Am I Alone?

I have read dozens of posts on this forum that continuously say that hunger is not present.  However, I have been and remained "hungry" since the day I was released from the hospital.  Also, I was instructed to drink 30ml medicine cup fulls of liquids every 15 minutes.  However, I have been able to drink regular (small-medium sips) since Day #1 with no issues or pain.  Since I have been able to eat cream of wheat (about 1/2 cup per sitting) with no recognizable sense of  "fullness".  Am I alone with these feelings?  Is there something wrong with me?  If this is mental hunger?  I am not sure I know how to distinguish/recognize it?  Am I in trouble? 

I felt hunger early out and was worried about it and I also had head hunger. I could tell the difference after a while. I had to ask myself if I was eating because of an emotion (boredom, stress etc) I drank a bottle of water while contemplating. If I was still hungry I ate protein if not I chalked it up to head hunger. 

I have been able to drink "normal" since the first week. When I asked my doctor about it he said that was normal he expected us to. He said most doctors *****quire x amount every x minutes is to get people to drink when they think they can't. If you can drink normal drink normal.

I don't know about the cream of wheat as that wasn't on my plan for a very very long time. Keep measuring your portions per your doctor's plan and start eating on a schedule that should help you to not over eat while your nerves are healing.

You aren't in trouble just stick to plan to keep yourself accountable.

Thank you so very much for your detailed reply and meaningful suggestions. I have been thinking about this all night and believe it is part of my bypass journey that the surgeon and staff did not prepare me for.....the emotional struggle. I have never in my life been told "you cannot eat" and I find myself struggling with that in the sense of cravings. I crave/want/am hungry for everything I see my husband or children eat. My husband has been amazing in having himself and the kids eat in another room while I am recovering but it is the smells, the remnants on the stove that are literally driving me insane.

It hurts! I feel weak-minded, even stupid that I cannot distinguish actual hunger from emotional hunger. Unfortunately, the reality for me is I really have never recognized hunger in my life because I was always eating or always full. I wad not an emotional or binge eater, rather I ate when I felt like like (breakfast, lunch, dinner and some grazing in between) but what I chose to eat may not have been the best.

I guess what my babbling is saying is I do not think I was emotionally prepared to have this surgery and now it is too late to turn back and I have to figure out how to bring my head up to speed with my body or risk sabotaging this amazing 2nd chance afforded to me! Make sense?

I have been able to eat more than others, and I have normal hunger.  I just think it will take me a little longer to get to goal.

Have you been prescribed a PPI (stomach acid reducer)? Sometimes stomach acid mimics the feelings of real hunger. I went into surgery hungry and woke up from surgery hungry. Real hunger too. As soon as I got home and started taking my PPI, I had no more hunger feelings. And I haven't been hungry since.

I was hungry right after surgery, or thought I was? I also was concerned about that. Then the hunger just went away...but, so did the 'full' feeling. I have had to rely on measuring food. I definitely know when I've had too much....uncomfortable. Recently (I am 4.5 months out), I have felt hungry, but usually at meal times. I also had started some night time snacking. Well, had to get a handle on that!! I started journaling better, increased my water (I was getting minimum in, but now more than that), and picking healthier snacks....and I am finding that I'm not as hungry. So, I guess there was a lot of head hunger?! It is hard to distinguish between the two sometimes. Hang in there....btw, for me, the first 2-3 weeks after surgery were SO hard because of the food restrictions. TV commercials drove me crazy!! Kept thinking about all the foods I was missing....it is all a learning process...you are NOt alone!

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between head hunger and physical hunger, especially when we have been obese for years.  Based on this post and your reply to someone else, I would guess that much f what you are experiencing is head hunger.  Based on the additional information in your reply, I would suggest that you find a counselor ASAP to help you deal with the emotional issues so you have the very best chance at being successful with this surgery.

Also, cream if wheat is a slider food and probably will not stay in your pouch long enough to give you a sense of fullness.

Lora

I havent been hungry at all since my surgery on march 13. Yesterday I did catch myself opening the fridge all day long like I was hungry but thank god I knew it was from boredom and didnt try anything. It will pass, good luck.

True hunger does happen to some people immediately after the surgery, I heard about it in my post-op support groups. I did experience suppression of hunger for almost a year. That feeling you describe of not having a discernible fullness sensation is something I experienced too. That "full" feeling did come back for me eventually, much sooner than the hunger came back I think.

I experience true hunger.  It took a few weeks after surgery, but it's definitely there.  I also have head hunger.  So, I'm constantly asking myself which I'm experiencing.  I also try to drink a glass of water before eating anything, just to be sure it's real hunger vs. head hunger.  I also rarely get a "full" feeling, but I do get a "trigger" to stop.  It's hard to describe...I just had enough, so I stop.  

It would be nice to be one of the lucky ones who never experience true hunger.  Not sure about the PPI theory posted earlier, but I am  intrigued if that could be the case.  I don't have any kind of heart burn or reflux, so I don't "need" a PPI.  AND PPI's carry their own long term side affects that I don't particularly want to deal with.  BUT if it would help with hunger, I'd be tempted to try it.