors watching out for you now: one is geared toward the band, and likely fairly ignorant of how pregnancy truly affects your banding experience. The other is an OB, who is likely inexperienced in band issues. (The throat lump thing sounds, to me, like you might be too tight---at least intermittently, due to hormone fluctuations.) It is going to be tricky to synthesize the info from both of them--just be really consistent in providing them with information about what you feel. Try to include both of them--it will spare you unnecessary testing. (Lump in throat? Sure, it could be thyroid. But it also could be that your band intermittently tightens in response to hormone fluctuations---and that a tiny unfill would relieve it.)

I'm so sorry for your frustration! Believe me, it will all be worth it when you have your sweet baby in your arms.

Edited May 14, 2010 by BetsyB