OK kids. I have been trying to keep a very positive attitude about this but I am 2 1/2 weeks post op and still experiencing hunger all day every day. I had intense hunger pains the first few days after surgery, and they got better, but I experience mild to moderate hunger ALL day EVERY day - still.

My surgeon just keeps saying it's different for everyone, it should go away, etc... but I don't know if I'm convinced.

I tried some slightly more solid food yesterday as an experiment - had some cheese (the kind that is a small little block to eat) and I still didn't stop feeling hungry. When I eat my 1 ounce of soft food every two hours, I feel less hungry for a tiny bit but after an hour I'm really hungry again and have to wait an hour to eat. I am in despair because this feels like DIETING!!!! Restricting yourself to less than you want and dealing with the hunger.

THIS IS NOT HEAD HUNGER. I have successfully watched hubby and best friend eat burgers, pizza, etc and I did totally fine. Yes I longed for it a bit (that's the head huger) but I put myself in the right mindset, enjoyed the smells, etc.

THIS IS ALSO NOT ACID. I have had acid plenty before surgery and I know what it feels like. This is pure physical hunger and I know what it feels like, I am definitely in tune with that.

So.... please... if ANYONE ELSE has experienced this please tell me what you did about it, if it went away with time, if it went away when you got to solid food, etc.'

Hubby had his surgery yesterday (and is doing very well) and woke up with no hunger, and still isn't feeling any so far (I was having hunger pains the whole time in the hospital!)... so now I am feeling really really super unlucky and gypped. I am usually a very very positive person but this is really getting me down :001_tt2:

Christy,

I am so glad that you got the info you needed! I hope that being able to advance food stages helps you with your hunger.

Anna

I experience hunger all day, every day. I do get full quickly tho, and I can't eat much, but I get hungry 1-2 hours after eating, so I know just what you are talking about. I need to have Snacks available all the time. It's very discouraging and I find I'm losing my motivation about eating just the right foods, which doesn't help, and I haven't lost any weight in a few weeks.

I don't mean to discourage you, and I hope yours gets better with your new diet information! Keep us posted.

Kim came in - she is the head of the whole bariatric program at the hospital and works closely with my surgeon. She said that the sleeve program here is pretty underdeveloped because they've done so few... and they group us in with the bypass patients as far as the nutrition guidelines and classes... and that 1 ounce is far too little. She said I can eat UP TO 4oz in one sitting, every 2-3 hours. I don't know if it will take 4oz to fill me up or not but I will play around with it and see.

She also said I could go ahead and advance to the next phase of eating - full soft food diet!! I said what do I do since the nutrition class for it is not until next week - she sat down and wrote out a list for me of what I could eat!

Thanks for this clarification! I'm going for the sleeve June 22, and they have me lumped in with bypass patients in my group, too. You can bet I'll be asking questions!

Hey again everyone! I am sorry to hear about those of you who are experiencing the hunger too :sad0: Are you waiting to drink an hour after eating? I have been doing that today even though I'm not supposed to have to worry about it yet... and I really think it's helping.

Also - I made up a tuna salad mixture. It is about 5 oz of tuna, 2 TBS light mayo, 1 tsp mustard, 2 tsp sweet relish and a little bit of finely diced onion. It's so delicious! I ate 2 ounces and felt FULL! FINALLY! I feel full for the first time since surgery. I am anxious to see if it lasts me the 2-3 hours it is supposed to. I'll let you all know.

wonderful news!!! :sad0:) I knew you should be eating more than one ounce!! LOL

That is great to hear! I am glad that she was able to help you and give you some ideas. :001_tongue:

Happy to hear the tuna helped:biggrin0:! I hope it stays going good and positive for you! How's the hubby doing? Hope all is well in the household....it's great you got the chance to talk to the coordinator and up your ounces lookin' good for ya:thumbup:

well it does get better,but i can snack on lots of different things and stuff i shouldn't be eating at all. i am also for right now losing weight. i am sure it is because of the little amount of food i can eat. i also drink about 64-70 oz of fluids a day. most days i only drink a protein shake or an atkins protein bar for breakfast. a lite lunch and then for dinner a nice size piece of meat with at least 2 veggies on the side. don't know if i am doing all of the right stuff but we will see. i also take some king of prilosec every day for the acid and hunger pains that i was feeling. i managed to loose 2 more pounds from yesterday to today. go figure. good luck girl and keep trying. it does get better..

thanks laura.... I like your ticker!

OK so the first 2 ounces didn't keep me full the entire 2 hours, but it was definitely a huge improvement! The second batch I still ate 2 ounces, but took my 1oz liquid vitamin in addition, and I am full... it's been about an hour and a half now and still full. But I felt maybe slightly more full than I would have wanted so I am thinking 2 1/2 ounces might be the magic spot. Will try that at my next meal. Thank you all for following along with me.

Edited June 5, 201016 yr by CraftyChristie

I still suspect any hunger could be acid--but then again we all differ. My first few weeks I was regularly taking prilosec and never once felt any hunger whether it was in the morning after not eating all night or several hours after a meal. I would test it to see if it helps at all as well. Many docs have patients on a ppi for the first 6 months no matter what, it would not hurt to try a 14 day test and see if the "hunger" feeling goes away.

Hey, maybe this hunger is a good sign, maybe it means that you are a fast healer and were ready for the soft food and then hard food stages before the average sleever!

At 3.5 months out, I'm still taking my Protonix 2x a day. Last night was the first night since 3 days post-op that I woke up with acid in my mouth. YUCK.

I got hungry on Day 10, but it was resolved when I went to soft foods. My program is 1/4 cup, 3x a day no snacking no Protein supplements.

At around 7 weeks I got hungry again, still eating 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup of food 3x a day. When I went for my 3 month checkup the surgeon said it probably wasn't true hunger from what I described (hollow feeling an hour after eating) but that my Sleeve is irritated. I took Carafate to coat my Sleeve for around a week and it started to get better. At 3.5 months out, something changed and I'm not getting as hungry between meals anymore. I'm just now building up to 4 oz of protein 2x a day and a Protein shake for breakfast. Things like steak I can only eat 3 oz.

We are all so different. We all have our own story of how we feel as far as being hungry, full, satisfied etc.

All in all, I'm thrilled with my Sleeve. I was always hungry before surgery but didn't have a chance of losing weight. I'd rather fight the fat battle from this side! :thumbup:

Yes, when I go out today I'm going to buy Prilosec and try it for 2 weeks and see how I feel. I think that is a good idea no matter what.

So - that second batch of tuna last night kept me full the whole rest of the night. I should have eaten one more time but I didn't... but yay!! I feel so good knowing this is helping.

Alright Christie! now is time to share the name of the book and some recipes with us please! Gloria