hi everyone! im 9 days out! feeling great but just a bit concerned; ive been reading these forums and seeing that some ppl seem to say that there are different size sleeves, when i asked the dr i was told no, theyre all a standard size b/c of the machine they use to sleeve i guess and also if they came in different sizes the results would be inconsistent. i am on the post op 2 week liquid diet, and after days of broth and sf jello and popsicles i read here that egg drop soup is ok, so of course i jumped on the opportunity. i cant look at the same foods over and over and havent eaten all day so my concern is i had the egg drop, i ordered a small which is 16oz and ate the whole thing within 15 minutes no problem. i am def full but never had any vomiting or anything. how can a new sleeve hold 16oz?! i lost 10 pounds the day i was home from hosp and a week later im still there, that makes me feel so discouraged and i totally understand everyone loses at their own pace but the fact that i feel hunger and can hold food down actually worries me!!! is it just me? plz tell me im crazy

I'm not sleeved yet but I'll share my thoughts..

First of all, people do have different size sleeves. There are different size instruments that are used to guide the size of the new sleeve. I'm going to be converted from lap band to sleeve, so my surgeon told me that she'll need to use a slightly larger "bougie" to make my sleeve. Different doctors have different standard sizes they use - but they sometimes use different sizes for different patients. So not sure why your doc told you that, perhaps he just wanted to reassure you. My do did say that the differences are very small.

But - regarding your concern... when you drink liquids they move out of your stomach into your intestines much faster than when you eat solid food. So at this point you can't really tell how much your sleeve will hold - but it is very likely to be much less than 16oz!

I say - don't fret! But make sure you follow the rules. I'm not sure if you're supposed to be eating more than 4-8oz at a time right now, even with fluids. Take care, sounds to me like all is well!

Thank u for reassuring me! i thought the anxieties and worries about the surgery would end once i had the sleeve and now that im post op its a whole different ball game of worries :/ but i have read that once u have the sleeve, liquid funnels through your stomach rather than sitting in it like solids. i guess a part of me was testing it, which i know is stupid, but i know the container is 16oz and i truly felt hunger and felt like let me keep going, its the 1st time i did that b/c i do consistently sip 4oz give or take.

do you have an idea if liquid doesnt sit in the sleeve, then how can someone feel full on a liquid diet? ive heard about the ghrelin being cut out, and although of course i dont feel hunger like i used to, i still have some hunger, my husband seems to think pms has something to do with it??

People seem to have different experiences with hunger, but it does not seem too uncommon to be hungry while on the liquid diet. I've seen a few threads about this and the veterans usually reassure newbies like you that the hunger will get better once you're on solids. Hang in there! It will get better.

The pyloric valve at the bottom of your stomach that your food exits through has not been changed so liquid doesn't leave any differently. Food doesn't either, the problem is when you drink and eat together the liquid can flush the food out quicker leaving you hungry sooner or it can back up and make you vomit since there's nowhere for it to go when food is filling your stomach.

P.S. - I'm sure PMS doesn't help! Do whatever you can to distract yourself and take care of yourself. Treat yourself in non-food ways.

I also can consume large amounts of liquids but only about 4-5oz of solids. I will be 7 weeks out Monday. Today I over ate by 2.10oz and although I didn't get sick I was very uncomfortable for a cpl hours. I have to digitally weigh my food. Your brain doesn't tell you your full until about 20 minutes later which is why we are suppose to take our time and chew really well. I learned my lesson and I'm very disappointed in myself. Liquid may stay in your stomach but only for a short while. Best wishes!

thanks so much for the reassurance all!!! good to know its not just me! i wonder if its common that ppl can drink more than they eat solids oz wise. what a journey we're all on! so many questions, i can read these forums for hours and not get bored lol

The pyloric valve at the bottom of your stomach that your food exits through has not been changed so liquid doesn't leave any differently. Food doesn't either, the problem is when you drink and eat together the liquid can flush the food out quicker leaving you hungry sooner or it can back up and make you vomit since there's nowhere for it to go when food is filling your stomach.

It's true that the pyloric valve doesn't change with the sleeve surgery. But the pylorus doesn't hold liquids in the stomach very well anyway, which is why you can GUZZLE Water (at least pre-op, we could!). My surgeon says that the sleeve acts more like a funnel, as you said, and so it does not hold liquids for very long. I was SO HUNGRY while I was still on liquids, but it definitely got better once I moved to purees. I can only eat 1/3 C. or less, and I stay full for hours after eating; 3-6 hours, depending on the density of the food I ate. Do not fear, there's nothing wrong with your sleeve!

Don't worry about how much fluids you're stomach holds. If that was a concern they wouldn't tell you to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of Water every day. When you are eating solids...then it will be a concern. Don't worry about the size of the bougie they used during surgery either, what difference does it make? Your stomach is the size the doctor made it and there isn't anything you can do about it now. Focus on what is important. What you eat, when you eat, how much you eat and getting in all your fluids and Vitamins. The first month or two is all trial and error while you are healing and learning to eat. The weight ebbs and flows and for most people it doesn't seem to be a consistent loss. If you do your 30 minutes of exercise every day, drink 64 ounces of water and eat your Protein.... you will lose the weight. It might not be as fast as the next person but it will come off and I can assure you, it will be much faster than any other diet you ever tried. Be patient and take this one day at a time. Stressing over it is counter productive and science has proven that stress can cause you to over eat. Sit back, enjoy the ride and appreciate the process for what it is. This is a life long process, not a 2 month race to a finish line. Take care and best of luck to you.

Hi Abigail - I was just reading through my nutrition info and something I read made me think of you. in my instructions it says that if you feel hungry in the first two weeks to make sure you're getting enough Protein - it helps you feel more full/satisfied. Just wanted to pass that on!