Has anyone experienced a difference in the way things taste post-op? I'm only post-op 11 days, but things that had a well-defined taste for me previously seem to be unusually bland now or have a strong aftertaste.

We all have different taste sensations. I'm also one of those "tasters" who can detect a metallic-type taste when my IV is flushed with saline, for example. I've heard plenty of nurses who talk about the comments they hear from other "tasters".

I had some food “adversion” or extreme lack of appetite for a few weeks 3-6 post op. During that time, I hated the smell of food, the sight and the taste of almost everything. It eventually went away. Sometimes I wish I had a bit of it now and again LOL. It will pass, however, there may be things you don’t like post op. I know there’s a couple on my list that I can’t eat anymore that I loved before.

@Missouri-Lee's Summit - I'm in love with this explanation of hunger and satiety/hormones you posted: I have needed this solution all my life and am so happy for WLS! My ghrelin must of been insanely high and my leptin super low prior to surgery.

Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that are known to have a prominent role in the relationship between hunger and satiety. Ghrelin also plays a role in determining how much of what we eat is burned for fuel versus stored as fat. Weight loss alone results in an increase in ghrelin, which explains why we tend to feel hungry as soon as we restrict calories and begin to shed pounds. Surgically induced weight loss, however, in which a portion of the stomach is removed or bypassed, reduces the production of ghrelin while restricting the volume of food consumed. This unique combination explains, at least in part, why bariatric patients are able to eat less but not feel hungrier as a result.

Leptin also plays an important role in telling your body when you are full and how calories are stored. It is believed that weight loss improves the body’s sensitivity to the messages leptin delivers to the gut and brain. This in turn may result in greater food satisfaction with smaller quantities and less flavor intensity.

That may be akin to a Freudian slip I always pictured Ghrelin looking a little like Spike the Gremlin. And I also am a taster, told a nurse I don't like the taste of that medicine you're putting in my IV! And she gave me a fishy stare, see I'm not totally weird after all!???

@Little Kansas Kitty "My ghrelin must of been insanely high and my leptin super low prior to surgery."

Don't forget to add that you fixed your ghrelin and leptin problem by having metabolic surgery!

Edited July 20, 20188 yr by Missouri-Lee's Summit

Oh, that is interesting. I don’t think I’ve heard of the term metabolic surgery, but it makes total sense especially for those that suffered with diabetes before. Thanks for always providing great medical research and support!

Everything smells and tastes much different for me now. I don’t like lots of things I use to...