I had surgery aug 11th and everything is going good except i have my old appitite back with almost no restriction. So at this point is it even possible to strectch out my pouch if i have no restriction. i feel like at this point i don' t even have a pouch because i have no restriction. So i guess my question is does just the band create a pouch on its own or is it loose around my stomach?

Sorry if this is confusing any information is appreciated

What are you eating so far?

well i try to keep it to mushies. refried beans, mashed potatoes, andi even ate some of a roll and salad. i chewd those up till they were like a mush though and i know i just need to get back on track with the iquids. But i wonder if i have damaged my band or streched my pouch. oh i also had some chilie from wendy's but again i ched it up to a mush.

From what I understand and from my own experience, the first six weeks after your surgery is for healing and you should not have any restriction. I didn't-although I have heard people say they do.

This is a process. We have to expect it to take some time before we are not hungry anymore. It could take a # of fills before you have restriction and you probably won't get a fill for four weeks depending on your Dr. Talk to him and see what he says. Every Dr is different and expects different things from his patience. My Dr has the band himself so he is very understanding. That helps me.

You may have the "head" hunger that needs to be addressed too. This is no magic cure. I deal with my urges to eat even though I physically can't. I still want to when I am stressed or bord. Old habits take a long time to change. We are a work in progress.

You will find answers and support right here on this website. It has helped me so much. Take it easy- you have time-let yourself heal-don't worry about the weight right now. You have taken the first step towards a healthier you but it is a process that will take time and willpower. Good Luck. Feel free to PM me.

ugh this is the worse part!!!! I had surgery july 16th so Im post op 6 weeks I will have my first fill on thurs the 28th and I have to tell you I have been starving... It seems worse now than before surgery although I have been keeping my intake below 1200 and exercising I have lost no weight since the 2 week mark. It sux!! But anyways this is normal to be hungry now

Zukagirl,

I think you will have to ask your doctor whether or not it is possible to stretch out the pouch at this stage. If you find out, please post the answer because I am curious what it will be.

At this point the danger is not so much in stretching your pouch as it is in popping the sutures that hold the band in place which could cause band slippage. The more dense the food the more churning your stomach will do and that can cause the stitches to break. You need to allow the scar tissue to heal around the band so that it is securely in place before you eat dense foods.

The pouch is already there but the band is loose so the food you eat passes out of the pouch and into your lower stomach much more easily than it will after you get adjustments.

After getting the adjustments, the food can't pass through so easily so if you overeat, the food stays in the pouch and the pouch stretches. Consistently overeating and streching the pouch will make it permanently larger.

From what my Dr. told me the band itself does not give you restriction. He mentioned that a lot of Drs. do not give you any type of fill when they place the band. My Dr. is very aggresive and he filled up my band a little bit so that I would have some type of restriction but not to much so that my stitches could heal.

You should check with you Dr. and see if he filled you or not. If he didn't that is the reason you are hungry and can eat just like before the band.

Good luck and keep up the fight against the bulge.

Maribelle-

I got to the Doctor on thurs and will let you know what he says as far as if it's possible to stretch out the pouch right after surgery.

I was just getting ready to write the very same question. My restriction after surgery lasted about a week and a half. Then nothing. Here I am 5 weeks tomorrow since I had my surgery and I can eat just as much as I used to before my surgery. I do try and not to do that. I keep a journal of everything that I put in my mouth. And really haven't been eating until I'm full. I always stop short of being stuffed. It's times when I can eat more than I think I should that I start to get worried that maybe I've done something wrong. I do realize that the 6 weeks after surgery are for healing. I have my first fill Sept. 3, I cant' wait....for the scale to start moving again. THankfully I haven't regained any of my inital weight loss from my all liquid pre-op and my surgery. :thumbup: