Very concerned it is not "working"
I had my RNY on August 19 and it went fine. I have had no complications and even went back to work 1 week later. But, I seem to be hungry all the time, and it seems like I eat more than I should. Yesterday for both lunch and dinner I had almost a complete cup of blended vegetable soup plus a 1/2 cup of sugar free pudding. I didn't have any trouble eating it all and I didn't feel bad afterwards but I didn't really feel full. Should I be able to eat that much at this stage? Also, all I think about is food. I am afraid that as soon as I get the ok to go on a normal diet, I will just gorge on all the food I have been thinking about. Is this normal?
on 9/2/14 8:43 am - WI
You won't feel the sensation of fullness the same way as before surgery and you won't feel anything for a while because your nerves in your stomach were cut and don't send the proper "fullness signals" to your brain. This is why it is so important that you follow you surgeon's plan to the letter. You were given guidelines on how much you should be eating. You need to measure that amount out and only eat what you have measured THEN STOP EATING. Over eating can cause serious damage to your pouch and you can had some pretty dire consequences from doing it.
The thinking about food all the time is called "head hunger"and is not likely real hunger. Head hunger is when you are "hungry" for a certain thing (craving). With real hunger, any kind of food will do to satisfy you. The surgery is on our stomachs...not on our heads. It is up to us to work through the head issues. Many WLS patients benefit from seeing a therapist to work through the issues that cause us to over eat.
One of the best pieces of advice I received was, "Hunger is NOT an emergency. You will not die if you don't feed yourself for the next few hours." You should be eating tiny meals (per surgeon's plan), every 2 or 3 hours and sipping fluids ALL day long. If you are doing that and taking all your vitamins you will physically be just fine.
I think it is normal especially right after surgery to think about food a lot. Your post could have been my post week 2 after surgery. I remember telling the surgeon I felt like I could eat anything. Also being worried that I could easily eat more than a 1/4 cup of things. The hunger bothered me too, I was like "I thought I wasn't supposed to be hungry?" And "Did he really do surgery in there?" haha...Well it all changed when I switched t a normal diet and foods that weren't sliders like yogurt and cottage cheese. Get full much faster, and to learn to eat slower or food got stuck. Also had to learn the different signals for full, not like it used to be. Still learning. One of mine is I start to get these small burps. I am still hungry sometimes, but I promise you you will not be able to gorge or you will get sick. A few times of that and you would stop. Good Luck!
Cynthia 5'11" RNY 7/23/2014
Goal reached 17 months. 220lb Weight Loss
Plastic Surgery Dr. Joseph Michaels - LBL and Hernia Repair 2/29/16, Arm Lift, BL, 5/2/16, Leg Lift 7/25/16
#lifeisanadventure #fightthegoodfight #noregrets
Your new anatomy is basically a funnel, with your pouch being the top (open portion) of the funnel, your stoma being the narrow portion, and the intestine being the skinny part. Water and other liquids go right through.
The soup and pudding are both considered "slider" foods because they are a consistency that allows them to slide out of your pouch, through your stoma, and into your intestine, rather quickly. (The enzymes in your saliva break down the pudding into a watery substance.) This means that by the time you get to the end of the cup of soup, the soup that you ate at the very beginning has probably already dripped out of your pouch. So you could eat/drink a LOT of soup and not feel full. The same thing happens with things like jello, watermelon, and yogurt (especially regular, non-Greek yogurt). With these kinds of foods, it is really important to measure portions and stick to those so you don't overeat.
Never fear, when you start eating solid foods, and once the nerves in your pouch heal a bit, I can guarantee that you will find that you get full very quickly!
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Hi Lora,
I am 8 days out of surgery RNY. I am scared I have somehow damaged my pouch. I felt able to tolerate almost anything, and i pushed myself and ate some food not on my plan, and maybe a bit more quantity than i should. I was very hungry. i feel guilt and shame. I have had some indigestion., but no vomiting, mild dumping... I so wanted more restriction, and i expected NOT to have any appetite, and be full after only a bite or two. This WASN'T my case....I have felt very dissapointed in myself and that the surgery is a huge "letdown"
It's not that easy to damage your pouch. Unless you've been eating huge portions of food, your pouch is most likely fine. And the things you're describing are pretty typical.
Here are my suggestions.
First, I'd talk to your surgeon about your concerns about damaging your pouch. I realize you may feel afraid to telling him you ate things not on your plan but unless he is a very new surgeon, he's had other patients do the same. He can tell you what might actually damage your pouch and let you know if that is something you should really be worried about right now. And if he thinks you may have damaged your pouch, he can do an endoscopy and look at the pouch and see. I think he will probably tell you your pouch should be fine, but he is the one that can really answer that, not me. And if you did somehow damage your pouch, it would be best to know about it right? And also, I think having open communication with your doctor is always a good thing.
Second, I would think about seeing a therapist, if you don't see one already. Not because I think you're crazy or anything like that. Just because from your recent posts, it seems like you are experiencing a lot of strong, difficult emotions - which I think is pretty common after WLS, but a therapist will know how to help you cope with those. Feeling guilt and shame, as well as feeling disappointed and let down that you haven't had the experience you thought you'd have in the early post-op days, are all things that might end up leading you to keep going off your plan, you know? But those are feelings you can get through.
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I had my RNY on August 25th, SAME EXACT THING, i have felt hungry, and i can eat more than i should, i wondered why so many other people after having WLS, can only tolerate a few bites or have no hunger. I feel like a FREAK. I thought the same thing. Surgeon LIED. He didnt give me a pouch....but i posted about it on here, and got several replies, that its normal for some of us. Go figure it's ME ......I was hoping for much MUCH more restriction and lack of appetite....its scary. I have in 8 days pushed it and ate things i shouldn't now i feel guilt and i am scared i hurt my pouch somehow, but i feel fine...I am calling my Doc in the morning.
You're Not Going To Feel Restriction At First As The Nerves Have All been cut. Please follow your plan rules. This isn't a miracle procedure but a tool for you to use. It is a diet for me. Every diet trick I've ever learned I still have to use. Everyday.