Can your sleeve be stretched?

[cuchas 51]

I'm probably the poster child for paranoia, but all jokes aside, can a sleeve really be stretched?

I was sleeved June 15, 2015 and I'm just wondering if we could over do it. Not purposely of course, but I'm just afraid of my sleeve getting messed up and all my handwork up until now being a waste.

Like I said before, I am very paranoid. Sometimes I am afraid of eating in fear of stretching my pouch. Should I tell my surgeon I'd like a checkup to see if my sleeve is normal or stretched? I don't have an appointment to see him again until May though.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

There's a pretty active thread about this topic going on right now:

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/359916-stretched-sleeve/

Had you asked me a couple of weeks ago, I would have said "no way". But the OP of that thread has had it verified by a radiologist that her sleeve has indeed stretched. The working theory right now is that something was done incorrectly in her initial surgery that allowed the stretchy part of her stomach to remain and that part has now stretched. But no one knows for certain yet. Hopefully her surgeon will provide her with more information soon.

[Bufflehead 6,358]

As per my surgeon, yes, it can be stretched, though not to the size of a normal stomach. It would take a lot of significant overeating to really stretch it in a meaningful way. Over time your stomach will naturally relax and you will be able to eat more though.

Keep in mind that if you want medical testing just out of curiousity, that will likely come out of your own pocket rather than insurance. If you have a few to several thousand dollars to spend on that kind of curiousity, can I hit you up for some help with my roof repairs instead ???

Also, this is purely a language thing, but you don't have a pouch, that's what gastric bypass people have.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Only if your surgeon leaves behind too much fundus. If the surgery is done correctly, there will be minimal stretching, nothing significant.

[Lisa_85 118]

This is my BIGGEST Fear!!

[Stevehud 1,790]

Your stomach doesnt stretch without the fundus. It cant its impossible, again as others have said if done incorrectly, well if anythng is done incorrectly during surgery you could die, so take that with a grain of salt. Simply put your new sleeve will over time enlarge to fit more food as you heal and the body adjusts to the new you. Wil it ever be "normal" Nope cant possibly happen, no in a year not in 10 years. Eating too much will not make a correctly sleeved..erm,, sleeve stretch. Can you fail? ABSOLUTELY. hell thats easy to do. Will you be able to eat enough to gain back all the weight you lost? YEP Most DEFINITELY. Which is where you come in. You have to walk the walk. like SMokey says, ONLY YOU. can prevent the weight from coming back.

And the rest of us will try to help.

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,900]

Some minor stretching can occur after a VSG, but the part of the remaining stomach is not that stretchable.

Later on, some people may be eating past the point they begin to feel full.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

A single image taken of a stomach X month / years post-op isn't proof of anything.

In order to prove that stretching (or perhaps I should say "significant stretching") has occurred, you need at least two data points (images). In this instance, the OP would need an image of her stomach taken soon after WLS to compare the second image to in order to assess how much stretching has actually occurred.

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,900]

A single image taken of a stomach X month / years post-op isn't proof of anything.

In order to prove that stretching (or perhaps I should say "significant stretching") has occurred, you need at least two data points (images). In this instance, the OP would need an image of her stomach taken soon after WLS to compare the second image to in order to assess how much stretching has actually occurred.

Also, isn't there some natural relaxation of the muscle during the months following surgery?

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Yes! The surgery itself really shrinks the capacity of the brand new sleeve -- due to the trauma, inflammation, swelling, etc. For those who've had the surgery already, you know that the first month you can hardly get anything down. After that, restriction gradually eases (if you can call being able to eat 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup max "easing").

By 6-8 months down, most folks can eat 3/4 to 1 cup at a meal.

At nearly 18 months post-op right now, I still typically eat a cup of food at each meal. If the meal lasts longer than normal, e.g., when I'm out at a restaurant with friends, for instance, I can eat another 1/4 cup or so. Beyond that, I'm really uncomfortably full.

Getting too full can sneak up on you. That's why eating slowly is a really good idea. (And why it's an instruction from your surgical team before you've ever even had surgery.)

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Had you asked me a couple of weeks ago, I would have said "no way". But the OP of that thread has had it verified by a radiologist that her sleeve has indeed stretched. The working theory right now is that something was done incorrectly in her initial surgery that allowed the stretchy part of her stomach to remain and that part has now stretched. But no one knows for certain yet. Hopefully her surgeon will provide her with more information soon.

I'm not necessarily willing to believe that story on face value, nothing against the OP. If the Dr did the surgery incorrectly the radiologist could be covering for the surgeon and the hospital. It is easier to blame the patient for over eating than to admit to a botched surgery. Without pictures of the new sleeve and the current side by side that we can all see there is no proof the sleeve is stretched.

Anyway a stretched sleeve shouldn't matter for long term success. If you are measuring and weighing your food and eating proper portions, the size of the sleeve long term doesn't matter.

Once people heal they are never going to have that restriction they have in the very beginning because the restriction is mostly based on the trauma to the stomach like @@VSGAnn2014 said. This is why going through all the food stages and following all the steps are so important. We supposed to learn how to eat all over again like a child, to learn to eat properly. This is supposed to create a life long change and the sleeve restriction is a short term tool to help you make life long changes. Your portions will always be restricted, but anyone can eat around their sleeve, even at a month out. If someone is determined they can just sit all day eating and drinking to flush their food down. Restriction is meaningless if people aren't willing to control their food. This is why some people regain and some never get to goal.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

@@OutsideMatchInside If we can do it without the restriction of the sleeve, then why get sleeved at all? Sure it is simply a tool and we still have to follow the guidelines and USE that tool. But even at 17 months out and maintaining, I'm not certain that if my stomach was back to a normal size, I would be able to keep it up forever, without the restriction to fall back on.

[cuchas 51]

The reason I ask is because I've noticed I can fit more in than I used to.

I'm 8 months out and used to get full really fast. I still do! However, I know I can stick a few more things inside before it gets incredibly uncomfortable. I don't put more in as I'm aware of when I need to stop, but that's just why I'm afraid my sleeve has stretched.

I think I may need to go to a support group. I don't know anyone else that has had VSG in my area. I'm 20 and in Manhattan but it seems like the people who have gotten it don't really like to speak on it lol

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@JamieLogical

i totally agree with that, but people claim they have no restriction and that isn't the case. No one is going to have the restriction they have at 2 months, for the duration of their life. The stomach don't stretch back to the size of a football. The average capacity of a human stomach is 3 cups, with the maximum capacity being 8-16 cups Even if a sleever goes from one cup capacity to 2 cup capacity, that isn't a normal stomach and it isn't even close to the stomach size of a long term binge eater.

That is also eating to CAPACITY, not eating until satisfied or until goals are met, which we should all be learning to eat to goals not till stuffed. WLS is supposed to be more than just physical restrictions, it is supposed to change how people relate to and view food. If people that don't get to that point, the whole thing is useless, because you can eat around any sleeve/pouch/band if you want to. If people don't make that connection, they don't remain long term successful. My doctor made this point very clear to me before surgery, that the sleeve is just a tool not a magic bullet.

It is like bypass patients that depend on malabsorption to control their calories for them, but then when their body adjust to it, they start gaining.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Guys, this topic has gotten very exaggerated. One person showed an image of her sleeve that's larger than most of ours looked like initially. But it's nowhere near as big as any of our original sleeves where. Not even close!

None of us is in danger of our stomach growing back to its original size.