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stomach stretches after fundoplication

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Posted 8/2/2012 5:37 AM (GMT 0)
MY STOMACH FEELS SO MUCH SMALLER NOW. HOW LONG BEFORE IT WILL STRETCH OUT AGAIN. I BARELY EAT ANY AMOUNT OF FOOD AND I AM FULL. I AM 16 DAYS POST OP.
Posted 8/2/2012 8:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,its normal to feel full after nissen surgery as youve lost the top part of your stomach,probably a third smaller than it was,also there will be swelling but it will all settle down and you should be able to eat normal or near normal what you did before.I would say a couple of months but everyone has a different story to tell about their recovery but it will settle down. Barry
Posted 8/2/2012 1:45 PM (GMT 0)
Don't fret about it PJess. At 16 days, you are just passing the peak of swelling! You need to keep in mind that this surgery was traumatic to your stomach, and listen to your body. For at least the next few months, you will need to keep your meals small and frequent.

Very gradually, your stomach will begin to allow you to eat bigger meals -- but don't try to push it -- it just happens on its own very slowly. I can tell you from tons of personal experience, you do NOT want to try to overfill it.
Posted 8/2/2012 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
Does that just result in pain, MultiFundo? I've eaten a lot at one time, but it wasn't horrible pain or anything. It's difficult to tell what a "normal" amount of food is, since many people eat a LOT of food at one time.
Posted 8/3/2012 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
From my personal experiences, overfilling can result in a large amount of pain and discomfort that takes several hours to relieve. But, more importantly, if you have a weak wrap, overfilling could cause the wrap to distort or separate and begin to come undone. You wouldn't know that it happened until after the next surgery, when the doctor tells you that the wrap was broken.
Posted 8/3/2012 3:55 AM (GMT 0)
Hi PJess,

The top of your stomach is swollen at this point, and your brain interprets that swelling as fullness.  As the swelling goes down you'll be able to begin to eat more.  You want to be careful not to overfill your stomach because it will put pressure on your sutures and cause you discomfort.

Don't worry...you stomach isn't all that much smaller...it's the swelling that's the culprit.

Happy healing!

Denise

Posted 8/3/2012 4:09 AM (GMT 0)
I was back to "normal" eating around 4 months.

If you need to lose weight keep your portions small and don't stretch it out full.
Some people after the surgery can't tell when they're full due to the change in their stomach and wind up overeating.
You have to watch your portions to avoid over filling.
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