We hear alot about streching the pouch, but does it shrink? There is the Pouch Test, and to me that seems to be the goal, and the docs seem to put patiens on 4 or 5 days of liquids to get them back on track. Does anybody know?

My ouch stretched (insert sad music). It sucked. My Dr. told me the only way to get it back would be to deflate it with surgery.

I saw the pouch test diet and after my last fill followed it pretty well. I now am not able to eat more than a cup at a time unless it is a slider food.

So... for me it doesn't seem to be the end of the world. I'm back on track!:thumbup:

Yes, it can shrink.

I spoke at a lapband info night last week and my surgeon (whom I hadnt seen for ages, only seen the doctors at the clinic) had seen my file and had a chat to me about my cancer. I was saying how scared I was to unfill my band this Friday and he said to me that most longer term bandsters do have a somewhat stretched pouch - not seriously but it does stretch out a bit and that unfilling for a couple of weeks would probably result in me not needing the same level of fill for maintenance as i currently have. He said I'd probably get better restriction on less fill because the pouch would settle down and shrink again, particularly since the surgery I'm having the week after will involve a week or so of a liquid diet.

Just curious, would you know if you were stretching your pouch? What would be the symptoms?

I dont think you'd know if it was just stretched a little.

I mean, once upon a time, I had great restriction with 1cc in my 4cc band. That was early on. I now have 2.8cc to maintain, not lose. How much of that is due to me losing the fat around my stomach (thus makign the band looser) and how much due to pouch stretching? I mean, I can certainly eat a normal meal these days for a thin person with a small appetite, yet I cant eat anything like what most people get through. Is my pouch stretched? According to my doc, probably a little.

But if you really overeat consistently and stretch it out big time, you tend to lose restriction quite noticeably. And when you in for the fill you think you need, you can display the symptoms of being too tight like night reflux and coughing whilst STILL being able to fit to much in