Desperate for help re: hunger pangs. Have tried everything including chewing my nails!

 I need your help.

To begin, I am 8 days post-op. I had a terrible experience with the surgery, including hours of post op room vomiting, constant nausea and no pain meds post discharge due to allergic reactions.  If I could turn back the clock 8 days I would NEVER do this to myself.  That’s the short version of a very long story.

Now, the help I am requesting.  Have any of you had unrelenting hunger and the desire to chew from the time you became fully conscious after this operation?  What did you do?  Did it ever go away?  If so, when?

Although I awoke in the hospital to extreme pain and nausea, I was hungry.  WTF????   The hunger has increased to the point now I absolutely crazed.

I had this operation because I had hopes that it would CONTROL my appetite, not drive it into the stratosphere.  I dieted for two months prior to this operation, doing a no-sugar, extremely low-carb diet.  It was wonderful; I lost weight and never felt hungry.  I ate three increasingly smaller meals a day ending with less than 5 oz. of food at each meal.  I knew I wasn’t getting enough protein, so I forced myself to drink protein drinks each day to achieve those requirements.  But, I had NO desire to snack, I could watch food commercials with ease, etc. etc.  In other words, I was doing fantastic. This was the life I envisioned leading post WLS.  I looked forward to my surgery with glee.

Now, I have been on the “mother” of all head hungers for over six days.  It grows increasingly worse.  My fluid intake has increased to OVER 64 oz/day. I am sip, sip, sipping my ASS off.  According to my program, I am on a liquid diet for the next six days followed by two weeks of pureed food before I’m allowed soft foods.

 I have tried everything I can think of, including:

 Brushing my teeth five times a day - flossing twice a day 
Getting on my treadmill and walking until exhausted
Reading books, news magazines, hours of web blogs (anything without mention of food)
I even started writing the next great American novel 

I have purchased and drank enough variety of herbal teas to open my own tea house

I’ve tried every flavor of Crystal Light, vegetable juice, broths, sugar-free Jello, plain gelatinflavored with 6 varieties of Torani sugar-free flavorings, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, 16 - 22 oz (70 gms) of protein drinks - literally anything and everything I’m allowed within my program requirements.

 I called my program’s nutritionist and told her of my problem. At her every suggestion I replied “tried it!”  No help from that direction.

Last night I saw my husband eating a grape and the thought of it was too much.  I put one in my mouth and just held it there for a couple of minutes.  I took it out and peeled it.  I licked it and inhaled the aroma until I knew if I didn't throw it away RIGHT THAT SECOND it was going down the gullet.  I crushed it in my napkin and headed for the treadmill.

This evening as I was reaching for fresh bottle of water I spied the jar of sugar-free all natural peanut butter at the very back of the fridge.  I open the jar and inhaled.  OMG - the aroma was exquisite.  I put the jar back, slammed the door and came up to write this post.  And I have not exaggerated a single word.

Thanks for letting me vent, I have successfully diverted myself for another 15 minutes.
 

Please – anyone have any suggestions?  Would a Xanax help?

Hi, I am first so sorry you had such a difficult time with your surgery. But now what to do about your head hunger. At least you recognize that it is head hunger and not the stomach!
The last couple days I have taken a Lorazepam not for hunger but the nastiest mood of all times. I can't stand being in my own  skin!! This, as we both know are a couple of the emotional ups and downs of WLS. I will be having a field day with my shrink by the end of this month!And my poor Mom (she is almost 74) and if she didn't love me as much as she does she would have killed me for sure. Shoot! I would have!! What a B**** I have been.
Anyway , back to your head hunger...You are doing just what you should, talk to some one and fight it. I don't have an answer as to why, I just know you can over come thisjust like we all have to from time to time. Take your mind off it ...go make woop with you DH... chase the dog/cat around the yard...Spray the guy next door with the garden hose...Hey! I am trying to get creative here.LOL
But do get creative with your protein shakes, I have recipes if you would like them. I still do one a day to make sure I have my 70 grams of protein a day.

HUGS
JOY

I'm so sorry you feel like this... But it will get better.
 Does your Dr. let you eat anything yet? If you're still on liquids try some SF popsicles. If you need that crunch do some crushed ice with SF syrups over.
 This is the time youre healing, try and stick with your dr's protocol. You only have a few more days, you can do it..Hang in there..

((((((((((((((((((SeaGrace))))))))))))))))))  hang in there sweetie, it does get better!!! 
One thing I tried early in the beginning that seemed to help is opening a can of chicken noodle soup and draining the broth into a plain chicken broth. Because of the noodles, that you aren't eating, it has a bit of substance to it and seems to satisfy more.
Something else I've always done is, after drinking protein shakes, don't drink water or anything for the usual 30 minutes afterwards. Even though the protein drink is liquid too, I always figured it was better not to "wash" it right down.

Once the head hunger is gone, you shouldn't be hungry. I'm 17 months out and I don't think I'm ever "hungry" per say, I just know I need to eat!

You can do this and we are all here for you!!!  bigg huggs, Becky

I am with you sister as I was one of those people who never lost their hunger pangs and still have them over 6 years later. I also had the barfing after the operation because they did not put things in my IV to keep from barfing...you know all the good stuff.

I wish I could tell you it will be okay...but it will for sure...this part really. Becky was right...drink some chicken broth...makes you feel like you are getting something to eat instead of the other things you are drinking.

For sure I was sure fired up mad about having surgery and I thought I had just ruined my life....well like I said 6 years later and a lot of friggin willpower....I prevailed....the weight did not!

Just hang in there is all I can say....I do feel for you and know what you are going through! Oh and Xanax helps anything LOL

Seagrace, hang in there! For me, I could not STAND the plain broth. I bought a variety of canned soup, heated them with a little extra water and strained them. WAY better and much  more satisfying. Also, like Becky said, try not to drink water or crystal lite or anything 30 minutes after your broth. Also, are you on clear liquid or full liquid? if full liquid, get some SF FF pudding and add protien powder to that stuff.
A xananx just might help too. Ask your doc.
Good luck!
Sue

I am so sory you are going through this.  I think my fear of pain was greater that my head hunger.  However, I was on a quest for Won Ton soup.  Just drank the broth.  I also warmed up canned broth in a mug and sipped. 

Thank you for sharing you pain and worries. I hope I can help you with my story.

The morning after my surgery I was scared I Fu**ed up by doing this. I so hungry, I thought the surgery was a bad joke on me. I thought for sure something happened and the doc could not do the surgery, and that he would be walking in the door any second to tell me the bad news. I was freaking out when the nurse come in, I asked her what was going on?? She looked at me like I had two heads. So I told her I was hungry, she just laughed and told me no your not. I wanted to tell her F-off and that yes I was. She shook her head and told me to think of my tummy or my new pouch. Was it hungry or was my hea??. Then she walked out and came back with a SF popsicles. (my new best friend) She told me that would help my pouch to heal **** and swelling) and would give me something to chew on. and said,  "I promise you it will help". She was right. It helped and I was feeling better in a few hours. Every time after that if I thought I was hungry I would just eat a SF popsicle. All but orange. YUK!!!! She also told me that darn near one out of ten  “buyers” have buyers remorse, and how “normal” that is. WOW, I think that was my first time being called normal, now that I think about it.

Ask your doc if you can have them. If its ok, get some and see if they help. Also, I used Better then bouillon bouillon. You can mix it fresh with each cup. And my pouch seemed to like it better then canned soup or broth. And you can add some unflavored protein to it and make it bit more fulfilling. But ask your doctor first.

I wish you the best of luck. Do NOT lose hope. Look ahead, but remember your past and why you want it to be your past.

Keep the power within you.

Luana

Holy cow, get the Xanax.  First of all, 8 days post op and you are on a treadmill?  Do you realize that you have just had major surgery?  For heavens sakes, there will be plenty of time to exercise, but give your body sometime to heal.  You are having what we call head hunger.  I went through that same thing, I wanted to chew so bad, I wanted all those bad food that made me so FAT!  I just sipped water, I didn't even use any thing to flavor it.  Just plain water, and sipping on it, I couldn't get that much in for a month or so, it took time.  First month out, 34 lbs gone, and then the hunger started to subside.  I realized that my will to not be a fat person was much more than wanting to eat.  Ask your family to please not eat in front of you.  I attended my dad birthday dinner 12 days after surgery and I had a total melt down.  I scream and yelled at every person in sight for eating in front of me, including the cake and ice cream.  It all soon passed. 

Please rest, give your body some time, your insides need to heal, try and relax, get some of the sugar free popcicles, good grief they were my lifesaver.

Take care, congrats on your surgery, this I will promise, each day will get better.

Diane

Ditto to pretty much all the other responses! There really is no easy quick fix for the head hunger, just keep refocusing on why you did this in the first place and know that it DOES get easier! I also found that buying cans of soup and straining out all the bits to drink the broth helped a lot in the first few weeks...kinda fools your head into feeling like you are getting to eat a little something.

**hugs**

Good on you for coming here and venting! That's what we are all here for and goodness knows that more than a few of us have come here in moments of total meltdown!


Shells