Pouch Dilation

PKP1492 · 09-05-2007, 01:16 PM

Hi All....I've seen pouch dilation discussed some but it never seems to quite jibe with my symptoms. I was diagnosed yesterday with it but am still nervous that I really have a slipped band. Anyway, about a week and a half ago I suddenly felt very restricted and had a hard time even getting liquids down. I also started having severe reflux at night. I had to go out of town so I didn't get in for a barium swallow and fluroscope until yesterday. The image is quite shocking....you see a very large round shape above the band.

In retrospect I now know I was eating past the band but I had been losing weight and was throwing up a little but not that often.

They unfilled the band by 50% and put me on liquids for 3 days followed by soft foods for 3 day. I think the reflux may be gone but I have pretty severe heartburn after I drink a Slim Fast shake for example.

The other references to pouch dilation I've seen seem to indicate a sudden lack of restriction which is opposite to what I've expereinced. Anybody else out there with a pouch dilation? How long did it take for you to recover? How have you changed your eating habits so it doesn't occur again? Would appreciate any words of wisdom (which by the way I find frequently on these boards).

Betsyjane · 09-05-2007, 10:01 PM

I had the unrestricted feeling with mine, but I understand that pouch dilation can cause a little band slippage that can make you feel WAY restricted, and that a partial or complete unfill sets the band right back where it is supposed to be...not like major slippage that needs surgery. So you may very well be right.

PKP1492 · 09-05-2007, 10:16 PM

Thanks BetsyJane. How long after your dilation did it take until you felt back to "normal"?

GR8 · 09-05-2007, 10:21 PM

Great post!

Hope you get to feeling well soon.

Betsyjane · 09-06-2007, 07:01 AM

My dilation was caught pretty early so it wasn't large. I had gone in for a fill because I could eat anything, and she showed me the flouro pic from then and from the time before and my pouch was definitely larger. I was actually back to normal after around 3 days of liquids. One of my problems had been that I'm really restricted in the morning, so I have a shake but I had been gulping it down, and even the liquid was taking too long to go through the pouch and backing up. The dilation was actually a good thing for me. I've become much more sensitive to my pouch because of it. Whenever I feel like I've had more than usual to eat, my next meal is liquid. I needed the wake up call.

PKP1492 · 09-06-2007, 10:32 AM

Totally agree with the dilation as a wake-up call. I feel like I need to be (and will be) much more attention to the signals I get. I got the LAP-BAND® because I didn't like the "damage" of a gastric bypass but if I don't manage it correctly I can easily cause damage by not letting the LAP-BAND® do its job. Thanks for your insights.

tsunami1967 · 09-06-2007, 09:58 PM

what exactly is band dialation? I am only 1 week post op...

PKP1492 · 09-06-2007, 10:21 PM

If you continually overstretch your pouch (by overeating, eating too fast, taking bites that are too big etcetc), you can cause your pouch to dilate or stretch out. [From my Drs handout]