Fear of STRETCHING Sleeve!

[Fatdiva14 47]

Hi everyone, I am new to the post-op board. I spent a lot of time on the pre-op even after my surgery. I was sleeved Jan. 21st, and am excited that I am on my 3 month sleeve-versary! I am getting about 90-100 grams of Protein per day. A Protein shake in the morning sometimes with Peanut Butter, and Isopure Protein Water (40grams) in the afternoon. I barely get food in, because I'm focused on my protein, I might have a small salad, or 1/4 of a half of sandwich at lunch time, but by 3:30pm I start sipping on the Isopure and it normally takes me until about 8:00pm or 9:00pm to get it all day. I have yet mastered the art of sipping slowly because I'm always thirsty, but I take large sips...not gulps. And chewing...am I the only one that hasn't mastered the art of chewing slow and taking 45 minutes to eat? Am I the only one that doesn't take 30-45 minutes eating?

I often have nightmares that my stomach is stretching. I am steadily loosing, and have lost about 32lbs since surgery.

I've been told by post op patients, and others that your stomach will stretch eventually, but my fear is will is stretch this soon.

Does anyone else have the same concern? How would you know if it is stretching? Would it stretch this soon? Would I feel it? These are the questions that haunt me!

[Babbs 14,681]

It doesn't stretch. The swelling from the surgery goes down and you are able to eat more without feeling as much restriction. This is a gradual effect as months go by.

The part of the stomach that is left after surgery is the less "stretchy" part. You would have to eat to the point of vomiting every day for a long time to get your sleeve to stretch even a little, unlike the pouch from a bypass that can stretch quite a bit over time with overeating.

I never took 45 minutes to eat, never chewed my food to a paste, and now can drink 16 oz of Water in about 10 minutes or so. And I still have great restriction at 8 months out. Keep in mind the amount of restriction you have depends on what you are eating. The denser the Protein, the better restriction you'll have. Things like crackers, Cookies, and chips will cause little or no restriction. If you keep to the rules of the sleeve ( no drinking before or after eating after a certain amount of time, measuring your food and stopping when satisfied not full, Protein first, then veggies, then if you have room starch) you will have restriction even after your stomach has healed and loosened up a bit months and even years down the road.

[tomi71 581]

From my understanding our restriction decreases as time passes but it's not from stretching the sleeve, instead it's decreased swelling that naturally occurs from healing.

I still eat fast (but not nearly as fast as beforehand) so I remind myself to savor. Old habits die hard but they can be broken. Plus, your tastes will probably change.

Before I started this lifestyle I could eat an entire loaf of bread, a package of Cookies, a pot of pasta....I was addicted to simple carbs. Now if I even look at a piece of baguette or anything like that my stomach screams in terror at me! Lol it also helps that I no longer crave those foods.

Stick with nutrient-dense foods especially good Proteins and hydration. Congrats and best wishes!

Edited April 17, 2015 by tomi71

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I will be two years out in May and I have "feeding days" and "non feeding" days. On feeding days, I can eat 1/2 cup plus a bit -- about 3 oz of Protein plus some cheese. On non feeding days, I can' barely manage 1/4 cup or 2 oz of Protein. There is no rhyme or reason to it, sometimes my tummy is accepting of food, sometimes it is not.

I had a hard time slowing down, too. I learned to cut my food into teeny bits. TEENY TINY TEENY bits and eat one at a time. If it's spoonable, I used a baby spoon and now I can use a regular spoon but I put a baby spoon worth of food on it by habit. If I don't, I will hurl.

I still can't drink fast, and I rarely manage plain Water, but I do sip sip sip all day via a straw.

Sleeves don't stretch. You can expand them a bit with a lot of excessive over eating but if your doctor performed your procedure correctly, most of the fundus (the stretchy part) was cut out, leaving nothing behind that can stretch. Gas wont' do it, liquids won't do it, carbonation won't do it.

You're fine. Relax. Trust your restriction and go by it. You are doing great.

[Band07 374]

It absolutely can and will stretch if you're not careful ! Iv worked with sleeve patients for years and have seen plenty of patients gain weight back from stretching the sleeve. I myself am one of them and I have xray pics at one day post op and one year post op to prove how much it has stretched. Why do you think their are revision surgeons that now resleeve patients? Just be careful, don't over eat to the point of misery and avoid carbonation. My sleeve was a 42 Bougie and I had scar tissue as well which made mine easier to stretch but it happens to others too.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I drink carbonation almost every day. Can't eat more than 1/4-1/2 cup.

Now, if I wanted to, I could eat allllllll day long. I could eat chocolate and Cookies and pizza and candy and cupcakes and ice cream (actually, ice cream makes me vomit, but...). I could eat thousands and thousands of calories of pure crap every day and blow right back up to 260 pounds. That has nothing to do with stretching my sleeve, that has to do with grazing on crap all day and not following a sensible diet.

It's my OPINION that some people "eat around" their sleeves and cheat themselves back to poor health.

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,900]

I had the VSG. There seems to be two rules of thought regarding this procedure and the stretching of the sleeve.

1. You can only stretch it very little by overeating (within reason).

2. This can stretch this quite a bit by overeating, carbonated beverages etc.

I read many posts and articles supporting both schools of thought.

I spoke with my surgeon's nurse regarding carbonated beverages and the stretching of the remaining stomach for a VSG patient.

She backed up my feelings, if the carbonation was that strong to stretch your stomach, the carbonated gas pressure would exit the stomach (as in a burp).

The remaining stomach could stretch a little, but it won't stretch that much (if someone is gorging themselves to the point of discomfort, I am sure there would be a little more stretching).

My surgeon warned me the "honeymoon period" following the surgery will end after about 6 months. At this point, I will be able to eat more than earlier into the post surgery eating. He was right.

I wonder if some people are grazing all day, eating more food than they should, not eating slow enough (~20-30 minutes) to listen to their body cues that they are full (I am guilty as charged of that), not measuring or weighing their portions, eating too much high caloric foods, excessive slider foods, exercising less, not drinking enough Water or drinking during or right after a meal, not eating enough Protein, (or combinations of these) and feel it is due to stretching -especially in the case of "slider foods", such as high calorie sweets and refined white flour, where we can eat more of these?

Edited April 17, 2015 by 4MRB4PHOTO

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I had the VSG. There seems to be two rules of thought regarding this procedure and the stretching of the sleeve.

1. You can only stretch it very little by overeating (within reason).

2. This can stretch this quite a bit by overeating, carbonated beverages etc.

I read many posts and articles supporting both schools of thought.

I spoke with my surgeon's nurse regarding carbonated beverages and the stretching of the remaining stomach for a VSG patient.

She backed up my feelings, if the carbonation was that strong to stretch your stomach, the carbonated gas pressure would exit the stomach (as in a burp).

The remaining stomach could stretch a little, but it won't stretch that much (if someone is gorging themselves to the point of discomfort, I am sure there would be a little more stretching).

My surgeon warned me the "honeymoon period" following the surgery will end after about 6 months. At this point, I will be able to eat more than earlier into the post surgery eating. He was right.

I wonder if some people are grazing all day, eating more food than they should, not eating slow enough (~20-30 minutes) to listen to their body cues that they are full (I am guilty as charged of that), not measuring or weighing their portions, eating too much high caloric foods, excessive slider foods, exercising less, not drinking enough Water, not eating enough Protein, (or combinations of these) and feel it is due to stretching?

This is what every surgeon I consulted with warned me of and I tend to believe it. I fooled/justified/soothed/celebrated/dieted/rewarded/entertained myself into 260+ pounds.

I have no doubt I could do it again, 1/2 cup at a time.

[Band07 374]

There are many reasons that people gain weight post surgery, yes some eat slider foods and liquid calories and graze all day, others stretch out their sleeve. I'm not basing this on what Iv read or who I consulted with I'm saying this having worked with a bariatric surgeon for 6 plus years and seeing xray proof of it happening.

[Band07 374]

The pic on they left is one day post op the pic on the right is one year post op.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1429272669.315256.jpg

The pic on they left is one day post op the pic on the right is one year post op.

That could be an XRay of a baby unicorn and I wouldn't know it. HA!

I'm not arguing your expertise or my lack thereof.

I will say that I would find the "proof" (for lack of better word) more "credible" (for lack of better word again -- too much caffeine this morning) if we were comparing a 1 year tummy to a 3 year tummy. There is so much swelling in a 1 day post op tummy, I don't think that's a fair comparison at all.

Again, just my OPINION.

[Band07 374]

You can surely see the difference in the two though, right ? I'm not sure at all what swelling has to do with the X-rays though ? I would bet money if I had an xray today it would be even bigger as I know I can eat more now than I could in October when it was taken. I'm revising next week and I'll definitely ask my doc more about what he finds when he gets in there and keep you guys posted

[Babbs 14,681]

@@Band07

That pic is interesting. I don't really know what I'm looking at, either, but you can tell a difference for sure.

Revising to what? Bypass? Yes, keep us posted! I'm interested as to what he says about your sleeve size.

I was told by my surgeon that sleeves do not stretch either. Maybe they are blowing smoke up our butts so we don't get discouraged?

[Band07 374]

Yes to the mini bypass actually. I don't necessarily believe that the surgeons are " blowing smoke " I feel some really believe it or base it on the information available at the time but we learn more everyday. I always said the same about the band too, I don't feel I was lied to or misled about the band in 2007, I feel that I was told what we knew at the time and obviously we know a whole lot more 8 years later just like we will with the sleeve 8 years from now.

[bikrchk 1,313]

I will be two years out in May and I have "feeding days" and "non feeding" days. On feeding days, I can eat 1/2 cup plus a bit -- about 3 oz of Protein plus some cheese. On non feeding days, I can' barely manage 1/4 cup or 2 oz of Protein. There is no rhyme or reason to it, sometimes my tummy is accepting of food, sometimes it is not.

I had a hard time slowing down, too. I learned to cut my food into teeny bits. TEENY TINY TEENY bits and eat one at a time. If it's spoonable, I used a baby spoon and now I can use a regular spoon but I put a baby spoon worth of food on it by habit. If I don't, I will hurl.

I still can't drink fast, and I rarely manage plain Water, but I do sip sip sip all day via a straw.

Sleeves don't stretch. You can expand them a bit with a lot of excessive over eating but if your doctor performed your procedure correctly, most of the fundus (the stretchy part) was cut out, leaving nothing behind that can stretch. Gas wont' do it, liquids won't do it, carbonation won't do it.

You're fine. Relax. Trust your restriction and go by it. You are doing great.

Love the part about "feeding days" and "non-feeding days". This is my experience as well. There are days it feels like I've eaten as if there will be no food tomorrow, (that's a gross exaggeration, but that's how it FEELS sometimes). Other days, I just can't hold very much, but I'm approaching 2 years out and the restriction is definitely still there.