Pouch Won't Empty?!

dishdiva · October 7, 2005

Hey everyone... I had an endoscopy today because of my continued problems with acid reflux. Good news: no erosion. Weird news: my pouch isn't emptying properly. I hadn't eaten in 12 hours before the endo this morning, so food should not be hanging around. Ewwww.

The gastro doctor couldn't tell if it was due to a slip, but the diagram he drew looked a lot like the diagram Dr. Ponce drew when he diagnosed my slip in 2004. The pouch, instead of being in line with the stomach (vertically) is off to the side.

When I had the slip before (band was re-positioned in March of this year), some food was staying in the pouch until he unfilled me, then it moved on through. But I'm unfilled now, so it should be moving, yes? And you'd think since the food is staying in the pouch I'd have some fullness. No!

Anyone ever experience this? Thoughts?

Elizabeth

8-28-03

chichigirl · October 7, 2005

That's a new one for me. I haven't heard of anyone with this kind of problem before. You say you had the band replaced after an earlier slippage and that you have another one now? Something doesn't sound right, are they suturing it into place? I am just curious why yours keeps slipping.

Are you having any PB's or vomitting? You say that you're having an acid reflux issue, but with food staying your pouch too long, might be the reason.

Are you by any chance a diabetic? Just curious because I am and a few years ago I was having unexplained nausea so they did a stomach emptying test on me!!! YYYYUUUUUCCCCKKKK! They gave me some really poorly cooked eggs and then took x-rays every so many minutes to follow the eggs going through my stomach, the eggs had a dye in it. The results, my stomach emptied 75% faster than normal. Think that might have had something to do with my weight issue? Don't tell the docs, they still don't care. Anyway they had told me that sometimes diabetics have stomach emptying problems. With me it turned out to be my gallbladder, which I had removed a few weeks later.

Have you been able to continue to lose weight? Are there any kinds of foods you can't eat at all?

Just wondering. I hope you feel better really soon and I hope they find out what's going on with you.

Good Luck, Take Care

Cindy

Alexandra · October 8, 2005

Hi Elizabeth,

I have heard of this before, on another board now defunct so I don't recall the details. But as I recall it has more to do with your physiology than the position of the band. It's been suggested that this may be an effect of long-term banding, that the esophagus of a banded person may decrease in motility function over time. But I don't know if that has anything to do with your pouch not emptying. Maybe you have to go with a lesser fill to compensate? Or is your band empty even now?

Sorry I have no good suggestions. Please do let us know if your doctor has any information about it and what if anything you are going to do. Thanks!!