Question for the Vets 2+ years...

There has been a lot of info about regain and how to avoid it, etc.

I understand about the malabsorption "honeymoon" phase and all - but I am wondering about hunger.

Do you feel like 2+ years out that you are as hungry as before?  I had the Lapband in 2005 and my hunger never, ever changed - except maybe for 4 days after surgery.  It was not head-hunger either. Sometimes it was, of course.  But there was nothing like this awful feeling of "choking up top and starving on the bottom."  That was how my band made me feel. 

I am hoping that if I am very careful about stretching my pouch, etc that I will still feel full faster - esp in the long run.

thanks for your wisdom

Your pouch will naturally stretch over time over what it was in the beginning.

For me, I have the same hunger NOW as I had on day 1 postop. Zero.

but I honestly believe that I didn't have much in the way of hunger pre-op either.

being hungry was never my issue.

I am 3 years out and have an occasional hungry day....but more often, just eat on schedule with meals and snacks...and don't get too hungry at all. I don't like feeling hungry!

And yes, there is an occasional day when I can take it or leave it where food is concerned.

IT actually sounds like you might have an ulcer. When was your revision from lapband to gastric bypass? You dont mention how far out you are? It is essential after gastric bypass to take PPI's (protonix, nexium, prilosec or prevacid) to prevent reflux or ulcers for atleast 6 months and up to a year - some even longer depending on your history.

Symptoms of an ulcer are a constant hunger feeling, like a gnawing feeling type of pain. Many confuse the pain type symptoms and the hunger type symptoms and cant tell the difference. They are classic ulcer symptoms.

(I just re-read your post and realized you havent had a revision yet but you are considering it. I am almost 4 years out and am never hungry and never have been since the day I woke up from surgery. There were 2 times that I have felt hunger - the first time is when I thought I had an ulcer and I had that terrible gnawing burning pain in my stomach and the other time, I was on steroids for premeds for my IV iron (it was once per week for 6 weeks and the last time I was having a mediport put in and since it was actual surgery, I required IV steroids before and after the procedure 100mg each. The premeds were 40mg - 24 hours before, 13 hours before and 1 hour before, so it was a total of 120mg of prednisone in a 24 hour period each time. So, that is alot of steroids and that really made me want food and junk food. I did gain about 7 pounds but as soon as I was done, I lost it in 1 week. Steroids also make you retain fluids.

I am not sure what the chocking up on top and starving on the bottom means - almost sounds like the gnawing pain we get associated with ulcers. If so, I hope this information helps you. If not, disregard it.

If this is what you are suffereing from, you need to get an Endoscopy ASAP to check for it and to also have a Biopsy to check for HPylori - a bacteria in the stomach that can cause ulcers. If you have the bacteria the treatment is totally different than if the biopsy is negative for HPylori.

HPylori is treated with a Prevpac - 2 antibiotics and Prevacid (if you can take penecillin, it will have Penecillin, Flagyl and Prevacid - if you cant take Penecillin - it will have Biaxin, Flagyl, Prevacid and Pepto Bismo chewables - we just cant take the Pepto Bismol part so you have to talk to your doctor about that part of the treatment You take these treatments for 14 days and then go for a breath test to make sure it is negative, if positive you have to repeat the 14 day course again. Some doctor use a blood test but that isnt accurate since all is shows is that you have had it at some point in your life, not if it is current - once you have it once, it will always be positive and there are also many false positive. I had the blood test once and it was positive. Went through the entire 14 day treatment, went for the breath test and it was normal, so we through it was cured. About 3 years later, I had another blood test which showed I never had it at any point in my lifetime, so I was treated for nothing. The only true way to diagnose is via endoscopy - biopsy.
.
For HPylori negative, the treatment is any PPI and Carafate for 8 weeks and then get rescoped to make sure the ulcer is healed.

I have not had the RNY yet. My appt is 7-27.
I was reading about gaining and am thinking into the future -- and trying to be as prepared as possible.

I did write part way down my response that I had re-read your response and realized that you hadnt had the RNY yet but what I was mainly referring to was  your comment   "choking up top and starving on the bonttom."   - that sounds like what happens when we get an ulcer.  We have trouble swallowing, hense the chocking on top and the starving on bottom is the gnawing pain that constant feeling of hunger.  It just constantly burns and growls and feels like hunger.  So, that is what I was referring to.  I am sorry if I was totally off base but I was just trying to help you.

I wish you the best in your surgery.  If you are having any of these symptoms, please make sure you have an Endoscopy before your RNY because lapband patients have a high risk factor for ulcers, reflux or just corrosion of where the band was and your surgeon needs to see exactly what is going on before he goes in.  You dont want suprised that can cause a much more difficult surgery or complications.  Yuo want him to be prepared.

good luck

 Yes I am hungry as before.  I am 6 years out now and have been hungry since around the 1.5 year mark.  All kinds of hunger - head, physical, emotional hunger.....as well, I was a binge eater before surgery.  We tend to struggle more.  A TON of head issues to deal with.  That's the hardest part for sure.  The surgery fixes your body, not your head.


Good luck on your journey,
Dawn

I am only 11mths out and I have hunger (have since about 2-3 months) just the same as pre-op. The restriction is still there and helps me rein it in, but I also have to work on negotiating with myself to keep it in line

I get hungry pretty much like I did before, yeah.  But the difference is that I get full on a small amount of food.  These days, I can eat about one and a half slices of thin crust pizza (without the crust around the edge).  Pre op, I would have still been starving.  Pre op, i would eat four slices of pizza and sometimes follow that will dessert before I felt satisfied.  (And no, I don't eat pizza often now, but that's just an example).  My RNY lets me eat small portions and feel satisfied.  I love it.

Okay - that makes total sense.  Hungry - but satisfied faster.

I swear I am a bottomless pit sometimes!!

THANKS