I was banded back in August 2002 and I was told back then that it was possible to stretch the portion of stomach that holds the food above the lap band. Is this possible? Could the reason why i havent lost much weight is because i've made my smaller stomach bigger by overeating? I do have some fluid in my band--but not too much because I no longer throw up every time I eat something. Has anyone heard of this?

I have heard of the pouch stretching although I have never actually heard from someone who's doctor told them they were overstretched. I would go see the doc for a visit and do a check to make sure all is good in bandland.

Pouch dilation can be detected with a simple fluoroscopy. It will show up on the x-ray, but from what I understand, it's not too common.

If you have lost considerable weight since your last fill it is possible your opening is larger. Most of all organs will have fat just like under your skin. When the fat is lost the opening gets larger. Hope this helps.

I Is this possible? Could the reason why i havent lost much weight is because i've made my smaller stomach bigger by overeating? quote]

Yes. Hard to fathom that you've been banded since 2002 and not heard of it, also. Have you had no flouro at all since being banded? No one has checked your band placement? Wowee... I guess it's good that you've had no major issues.

And yes, if you have a stretched pouch, it could contribute to eating more and not losing as much weight. It could also contribute to the food sitting above the band far too long and putrifying, which is very aggrivating to the esophagus.

Might not hurt to see about a flouroscope just to check band placement and see how your pouch is doing after all this time.

It's very possible in gastric bypass to stretch the pouch out and gain weight again, so I would think to an extent you could stretch the pouch out from lap banding. I would think that the fills might prevent this from happening as much in lap banding. The process of losing is slower, but I'm told in 3 years it is equal and bypass patients are far more likely to gain the weight back. Perhaps you just haven't had enough fills yet to get good restrictions...patience is the key I think.

If your band is tight enough then you will lose weight. Never had a problem with stretched pouch. Pain and discomfort usually stops me way before then.