Is There A (Blood) Test For Ghrelin Levels?

Batwingsman
on 1/17/10 4:02 pm - Garland, TX
As many of us know, this is the hormone produced in the lining of the stomach that tells our brain we are hungry.     When our sleeves are formed and 85% of the stomach is removed (or, I guess pouches for the RNYers), that great amount of ghrelin production is removed with it, theoretically.     Unfortunately, as time goes by, the body does apparently step the ghrelin production up a bit to try to compensate.  

 I have been having just about "normal" pre-op hunger pangs of late, @ 3 1/2 years out.   It seems like no matter what I eat, I'm hungry again wtihin a couple of hours or so, even to the point of drooling. 

 Accordingly, I would be curious to see what my ghrelin levels are like these days (it would have been nice to have had a pre-op level check done also, as well as one a few months out, as a baseline, but oh well  ). 

  Does anyone know if there is a standard blood test that can be done to determine the level?   I would think it would be done after a fasting interval, or possibly after eating some kind of "trigger food" after a certain time interval has passed, to make it accurate ..   

Frank talk about the DS / "All I ever wanted to be was thin, like that Rolling Stones dude ... "

HW/461 LW/251 GW/189 CW/274 (yep, a DS semi-failure - it happens :-( )

Jackie McGee
on 1/17/10 4:07 pm - PA
Based on a quick Google search, yes, they are able to check ghrelin levels by testing blood plasma.

 Proud mama of Mischa and Gabriel, both born post-op.

Batwingsman
on 1/17/10 4:15 pm - Garland, TX
Thanks, Jackie .. 

  I initially checked the Wiki article on ghrelin, btw, and it covered just about everything on the hormone except how they check its levels .. 

Frank talk about the DS / "All I ever wanted to be was thin, like that Rolling Stones dude ... "

HW/461 LW/251 GW/189 CW/274 (yep, a DS semi-failure - it happens :-( )

mquirkygirl
on 1/17/10 4:14 pm - New York City, NY
Paul, you should know this.  The stomach is not removed in the RNY.  Therefore, ghrelin is still secreted.  Ghrelin secretions only cease to exist with the VSG and DS since the greater curvature of the stomach is removed.


                                  5'10", HW: 326/SW: 280/CW: 181/Goal: 165

Batwingsman
on 1/17/10 4:19 pm - Garland, TX
 Well, I had wondered about that, Melody  ..   oops         You're right ..  I guess I had forgotten ..

 That reminds me ...  last week I was going to do a post asking about the purpose of the "remnant stomach", but got side-tracked  ..   I don't understand why they do the pouch that way in the modern RNY surgery ..  In the original days they just stapled a "pouch" off in a corner of the stomach, similar to the way it was done in the old VBG procedure ..   Is the remnant left so that the procedure can be reversed if needed/desired w/o having to remove staples and/or a bunch of scar tissue/adhesions?    

Frank talk about the DS / "All I ever wanted to be was thin, like that Rolling Stones dude ... "

HW/461 LW/251 GW/189 CW/274 (yep, a DS semi-failure - it happens :-( )

(deactivated member)
on 1/17/10 5:49 pm - Bayonne, NJ
Most grhelin is produced by the stomach but some is produced by the hypothalamus. Although ghrelin falls off after the DS and VSG, after a few months the hypothalamus starts to produce more.  That's why hunger returns.


Batwingsman
on 1/17/10 6:33 pm - Garland, TX
 Ut oh ..      Interesting, Bailey ..   Thanks for sharing ..  

  I thought the Wiki article mentioned something about it also being produced in the pancreas ..   Did you run into anything about that when researching?   

Frank talk about the DS / "All I ever wanted to be was thin, like that Rolling Stones dude ... "

HW/461 LW/251 GW/189 CW/274 (yep, a DS semi-failure - it happens :-( )

MsBatt
on 1/18/10 5:34 am
Well, you WANT to have some hunger. Life would be prety miserable if one couldn't fully enjoy one's food, right? They say "Hunger is the best sauce," and they're right.

Even six years post-DS, I have the occassional day when I have NO hunger, but if I don't eat, I'll get nauseaous. It's really HARD forcing yourself to eat when you have no appetite, and you get no enjoyment from it.
Bonamy
on 1/18/10 5:54 am - Wyoming County, NY

I always thought it would be interesting to know if ghrelin was above average preop.  Here is a study that talks about blood tests for it that might be helpful.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18376181?ordinalpos=12&it ool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_ RVDocSum

                     
 HW 365/SW321                                                        Walk or Run 200 miles in 2010 
 

    
Batwingsman
on 1/18/10 6:04 am - Garland, TX
Thanks, Bonamy  ..  Looks like there is in fact a blood test for the hormone in which the blood is drawn after an "overnight fast" ..  

Frank talk about the DS / "All I ever wanted to be was thin, like that Rolling Stones dude ... "

HW/461 LW/251 GW/189 CW/274 (yep, a DS semi-failure - it happens :-( )

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