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Pouch Stretching?

Neen

Neen

WLS Moderator
I was just wondering if anyone worries they might have stretched their pouch?
I sometimes do, especially as the majority of the time I have had my band so far , It has been very little restriction. Now I am pretty much at my safe maximum fill level but I can eat a decent size amount of veggies at dinner. I was just wondering if anyone has asked to be xrayed to check the size of the pouch and if anyone has had experience of it stretching? What can be done? Or are you just left to cope with what remains? Can it shrink back? Sorry to ask a weird question but I have often worried about this.
 
I feel the same, wish someone had the answers!!! x x
Neen, just thought I would ask.... what size band do you have/how much fill? I have a 12ml band with 10mls in it and only have slight restriction. In fact most days I feel like I havn't got a band at all. First thing in a morning is my reassurance that I have a band as anything I eat first thing , I have to chew chew chew otherwise it hurts a little going down. For the rest of the day I'm fine and could eat ANYTHING!!!!!!
 
OK, I spoke to the nurse just now at my providers and she said if I have what they call a "concentric pouch" problem I would be getting more severe symptoms. She said that I could have an xray if I wanted at my next appointment but that no-one on the team has noticed a need for me to have one.
She said that I must remember to eat my proteins first at meal times and that the problem is more in my head than anywhere else and not to worry.
The downside is because I have asked for an xray without being directed to have one by the team that I will need to pay for it £50 or over! But I think if I can afford it that it might be good for me to see that I haven't messed it up just because things did not work automatically for me just after surgery or my first couple fills.
My band is almost at max and she assured me that a lot of patients just need that bigger fill volume to get the sweet spot dead on.
It could be another half mil will seal the deal for me after all.
 
Hi Jinkles! I think my band is a 9ml and I have about 8 in it? maybe just over. The nurse was telling me that a patient of theirs with a 10ml band could still down 2 pork chops with 9mills in theirs so they got a titchy bit more in and suddenly everything fell into place and they went on to lose at a great rate.
She told me always get the protein down first as that is the most important bit of the meal and is filling too. The more wet and soft a food is the more you can have of it so we must try and aim for dry crunchy and protein. She mentioned turkey jerky actually...sounds a bit icky to me!!
I still have to be so careful about my food , emotional eater see, so I tend to write everything down and watch my calories for that reason.
One thing I do which is helping is to swap choc / cereal bars for protein ones, like the avidlite or atkins bars. I still get choc but its not useless calories ,you get used to the taste and I quite like them now. The massive plus is , you get your hit of protein, you find they fill you up really well and because they are not full of sugar you can have one and your cravings stop dead.
 
Hiya Claire, it really seems to vary tremendously according to where you had your surgery and who did it etc. I know some people even have their first fill during surgery! (wish I was one of those)
I think it was about 6 weeks after and the first few fills I had were like 1/2 mil a time. You are still recovering from the op so don't worry about fills yet but when you get to solids again , you may start to get good results and restriction after one or two fills if you're lucky. You have to trust your team to know the right amount to put in to keep you safely eating well and losing but I have also learnt that you must let them know if you are having poor restriction and don't try and soldier on because you feel you should be having restriction with a set amount of fill. I felt crappy because I had a "large" amount in my band and it just wasn't doing it ...sometimes people need pretty much a full capacity band before this works . I'm glad I asked today at my hospital because it has felt like I was a bit rubbish because my restriction was delayed so long.
 
Thanks for that Neen i will remember what you said, I have to go back Nov 2nd for weight management clinic i think thats just to weigh me and to find out how i am doing, and then i remember Adrian saying that a couple of weeks after that i should either have a letter for my first fill appointment or that will be when my first fill will be, cant really remember as i was a bit of an emotional wreck that morning. X
 
You'll be allright Claire I'm sure of it. It is so much to get used to all at once and then if you don't immediately feel big restriction it can be worrying. I think a lot of banders I have spoken to are the same with the whole being scared it won't work somehow for them. I know I did. I hope that you will be able to follow the advice and see quick and encouraging loss. If you need to please feel free to chat to me whenever xx Hugs xx
 
Thanks for replying Gaynor, I think our imaginations can run away with us a bit sometimes. My team have reassured me that an xray is not necessary because the weight is coming off , It is slow but then looking honestly at what I've been doing I know that there's more I could do still, especially in terms of exercise. If I want nice losses each week I need to put the effort in every day, its to do with consequences either way. I am always tweaking my diet and trying to move more..as long as I keep getting into smaller sizes especially, that's the main thing.
 
Neen said:
OK, I spoke to the nurse just now at my providers and she said if I have what they call a "concentric pouch" problem I would be getting more severe symptoms. She said that I could have an xray if I wanted at my next appointment but that no-one on the team has noticed a need for me to have one.
She said that I must remember to eat my proteins first at meal times and that the problem is more in my head than anywhere else and not to worry.
The downside is because I have asked for an xray without being directed to have one by the team that I will need to pay for it £50 or over! But I think if I can afford it that it might be good for me to see that I haven't messed it up just because things did not work automatically for me just after surgery or my first couple fills.
My band is almost at max and she assured me that a lot of patients just need that bigger fill volume to get the sweet spot dead on.
It could be another half mil will seal the deal for me after all.
Click to expand...

Hiya Neen - sounds like youve had some reassurance and will have more after xray! Its good to put your mind at rest! Good luck hun! xxx
 
Cheers Salski , I think I was just worried that I had caused some damage to my pouch during the time I was eating a lot with rubbish restriction. Obviously I am scared that I might have to pay for a past mistake but I can plod on now I think. I'll feel a lot more secure once I get this next 2 stone off, that will help prove to me that I really can lose the rest xx
It must be fab for you now with only 32lbs left! Its exciting eh?
 
Haha - kind of - I dont know what my goal is - never had one! Just so long as I can have a healhy pregnancy I wont mind. Another 6 months and I get married - would love to have a baby on they way by then too, but I dont think I will be able to - who knows though!
8lbs off a hundred is amazing! You have done so well...good luck for the rest hun! Your doing great! x
 
Thanks Neen. You have reassured me about my band stretch concerns!! I am not due another fill until January, so will concentrate on mostly protien based meals for now and see how I do. I am also gonna get some of the atkins protien bars that you mentioned to help satisfy my sweet pangs. I too am an emotional eater and over the past few weeks I've had a pretty tough time and old feelings have been brought up again!! I still need to deal with them in a proper way, but, that is another story.
Thanks again for your advice :) x x x
Neen said:
Hi Jinkles! I think my band is a 9ml and I have about 8 in it? maybe just over. The nurse was telling me that a patient of theirs with a 10ml band could still down 2 pork chops with 9mills in theirs so they got a titchy bit more in and suddenly everything fell into place and they went on to lose at a great rate.
She told me always get the protein down first as that is the most important bit of the meal and is filling too. The more wet and soft a food is the more you can have of it so we must try and aim for dry crunchy and protein. She mentioned turkey jerky actually...sounds a bit icky to me!!
I still have to be so careful about my food , emotional eater see, so I tend to write everything down and watch my calories for that reason.
One thing I do which is helping is to swap choc / cereal bars for protein ones, like the avidlite or atkins bars. I still get choc but its not useless calories ,you get used to the taste and I quite like them now. The massive plus is , you get your hit of protein, you find they fill you up really well and because they are not full of sugar you can have one and your cravings stop dead.
Click to expand...
 
Hiya Jinkles ! I'm glad to hear that I was able to help a bit anyway, I just had a wobbly week myself but I think that's hormone related more than anything. We have to just pick up and dust off and press on anyway. The band doesn't solve everything for me and I find I still have to really force myself to be sensible and get my exercise in a lot of the time but you have to make the best of whatever surgery you were able to get I think. The band is not always ideal for me personally due to my food issues but it's up to me to get as much out of the situation as I can.
Hope you have a good loss this week and feel free to chat whenever you want xx
 
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