Questions:

Stretching your pouch... now is that something that you can do easily? like you over-eat ONE time?

Or is it something that you do over a period of weeks? over eating repeatedly?

Can you stretch it if you drink too much Fluid to fast? or is it only with solids?

Everytime I think I might have had a bite too much i freak out.

Just wanted some clarification that will (hopefully) keep me from worrying so much.

Well I had pouch dilation. My band was ok but i created a little stomach for myself ubove the band. So they let out all the saline and then 2 weeks from then i got 3/4 of a cc filled. Now I went for another adjustment and was told i am tight enough although i have no restriction at all. Its very scarey i can eat and eat and eat and i hate that feeling. I was down to 156 now i am up to 170 and i am worried cause its so easy for me to gain.

may 22nd-215

Today-170

I had pouch dialation and then was unfilled for a while. Went back on Monday and they said everything is ok. Filled me up quite good... so good in fact I am having a hard time drinking a protein shake in the am.....

I dilated my pouch and was terrified. Went on liquids for 3 days, and it's back to normal size. And I'm scared enough that I'm back to eating less. It just kind of snuck up on me...... In retrospect,

1. I had been having protein shakes and decided to only eat solid meals....and started eating a bit more to compensate, I guess.

2. I had also started eating "sliders" (a bit of gravy or applesauce, etc.) to help get the food down. Also a no no for me. I need to do my shake in the morning if I'm too restricted, and solid, difficult food that needs to be chewed until liquified, the rest of the day.

I thought I needed a fill because I was not feeling full. During the barium swallow, we saw that the pouch had increased in size.

Beware of being overfilled as well, and always measure your food so that you do not overeat. Mushies will go thru, but will still stretch your band. In fact, the lady said that water will stretch you out if you are overfilled, so drink slow too...

Thanks for the advice. I wonder...I have had lots of morning restriction so I only have a protein drink for breakfast. I wonder if I was drinking it too fast.....

Wondering about this for myself. Does it require endoscopy or just an upper GI? Thanks. Kelli

Just the barium swallow and fluoroscope during the fill should catch it.

I am happy to say that after 3 days of liquids, everything is back to normal. I'm now pretty well convinced that being so tight in the mornings, I probably had liquid just sitting in the pouch waiting to go down. It put the fear of God in me though. Now I'm finding that if I think I've had a few mouthfuls too many, I automatically return to liquids for the next meal in case I stretched the pouch. I'm sure it's overkill, but it's happening naturally. I'm also sipping liquids slowly if I'm really restricted in the mornings..

I thought I needed a fill because I was not feeling full. During the barium swallow, we saw that the pouch had increased in size.

Exactly what happened to me, too!

Ok now I'M confused!!! I thought we were supposed to eat a cup to a cup and a half per meal. What's this about 1/2 cup??

Ya know, you hear a half cup, a cup, a cup and a half. You hear nothing through a straw, straws are OK, protein powder is fine...no, only the liquid shakes. Shakes OK-no liquid calories. I really think it didn't make sense to me until I had enough months of feeding myself with this band and knowing what works for me...and that what works for me changes alot! I was at my Dr's support group meeting and the 3 people who were role models for us eat 600 calories a day. I think I would die! all I can say is that I eat less volume now than I used to because I'm more sensitive to what it feels like to be full, and because I'm losing interest in food....sometimes.

I was banded 3/21/07, so I am 15 days post-op. I was on liquids for 7 days, then for 3-4 days I had creamed soups, grits, Farina...that lasted until post-op day #10 or 11, when I started scrambled eggs, ricotta cheese, ham salad with mayo...I feel little restriction. Today I saw my surgeon and he said to eat really soft foods, consistency of scrambled eggs, but in his written literature it says we can have tuna with mayo, which to me is equivalent to egg salad or ham salad with mayo---yes??? Well, today, Holy Thursday, I made a traditional Polish Easter for my family, as I am going to Pennsylvania for Easter weekend...and I ate a small amount of warm, soft kielbasa, chewed exceedingly well, 2 mashed up hard-boiled eggs with mayo and some mashed up potato salad....again, feel no restriction, tolerated it all well. YOU EXPERIENCED BANDSTERS: DO YOU THINK I COULD HAVE DILATED THE POUCH OR CAUSED SLiPPAGE BY WHAT I DESCRIBED? I have no pain or reflux....I'm going to cool it down and pay better attention to the concept of SOFT foods f0r the next 2 weeks. Please give me your tutelage ! I love this website!

After banding, I had to stay on liquids only for two weeks. If it was a cream soup it could not contain anything in it, if so it had to be strained, otherwise I could have broth, fat free or skim milk, 4 oz of juice per day, and of course protien drinks, like slimfast ect. That's it for two weeks. No weight in the pouch so it can heal in place, and stay stitched. My doctor doesn't put any fluid in the band to start with. The only restriction I might have had would have been from swelling and only for about two weeks. The next week hot thinned cereal, pudding applesauce and very soft moist scrambled eggs, yogurt, everything had to be like puree texture. Next, week 4 soft veggies ect, mushies. weeks 5 before I can slowly transition to solids. Oh, no more than 1/2 cup of food combined at any meal. If you think you have stretched your pouch, go back to liquids and it will usually go back to size. I have read other posts where they had to do that. Hope this helps. All docs are different.

Daffodil-

Remember until you have your first fill, you are wide open. You could probably eat a house if you put your mind to it. Just do the very best you can, and you'll see how things change after you have enough fills to hit your sweet spot.

Can a slip or pouch dilation heal on its own? If so, how and how long usually? Not long ago I had a bad episode with a hot dog and vomited 5-6 times and couldn't get even liquids down that night. Anyhow, I went on liquids for a couple of days and I was fine. Do you think it healed on it's own? I have had several more pb's but, I typically do fine if I chew and eat slowly? Any reason for concern? Thanks, Julia