Tummy Stretching? Opinions!

[val628 1]

my doctor told me that over about 2 yrs it will stretch to about twice of what it is now

[BJean 16]

NtvTxn, I definitely do think I'm going through the same slow realization because I had to buy new lingerie and pjs and there was only a size "medium" in some gowns that were on sale. It was such a fantastic sale that I decided to go ahead and get 2 for future when I reach goal. However I got home and even though the tops are fitted, they fit! I bought size XL in the other stuff, thinking I'd be thrilled not to be buying a 1X or 2X. But they XLs are actually too big and I have to return those.

Some people seem very surprised when they see me. Others act like there is nothing different about me. I feel slender but I know that even though I'm much smaller than I was, I'm still overweight for my height. So I don't want to feel too contented with this size. Does that make sense to you? All the dieting and rebounding I've done has made me distrust the mirror and my own commitment to being a slim person. I never realized how big I was unless I saw myself in a photo. That never stopped being a shock to me. Crazy as a loon, huh?

[BJean 16]

I was wrong--there was at least one controlled study measuring this very thing (gastric dialation in medical terms). Here's the link to the abstract:

Does gastric dilatation limit the success of sleev... [Obes Surg. 2006] - PubMed result

The upshot is that they only found gastric dialation in one patient. The bad (or neutral) news is that they measured the stomach 20 months post-op. Would 60 months post-op look different?

There may be other studies going on as we type. This is a relatively new procedure for weight loss - particularly being done in the numbers that they are now. My doctor will still place a band if someone insists but he tries to educate them and let them know that the VSG is producing better results. I read somewhere here on this forum that in California Keiser isn't paying for the band anymore, but I don't know who posted that or where they got their information.

I also heard that as to the lack of appetite, our bodies will eventually adjust and figure out a way to produce feelings of hunger. It's a survival mechanism supposedly. But again, all this may be mostly conjecture since we can all do that just based on our own experience.

[BJean 16]

my doctor told me that over about 2 yrs it will stretch to about twice of what it is now

Perhaps that is due to the type of steeve restriction that he personally does. In other words, he may have seen that outcome in his patients but that may not necessarily mean that other doctors have the same incidence of stretching over the first 2 years.

[barbannn 4]

I am 8+ months out, and I too worry about stretching my pouch. I do not want to ever mess up my pouch-friend! I am now at goal, and seem to be able to balance my calories in and keep this weight stable. It is kinda scary - but so exciting- I just eat what I want to eat at this point. I track my Protein on MyFitnessPal, and that is about it. I cannot binge on the things that used to get me into trouble, but I still have them from time to time. This week, I had chocolate muffins in the kitchen and one night I ate a muffin top, and that was plenty. Before the surgery I would have eaten 3 entire muffins - no joke - and probably thought about a fourth. One of the VERY best things for me about the sleeve, is that for the first time in about 20 years I DON'T feel like I am on a diet. What a blessing! I am just hoping that the sleeve stays just the way it is!

[Morgandobes 0]

I have watched this video of the gastrectomy surgery a couple of times on youtube from dr. Jossart who does the sleeves in San Francisco.

[nomedia=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRBKdTjY2Rg]YouTube- ‪Vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure from www.lapsf.com‬‎[/nomedia]

At spot 8.29 in the video, he does a comparison(looks like a barium swallow) on a patient at 1 year and at 4 years. The words he uses are "as you can see the stomach has gently dialated, but is still much smaller"(or something close to that), so

I would tend to say it does stretch some.

It looks to be at least twice the size as starting out. Someone proposed that it was just the swelling from the surgery, but at 1 year it would be hard to beleive there would be much swelling from the surgical procedure still.

But then you have some surgeons who say that sleeve size isnt always the predicter of weight loss either.

Aack!!! So many variables, howz a person to figure this stuff out? :-)

[Morgandobes 0]

Found an interesting blog on Dr Jossarts website.

Post Op Day 58

May 7th, 2010 Posted in Bariatric surgery, Protein and calories, Vertical gastrectomy, Weight loss surgery results, surgical weight loss, weight loss plan, weight loss surgery | No Comments ?

Hello everyone! I had to wait until I could articulate my feelings of late without crying. I was so happy and pleased with the surgical weight loss progress I had made when I last wrote. The weight loss has continued and I was at 348.3 on Friday, April 23rd. I saw the surgeon that day and my balloon did not last long at all. He was not a happy camper and I was taken aback. I was crushed, stunned actually. Having said that, I must also say that I have never had an appointment with a doctor that lasted longer than the scheduled 15 minutes until that day. I think he was with me for 45 minutes!! He was concerned that I hit a stall so big for so long and that I lost valuable ground. Apparently, every month out from vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery, the amount of weight you can lose decreases by 10%. So, I essentially lost a month at a crucial high weight loss expectation point. He did emphasize that I had done nothing wrong and had followed all directions. He said that now I have to work that much harder to catch up and capitalize on the maximum rate of loss.

The part about the 10% is complete new to me, I had never heard anyone say that.

This was interesting as well, 10 lbs a week is a very agressive weight loss scheudle and this person was post op day 58.

Well, needless to say, I am now only eating 2 ounces of protein at each meal. Everything else is the same. I have to also say that the scale continues a constant downward turn. Today, I am 343.2 pounds. My doctor wanted to see me lose about 10 pounds per week for the next 4 week

s.

Here is the link to the blog

LAPSF

Another interesting tidbit I would share.

I noticed in my barium swallow the day after my surgery, I noticed a

'wing' shaped part of the stomach that was on my left side on the xray.

then it seemed to narrow down to a small tummy at the bottom.

doc said he did that to avoid the scar tissue left from my lapband, and

that a lot of lap band revisions get into trouble if the doc cuts up to

narrow and close to the esophagous as that is where many of the leaks

happen, I wonder how this part of the tummy left will affect my weight

loss journey.

Lisa

[BJean 16]

barbann, that sounds great to me! Congratulations on your success in meeting your goal! I hope you're right and we don't have to worry a lot about stretching.

morgan, it is scary to think about long term success and the variables. But after having the band, this seems much less likely to develop problems than the band did. There are so many more things that seem to go wrong with it, with pretty bad consequences. This almost seems too good to be true. Guess we all need to keep our fingers crossed!

[determined1 3]

I have watched this video of the gastrectomy surgery a couple of times on youtube from dr. Jossart who does the sleeves in San Francisco.

At spot 8.29 in the video, he does a comparison(looks like a barium swallow) on a patient at 1 year and at 4 years. The words he uses are "as you can see the stomach has gently dialated, but is still much smaller"(or something close to that), so

I would tend to say it does stretch some.

It looks to be at least twice the size as starting out. Someone proposed that it was just the swelling from the surgery, but at 1 year it would be hard to beleive there would be much swelling from the surgical procedure still.

But then you have some surgeons who say that sleeve size isnt always the predicter of weight loss either.

Aack!!! So many variables, howz a person to figure this stuff out? :-)

This is great- now that I watched I am back to being worried about my bougie size! He says he uses a 32 fr bougie, b/c anything bigger he says is a bigger chance of weight regain or not getting down to goal. My dr uses a 40 bougie, seems like a quite bit bigger compare to 32 when a dr says the biggest he'll go is a 32...:thumbup:

[Kabranda 0]

BJean if you like slushies try this ... I bought an Hawai-ice machine at Target. You freeze ice in a little container and then put it in the machine and crank - you have slushie ice. I then top with sugar-free Syrup. I buy mine at Sams at $4.50 a bottle but I've seen it at Publics too. Love it!

[Donna4545 13]

Slushies are wasted calories--you could be making sugar free slushies in the blender at home with SF syrups. You need those 200 calories to have Protein in them. Also 600-800 a day, from what I have seen posted, is more normal for the weight loss phase than 1,200. Don't get into bad habits!

[BJean 16]

Kabranda that's a good idea. I have a margarita machine that would do the trick. It is kinda messy to use and a lot to clean up though when I can just go pick one up at Sonic. And btw, the kiddie's size that I get these days isn't close to 200 calories of a small size and I still only drink half. And I've switched to the lemon-lime juice because the other seemed too sweet.

Donna, thanks for your concern. However I have problems drinking enough Water each day. Water tends to hurt my stomach if I drink more than a few swallows. If I have something like juice in with frozen water, it is one way to fill the water quota that I need. It was suggested to me by my dietician.

I do hear what you're saying (that you think I'm cheating.) But a 600 to 800 calorie diet should not last that long. My doctor's dietician began requiring 1000 to 1200 calories per day for me a long time ago. (My revision surgery was in April.) If I restricted my intake to 600 to 800 calories a day indefinitely or until I reach goal, I could expect to lose my hair and muscle mass and my overall good health. I am only expected to and want to lose from 1 to 3 pounds per week which will enable me to exercise all I want with no chance of harming myself.

Years ago I went on Optifast, guided by an endocrinologist, and that diet was around 600 calories a day. I stayed on it for 9 weeks. My health suffered as a result and I eventually regained all of the weight I lost and more. I certainly do not want a repeat of that.

I'm in this to win this. I want to reach 130 lbs. as quickly as is reasonable, not as quickly as possible. And so far, I am delighted with the results I've obtained by following my doctor's plan.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

BJ, I read that it's the PH balance of Water that upsets our stomachs. The same place, I read to drink arrowhead bottled Water and it has the right ph for our tummies. I bought some and have to say it does make a huge difference. I didn't have this problem until I went off my acid blocker. I am thinking of going back on it though or at least an acid reducer.

If you can't drink water, do you drink other sugar free stuff?

I am 15 months post op and what I eat makes a huge difference. I can still only eat small amounts of steak or pork, but mushy stuff, I can eat quite a bit more, like 8 oz.

[BJean 16]

Except when I was in the hospital (overnight) post surgery, I haven't taken an acid blocker at all. Maybe that's part of my intolerance for plain Water. I do drink Smart Water some but I don't notice a difference. The dietician said that our tummies absorb water very quickly and that's what causes the ache. I will try Arrowhead. Thanks a lot for the tip!

I am averse to food and drink if they are artificially sweetened. I'd rather have nothing at all than something containing artificial sweetners. In fact, I don't like artificial flavorings of any kind. So during the liquid and soft food stages, I stayed with savory type foods rather than sweet ones as much as possible.

I have never been a juice drinker in my life. So drinking something that has juice in it is new for me. I have used the new V8 drinks a little, diluted half and half with water. That is about 30 cals for an 8 oz drink. Certainly affordable, calorie-wise with probably a small amount of food value.

People may think that I am not losing quickly enough but I don't have as much to lose as some people. And I already weigh less than I have in 20 years. I still fear sometimes that I won't reach goal, but other times I feel very confident because this is working so well for me. I eat foods that are very high in Protein, a few carbs (never been much of a bread, potatoes or rice person) and the drinks I've been describing. I also use part of a Protein Bar or almonds (sometimes cocoa dusted) for Snacks. And as I said, I'm happy with a 5 lb weight loss over 2 weeks which is a slow down from when I was on the very low-calorie plan, but slowing down was something that was also in the plan.

You've done really well and have lots of good experience with this sleeve thing. I appreciate your input. How long did it take you to lose 100 lbs? I started this surgery needing to lose 62 lbs and I've lost over half of that. Do you honestly think that I'm being too easy on myself? I believe I can take the truth from someone who is so experienced and successful. Did you lose hair? I'm worried a lot about that. I don't have that much that I can afford to lose any.

[Globetrotter 1,340]

Someone early on in this thread had voiced their concern over having to make their tiny portion stretch out over the length of a meal and how could they do that. I'm a month out from surgery and for me it isn't a matter of "making" myself stretch it out, I have to! I can feel every particle of every bite go down my throat and into my stomach where, glunk! it thunks in there. One serving of greek yogurt takes 2 hours - 2 hours!- to finish. 2-3 ounces of tuna, an hour or more, because I have to pause after every mouthful. Whatever I eat I probably wait 5 minutes or so between every bite. Not on purpose, but because I have to otherwise I get the traffic jam in my chest.