Memoirs of a Streatched Pouch...

[banded_for_life 2]

Well here we are...my owner and I sitting here about to tell you stories of the not so famous...and for sure not rich. :-) Do any of you bands out there who have owners who refuse to listen to you...smart band that you are? I have one of those too. So now we have a slightly stetched pouch.

We are going to have to be on liquids for 7 days, mushies for 7 more and a prescription for Reglan to try and get it back down to size. :-( The doctor said it was strange that we were continuing to lose weight and have a stretched pouch, but it was a matter of time before we manage to work ourselves right into a slip.

We sat down to work through why this had happened. Turns out my owner ms i can-handle-not-following-the-rules thought that she could get away with going back to eating in front of the tv instead of at the table. Snacking way too much on popcorn and icecream. As well as other banded nonos.

So fellow bands and the owners who love them, take a leaf from the pages of our book...follow the bandster rules or you might too end up where we are today. :-( Signed VG Lapband

[jtrek 0]

Keri,

I like your creative way of telling us we better listen to and take care of our little band friend!!

I hope the next 2 weeks and the meds do the trick for you. Keep us posted.

[JanetC 2]

Heh, I'm glad it's just slightly out-sized & not a slip! Man! I hope I can learn from you & your owner's experience & quit telling my band to shut up, I can handle it!

[Iluvharleys 15]

Good luck! I'll keep my fingers, toes, legs, and eyes crossed for you! :D

[RavensRiches 0]

ooooh, Ouch! Yes, dear fellow band. I too have an owner who thinks she can go straight to solids (she's the one who is complaining about starvation 10 days post-op). She tried to eat chicken nuggets left over from the kids happy meals and thought she was gonna die! I wouldn't let it through--I've got to teach her a lesson, ya know!

[NJChick 3]

Keri, I'm sorry this has happened to you. I pray it goes back to normal.

Its hard to follow the bandster rules when after eating a cup of food your still hungry.

How do you know when to stop? I certainly eat less than before but I can still eat quite a bit. Am I stretching the pouch?

This scares me.

[NeenBand 7]

Me too Eileen. As a newbie it's hard to tell what is normal and what isn't, etc.

[chichigirl 1]

Sadly, there are probably more of us with a 'slightly' stretched pouch than not, many of them who are not even aware of it. I know mine is, was told definitivly following an upper GI over a year ago. We will always tend to push the limits, it's how we all got into this mess of obesity to begin with, IMHO.

However, it doesn't mean it's the end of the road for weight loss or losing our bands. It should simply serve as a not-so-suttle warning to all of us that we can only push so far, before we end up causing ourselves more than we bargained for.

The stretching of the pouch is just one of the major reasons we are told to not drink carbonated beverages, they cause expansion of the pouch as well.

So, as sorry as I am to hear yet another person confirmed with a stretched pouch, I am glad to hear that it hasn't gotten to a point of no return for her and that she has so thoughtfully shared this info with all of us so we can learn from this unfortunate occurance.

All of us should remember this the next time we go for seconds, thirds, whatever. It may go down and not cause a PB, but it may be stretching our pouch.

Thanks for sharing Keri, hope you are able to return your pouch back to it's normal size. I would tend to think that this is exactly what we have all experienced when we have dieted before, you know how the first week is the roughest, until we shrink(?) our stomachs. Same thing, our stomachs were not the size they were prior to our poor overeating habits. We are still dealing with the same tissues here and we must take better care.

Cindy

[Ceparano 0]

Wow.....thanks for the "heads up" on this. As a pre-op I find this tip priceless. I hope your pouch recovers.

Roberta

[NeenBand 7]

Wow. Can it re-tighten if you go back to liquids?

I'm currently taking in about one cup of mushies a meal. Is that normal? Is that too much?? One cup seems to make me feel full. I wonder if "full" is good thing though?

It's hard to be a newbie. :-)

My next question is, what can they do if your pouched is stretched and won't go back?

[Jammin & Losin 1]

So glad you realized what was going on soon enough to get all fixed up and back on track!!Treat your band good people you never know if you could be doing something that will make you lose it!!!

[paula 4]

Keri - love the way you told us .

At this point - Im too scared to get any kind of test. Im sure a "stretched pouch" would be in my diagnosis.

Just wondering though, I was under the impression that a stretched pouch was the same as a slip. Obviously not true.

I like the questions Leenerbups asked. Can it re-tighten if you go back to liquids?

Im curious to find the answer.

[banded_for_life 2]

Yes, the doctor said that a week of liquids and a week of mushies with the Reglan should put me back in shape. He said that is provided that I follow the bander rules of sitting at the table, taking small bites and chewing my food really well.

[CCBSTX 0]

Keri, did you have any physical indications of a slip pouch? What were they? How could the surgeon tell that you had a slipped pouch?

You are doing quite well fellow Sept. bandster!

Good luck. Shawn

[MeganA 35]

My doc said that everybody's pouch stretches a bit long term. I know my pouch looks like an egg now vs a tube right after banding. I suppose it's a matter of degree of stretching. I sure hope yours shrinks with the liquids!

Keep us posted...

Megan