Stretched Sleeve

[Kaila312 19]

Well the nurse called me and "read" the results from the upper gi...said my stomach was approaching the normal size again. I go in to meet with my doc to talk in a couple weeks.

As far as the weight gain it is because of my food choices awhile back but i never over ate, only ate a cup, I would snack a bit but not a meal or continuously, never ate and drank, haven't had anything carbonated since before my surgery, so all these myths people are saying that it cannot stretch are apparently not true lol.

Basically I was talking to my dietitian and what she wanted me to do and what my surgeon wants me to do are completely opposite. I have realized that having my sleeve stretched would NOT cause weight gain but it would be the calories in vs calories out...which obviously I didn't do so good with but Iv been back on track for a month or so and finally started to see the weight go down which was NICE!

[Pescador 1,374]

I absolutely left Bariatric Pal because of posts like these. I am back because I need support. Sounds like the 9th grade popular girls attacking the weak. High fiving each other because they are so cute. Good grief women!

[Afrikanaaa 79]

Wow. I'm new to BP but this thread has definitely gone left.

Glad you finally got an answer @@Kaila312

Best of luck to everybody.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Afrikanaaa

[bellabloom 2,467]

OP i too am sorry you're having a hard time. Like I said, I don't know you or your regular eating habits. And even if they weren't so good, I'm not judging you. This journey is hard for everyone!! I only wanted to be supportive and offer help. I wasn't trying to patronize you.

There are some terrible trolls on here. One member in particular is very cruel and sarcastic in her comments, I don't know why she still comes on here so much since she clearly doesn't care what people are going through. I've noticed a few others in her pack. I don't like when they post to my threads and wish they wouldn't. I don't understand their harshness and I'm sorry for you if you were hurt. There are good people here and mean ones as well.

I live in fear of weight regain and truthfully I don't follow "plan" very well so it's a real possibility for me. I do hope you are doing okay and you and you have all the support you need in real life.

Edited February 2, 2016 by bellabloom

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

The authoritative sources and answers re "can my sleeve stretch" vary much more than I would expect a basic question like this to generate from medicos. In videos, research studies and during informational seminars, we see doctors' answers range from "Hell, no!" to "Hell, yes!"

And then we hear of real-life situations like @@Kaila312 's:

Well the nurse called me and "read" the results from the upper gi...said my stomach was approaching the normal size again.

I am persuaded by the logic that VSG surgery removes the fundus (the expansive portion of the stomach) and that the remaining stomach tissue (the sleeve) isn't very stretchy. Yet situation's like @@Kaila312 's make me wonder if some surgeons' surgical techniques or the physical characteristics of some patients' sleeves or some patients' overeating behaviors -- or a combination of all of the above -- do create situations where some patients' sleeves stretch more than others. ???

In any event, I hope you get this situation properly dealt with, Kaila. I would also like to hear what else you learn about your sleeve and its changed size. I also hope your NUT and your surgeon can get on the same page with regard to their advice for you.

P.S. Congrats on your weight going down again!

[BCs 1000 364]

Re:

Avoid fluids during meals.

* Its best to avoid fluids during and right after meals. Give your stomach some time to digest the fluids separately from your food. Consider drinking your fluids an hour or two before a meal. This allows you to eat a decent amount of food without filling up on fluids and ensures that you get enough fluids throughout the day.

I have been trying to do this since I read this info. If you wait the full 2hrs it means you are only drinking every four hours. It is 40 degrees here (104F), so that is almost impossible.

Am I interpreting it incorrectly?

7am - Fluids

9am - Breakfast

11am - Fluids

1pm - lunch

3pm - Fluids

5pm - dinner

7pm - Fluids

[sleevenv 483]

I wonder if OP knows if her stomach was ever really sleeved to the extent many of ours were. Maybe her surgeon never reduced it to the thumb size most of us get because it was really large to begin with! Perhaps he reduced it 80%, but it still left her with an "approaching normal size" stomach.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I just found an older thread here at BP about the same topic that may be interesting to some readers, with an experienced surgeon's predictions about sleeve size changes.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/202400-sleeve-size-after-surgery-and-4-years-later/

The thread also contains an image of a VSG patient's brand-new sleeve and the same patient's sleeve four years later (see below):

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,899]

Yayyyy! Now shut the f up

Yayyyy!! Now shut the f up

Baaaaad Puppy. You are suppose to go on the paper when you do that.

LAME. BUT NICE TRY.

You win. I can not possibly win against your well thought out and intelligent quips. I am only a common man, you must be superior to the rest of us since you have an extra chromosome.

[Kindle 8,667]

This is exactly why the lifetime commitment to changinging behaviors is so important for success. Patients need to be better informed about the long term realities of any WLS. Our lifestyle changes and eating habits are far more important than the physical changes of the surgery. Without the mental commitment the surgery itself is pointless. No one regains by staying on plan, excercising and making healthy food choices. I know if I regain any weight it is entirely my fault and a result of my behavior, not a "failed" sleeve.

The OP is living proof of how this works. Once "back on track" again, she is losing weight, stretched sleeve and all. Congrats, BTW!

Having WLS and grazing, overeating, or basically just consuming too many calories, is like a heart bypass patient continuing to eat poorly, smoke cigarettes and not excercise. Or a liver transplant recipient becoming an alcoholic. Their surgeries saved their lives but they are back killing themselves with their behaviors.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@Kaila312 I am so sad for you. Yes improper choices and eating too much lead to weight gain and we still have to be responsible for our calories in and calories out, but the restriction of the sleeve is supposed to help us with that. Without the restriction, you are no better off than any non-WLS patient trying to lose/maintain weight through diet and exercise. The sleeve is meant to be a tool to help our efforts be more effective and make it harder to go off track. Your tool is now broken and I am genuinely sad for you. I admire your resolve to get back on plan and re-lose the weight. You aren't letting yourself feel defeated and that is amazing to me.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

3 years post op

@@Kaila312

200 lbs lost!!

that's wonderful!!!

kudos

sleeve stretching?????

agreeing with OP

i don't think sleeve can stretch

did your surgeon (not radiologist) say he thought you "stretched"

your stomach???

you gained 30 lbs is the bad news

good news is that you are back on plan

can't cry over spilt Protein drink !!!!

"Knowing you have a problem is 1/2

solution" (something like that)

you realized you screwed up a bit with

what's done is done!!

you are on the right path now

only suggestion i will tell you is

you must drink more water!!!

if you don't, i know where you live!! LOL

if doc really "yells" at you, tell him to

"KNOCK IT OFF"

keep up the good work

who loves ya baby??

kathy

[Babbs 14,680]

I'm just going to throw this out there and then I'm done with this thread....

To the OP, I'm sorry you're having to deal with sleeve issues. I can imagine how frustrating it would be trying to do this as if you still have a regular sized stomach, as I've tried a hundred times before my surgery. If it were me, I would move heaven and earth in pursuit of a revision. It sounds to me like it was surgeon error, not yours. I wish you well, and keep us posted!

To others in this thread, just because someone may call you out in your BS or disagree with you, doesn't mean they are a "troll" a "bully" " 9th grade girls" "hags" and so on. I find it funny the ones who complain how mean and nasty some people can be are the same ones who resort to name calling.

I thought we were all adults here, but obviously not. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the "ignore" option is a glorious thing. Don't like my posts? Instead of throwing a hissy fit every time I post about how mean and unsupportive I am, just put me on ignore so you don't have to see my posts anymore. I've done it, too! No tantrums, no name calling, no flouncing, just "ignore".

See how easy that is?

Have a great day everyone!

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,899]

I'm just going to throw this out there and then I'm done with this thread....

To the OP, I'm sorry you're having to deal with sleeve issues. I can imagine how frustrating it would be trying to do this as if you still have a regular sized stomach, as I've tried a hundred times before my surgery. If it were me, I would move heaven and earth in pursuit of a revision. It sounds to me like it was surgeon error, not yours. I wish you well, and keep us posted!

To others in this thread, just because someone may call you out in your BS or disagree with you, doesn't mean they are a "troll" a "bully" " 9th grade girls" "hags" and so on. I find it funny the ones who complain how mean and nasty some people can be are the same ones who resort to name calling.

I thought we were all adults here, but obviously not. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the "ignore" option is a glorious thing. Don't like my posts? Instead of throwing a hissy fit every time I post about how mean and unsupportive I am, just put me on ignore so you don't have to see my posts anymore. I've done it, too! No tantrums, no name calling, no flouncing, just "ignore".

See how easy that is?

Have a great day everyone!

I respect that you like to "call a spade, a spade".

Not everyone may agree with your frankness, but sometimes the truth is hard to swallow (sometimes too are the chicken nuggets my wife makes, but that is a different story).

We all need a little "tough love" (but in a positive, reinforcing way) from time to time. Lending a shoulder for someone to cry on, when they need one, is good; coddling doesn't teach someone to take responsibility for their own actions.

I'm all out of metaphors.

Edited February 2, 2016 by 4MRB4PHOTO

[Kaila312 19]

@@Kaila312 I am so sad for you. Yes improper choices and eating too much lead to weight gain and we still have to be responsible for our calories in and calories out, but the restriction of the sleeve is supposed to help us with that. Without the restriction, you are no better off than any non-WLS patient trying to lose/maintain weight through diet and exercise. The sleeve is meant to be a tool to help our efforts be more effective and make it harder to go off track. Your tool is now broken and I am genuinely sad for you. I admire your resolve to get back on plan and re-lose the weight. You aren't letting yourself feel defeated and that is amazing to me.

I agree! But I still get just as full as I did before. It will be interesting to see what my doctor will say