Is Stretching A Real Concern? How Do You Avoid It?

[sirensiren 67]

You can stretch out your sleeve back to your old capacity by eating too much or drinking Water too soon after eating- myth?

I am 4 months out, and I notice my capacity grows and grows. I do get fearful that perhaps I am stretching it out, but many think stretching is virtually impossible.

I have heard many people claim that drinking Water with or too close to a meal stretches out your sleeve. Really?

If so, I am doomed. I merely avoid water during meals, 5 minutes later or so, I can sip a bit- and do!

Insight?

[brandymarie81 108]

According to my Dr you can stretch it out but never to the size it was. Most people stretch to max 8-10 ounces.....which is still less than a 1/4th of the old size

[Foxbins 625]

Water can't stretch out your sleeve. Water will come out the top of your espohagus or go out the bottom of your pyloric valve. What drinking with food does is mix with the solids so that it moves through faster and you don't feel full and takes up space better occupied by nutrient-dense food. If you drink after eating dense Protein, it can hurt as the protein will block the exit to the pyloric valve for a while, but you would have to do this consistently for a while, and endure quite a lot of discomfort, to stretch the tissue that is left.

[lyndynojo 140]

My doctor said he took all of the stretchy part out and that it will not stretch. After about 3 months all of the swelling has gone down so maybe thats why it seem larger.

[MyVSG2012 15]

My doctor said he took all of the stretchy part out and that it will not stretch. After about 3 months all of the swelling has gone down so maybe thats why it seem larger.

I had pre-op class yesterday and the doctor addressed this. He said the pouch does not stretch. The pouch gets bigger only because the swelling has subsided.

[Kris 78]

I'm a bit over a year out (like Foxbins, who BTW has done an AMAZING job with her sleeve!!!). I can eat about 1 cup of food per meal now -- each meal is usally a mix of Protein and carbs. I don't think I could eat an entire 8-10 oz. of dense Protein at one sitting (I've never tried), but I probably could eat more than 10 oz of carbs if they are slider foods that chew down to tiny bits, like Cereal.

Which brings me to cautionary tale that the thing you really need to worry about more than your sleeve stretching is watching what you put into it. I started snacking/grazing again on carby "healthy" (LOL) Snacks (like rice chips or pretzel crisps) several months ago, and that has really kept me from getting to goal, so I'm trying to cut it out completely. You can easily eat several hundred calories a day of slider foods if you don't watch out -- rice chips, pretzel crisps, or chex mix chew down to almost nothing, and it is frightening how much you can eat if you don't watch yourself. Ask me how I know this.

[thinoneday 445]

I'm going into my 3rd year and let me tell you, if i've stretched this puppy out any I would be amazed. I have a 28/30F bougie and i still can only fit in 6 - 7 oz of food at one time. Anymore and the pain stops me dead in my tracks. . .like right now, I just had my lunch a salami sandwich which is just sitting there right now. . . i would love to drink something to help it down faster but the tightness is so bad that if i do drink anything I'll probably puke. . .

[lyndynojo 140]

I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday and she had the sleeve done 4 years ago and she was saying that her restriction was the same as it had been at about 8 months to a year, but she can eat lots more slider foods if she wants to.

[Rootman 1,101]

WARNING TMI:

I'm out 14 months and last Friday night we went for hamburgers at Red Robin. I had a turkey burger and ate less than 1/2 the bun and fixin's and all the turkey patty, I also had maybe 6 steak fries and two small bites of my wifes dessert and was in distress almost immediately. I hocked up two big mouths of phlemmy nasty stuff before giving up to it and finally barfing up ONE mouthful of vomit. Instant and total relief. So what would of been a light snack a few years ago was TOO much today. So at 14 months the restriction is still good for me.

I picture the stomach as a kind of a saggy balloon, not the smallish kids balloon but a larger maybe latex, it's got TWO opening though, the output opening has a valve to keep it normally sealed. It's hung from the top opening and the other opning is more to the side on a slant from the top. It has a tougher band running across the top edge that doesn't stretch much and is there to hang the whole thing on, the bottom can stretch a LOT.

During the VSG a majority of the bottom stretchy part is removed and you are left with more of a tube than a saggy balloon. The bottom cut is sealed with staples and heals with a thick ridge of scar tissue - which if you have any scars you know it does NOT stretch.

The part between the bottom scar and the thick upper part DOES stretch - SOME. Remember it's limited somewhat by being so close to the thick upper part and the new scar.

So YES it does stretch but not NEAR the amount the old stomach could, and even then they BOTH spring back to the original shape pretty fast and never stayed stretched.

Of MORE concern is developing bad habits post sleeve and starting to snack all the time, therefore never hitting the restriction and eating too many calories over the course of the day.

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

I struggle with this. I hear from numerous sources about both, the stomach can stretch, no the stomach doesn't stretch. SOmetimes I worry that this is not a permanent weight loss and struggle with getting rid of all my large cloths. But today, I cleaned out the closet and have hardly anything in there. But, I am workin on accepting where I am and focus on healthy eating that my sleeve has brought me. I can do this, I am .

We totally Rock our Sleeves! :wub:

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Rootman! I like how you wrote that, it makes total sense. Thank you so much!

[sirensiren 67]

These are some great replies! THANK YOU! I fear that my habit of drinking Water around my meals was somehow hazardous.

I am actually doing great in terms of weight loss, but I notice I can eat more and more and more..and that scares me.

I do not want additional surgery in a few years due to stretching!

[minniekitty 44]

I'm 7 months post-op and I worry too that my sleeve may have stretched. I can eat more than I used to, but like people say it's probably because the swelling is gone.

I just liked the extra restriction, but I'm close to goal so this is probably for the best.