Lots of questions for you !

I have had my consultation and am very confident in my doctor and the decision I am making to have the surgery done.  I am definitely leaning towards the sleeve, however, the surgeon is leaving it up to me as to what surgery I want done.  He said I would benefit from either bypass or the sleeve.  I have about 121 pounds to lose to get to my ideal weight.  I have a few questions for those of you who have had the sleeve done:

 

1.)  Do food cravings go away?

2.)  Do hunger pangs go away?  

3.)  Did anyone experience hair loss due to rapid weight loss?  or have you noticed that your hair is now not regrowing at the same rate as it did before?  

4.)  I have seen some people talk about malabsorption, what exactly is that?  

 

Thanks everyone, I am highly enjoying this forum, it is so helpful!  

Sarah

1.) Do food cravings go away?
Yes it's different for everyone. I had to do and I'm sure you will too a two week liquid diet it's tough but stick to it, you will see your cravings go away.

2.) Do hunger pangs go away?
Yes. Had surgery the 17th not hungry at all here. But eating for protein.

3.) Did anyone experience hair loss due to rapid weight loss? or have you noticed that your hair is now not regrowing at the same rate as it did before?
It might be differnt for men and women but my hair is good no loss!

4.) I have seen some people talk about malabsorption, what exactly is that?
I have no idea lol!

Congrats on your decision to a better and more healthy life! It's tough by worth it!

1.)  Do food cravings go away?  Mine did.  I still have knee-jerk reactions to seeing certain foods, but it's more of a memory thing than a craving.  I don't put them into my mouth.  It amazes me how many of my cravings totally left me, probably from abstaining from those foods for so long.

2.)  Do hunger pangs go away?  Mine did.  I had to force myself to eat early on, and even now I don't get hungry, but rather I eat to meet protein and other nutritional goals each day.  That suits me just fine.   However, I'm only five months out.

3.)  Did anyone experience hair loss due to rapid weight loss?  or have you noticed that your hair is now not regrowing at the same rate as it did before?   Hair loss is VERY, VERY common, and it's not just from having the surgery.  Search for "hair loss" on this website. 

4.)  I have seen some people talk about malabsorption, what exactly is that?  I will define malabsorption as the body's suboptimal taking in of nutrients.  I believe it is rare among VSG patients, but I'm no expert.  

 

I started feeling hunger again about a month ago (5 months post-op). But like another poster, I eat to satisfy protein and other nutritional needs and regularly do not let myself get as hungry as I used to before surgery. I eat regularly, balanced meals and snacks at the appropriate times to keep myself in line. My wife had the RNY, she is about in the same boat as I am as far as hunger/non-hunger goes, she's about 2 weeks behind me in terms of surgery date.

Malabsorption is for RNY surgery, where they bypass your duodenum, which is a part of your intestine that absorbs a lot of fat and sugar (I'm not an expert but you can google it and find out more). The duodenum also absorbs a bunch of nutrients, so RNYers have to be sure to take vitamins forever. Their success is supposedly in the malasorption, or the fats and sugars not being absorbed. And maybe also in completely changing their lives, eating habits, exercise habits, etc etc just like us.

1) i think the physical cravings go away, the mental ones hang around.  for example, i have no desire for anything sweet since a week into the preop diet.  none.  But i still see people eating chips or pizza and i wish i could eat them too.  :/

2) as for hunger pains.  with the VSG i dont really feel hunger at all, i sometimes feel weak if i dont eat regularly through the day. I keep up on my food tracking so i know when to eat and how much i should probably have (to meet protein goals for example) ... otherwise i feel like i might even froget.  For bypass i think it is different your stomach is still there sending those feedme signals, but i'm not sure if they have hunger feelings or not, but it's probably more likely that bypass patients do.

3) My hair is already thinning (damned male pattern baldness), docs said it's likely that any WLS patient to have hair loss after 3-5months.  probable regrowth 9-12 months out.

4) maladsoption is the inablility to take in nutients.  VSG patients have very little maladsorption because although the stomach is smaller, the entire small and large intestines are still there.  For bypass, a large faction of the intestines are no longer 'in the loop' as far as nutrient intake goes - so they have malabsorption by design. bypass patients have to take more vitamins as a result.

Bypass is restriction and maladsorption.  VSG is jsut restriction.  you lose more in bypass (supposedly on average) because no matter what you eat, not all of it gets digested or contributes to your bodies calorie intake.

 

if you are debating, there is a link to book yesterday that goes over the decision making process, that might help you.  it's free on amazon ebooks today, cheap all week.

1 - It's not the same. Before surgery I'd crave and my mouth would start to salivate and I'd just rush to the nearest fast food and eat whatever I was craving. Now, I see the same food but I don't get the same experiences (the salivating, having to have it). Basically I still think the food is delicious but I'm much more in control. 

2 - I'm 6 weeks out, never felt hungry.

3 - Not yet, but a lot of people on OH have had hair loss. 

I am 4 months out.

I do pretty good with my head hunger and hunger pangs!  Most of the time I eat because I need to and not because I am starving.  If I miss a meal or go too long between meals then I will feel hungry but that is because it is time to eat.

Head hunger usually rears its ugly head when I am extremely stressed or emotional.  I am an emotional eater/stress eater.  I don't play into it.  I realize the problem and try to find other things to distract me.

I do lose some hair in my hair brush but nothing that I am concerned about.  I have long thin hair.

I have 125 lbs to lose to get to a healthy BMI.  That is the top of the range.  There are people who have had this surgery who have lost over 200lbs.  I have lost 80 lbs in 4 months.   I went with this surgery because I did not want my insides rerouted and also have to be on life saving vitamins for the rest of my life.  I take vitamins but with the RNY you HAVE to take them or it can be life threatening.

Both of these surgeries are going to be up to you on how well you do.  The weight will come off with both but you have to change your eating habits and your relationship with food or you will put the weight back on no matter what weight loss surgery you have done.

It is stressed with this surgery to eat your protein and to eat it first!  It is what will stay with you the longest and it is what your body needs.  Not all of but a lot of people are low carb also.  This is a "tool" to help you get the weight off and it is not a magic bullet.

Good luck with your decision.

Jackie,  extremely well said!

Hi,

I'm close to six months out.

1) pretty much. Once in a while I'll get a craving.

2) Mostly they did. Usually if I feel hungry it's because I need to ge****er in

3) unfortunately, the hair loss started for me about a month ago.  My nutritionist says it's from not getting in enough protein months ago and the rapid weight loss.  I take biotin which they say helps. I probably should have started taking i when I had my surgery.

4) Malabsorption is not with the sleeve; but by-pass. Not 100% sure so I won't answer this as I don't want to give you the wrong information.

Good luck! It's been an amazing journey for me.

1.)  Do food cravings go away?  For some people yes they do.  I'd say most of mine are gone or mostly gone.  Except for around TOM then no...I get them.

2.)  Do hunger pangs go away?  Yes, for most they do, mine are completely gone. 

3.)  Did anyone experience hair loss due to rapid weight loss?  or have you noticed that your hair is now not re-growing at the same rate as it did before?    Yes I lost my hair and most do.  My hair is re-growing now and the rate seems the same. 

4.)  I have seen some people talk about malabsorption, what exactly is that?  Malabsorption is when you do not absorbed all the calories you eat.  It's done by bypassing part of the small intestine.  VSG does not have this.