I finally had my RNY on June 2nd. It was insanely painful right off the bat and I had a 2 day hospital stay because I wasn’t able to keep anything down. Everything looked normal on the barium swallow. I’ve read on here that hunger goes away… mine did not. I’m so hungry and it sucks. I’m trying to maintain my water intake and trying to get as much protein as possible while spacing everything out and taking sips… but I very quickly feel like there are uncomfortable air bubbles in my stomach even with the tiny sips.

Tell me it stops sucking. Because right now I feel like I made such a huge mistake. ?

It does stop sucking.

The post op stuff is a beast.....a couple weeks removed from that and most everyone feels much better.

First couple of days I distinctly remember the gasses causing some serious shoulder pains and other discomfort.

yea I had buyer's remorse the first couple of weeks - but that ended quickly. I had my 10 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made.

Hang in there! The early post-op days are the hardest because you're experiencing all of the negatives with none of the positives. It is totally normal and common to have regrets early on, but over the next few months, you'll gradually get used to the changes, resume eating real food, and lose more weight than you thought was possible. This rough patch will just blip in your memory.

It does get better! You just had MAJOR surgery and your stomach tissues are massively swollen right now.

I know it's scary ATM, but just follow your post-op instructions and make sure to drink, drink, drink. Dehydration is a big risk early on after surgery, so even though it sucks, keep sipping!

I suspect your hunger feelings are probably a combination of things such as not eating any real food for a while, as well as your body trying to let you know that it's not happy with the current situation. That too will get better over time as things start to normalize and you're able to eat more.

18 hours ago, Dub said:

It does stop sucking.

The post op stuff is a beast.....a couple weeks removed from that and most everyone feels much better.

First couple of days I distinctly remember the gasses causing some serious shoulder pains and other discomfort.

Thank you for replying. It seems like this first week has been dragging on and on.

18 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

yea I had buyer's remorse the first couple of weeks - but that ended quickly. I had my 10 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made.

I am optimistic for the outcome you’ve had. Thank you for your reply. ❤️

17 hours ago, BigSue said:

Hang in there! The early post-op days are the hardest because you're experiencing all of the negatives with none of the positives. It is totally normal and common to have regrets early on, but over the next few months, you'll gradually get used to the changes, resume eating real food, and lose more weight than you thought was possible. This rough patch will just blip in your memory.

Thank you! Does eating ever feel normal/comfortable again? I can’t tell if the gas bubble feelings I have when trying to take sips is from surgical gas still (4 days out) or if that’s just going to be the new normal. I guess that’s the scariest part for me right now…. That it will always be uncomfortable.

17 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

It does get better! You just had MAJOR surgery and your stomach tissues are massively swollen right now.

I know it's scary ATM, but just follow your post-op instructions and make sure to drink, drink, drink. Dehydration is a big risk early on after surgery, so even though it sucks, keep sipping!

I suspect your hunger feelings are probably a combination of things such as not eating any real food for a while, as well as your body trying to let you know that it's not happy with the current situation. That too will get better over time as things start to normalize and you're able to eat more.

Thank you for responding! Do you remember how long it took you to stop feeling the surgical pains? Like being able to walk without hunching from pain or cough without it feeling like your abdominal wall is separating?
I know everyone heals differently. I’m trying to stay optimistic and I’m sure I sound a bit whiney right now.

6 minutes ago, Beks18 said:

Thank you for responding! Do you remember how long it took you to stop feeling the surgical pains? Like being able to walk without hunching from pain or cough without it feeling like your abdominal wall is separating?
I know everyone heals differently. I’m trying to stay optimistic and I’m sure I sound a bit whiney right now.

For me, it may have been 5 or 6 days, but like you said, everyone is different.

Also, in terms of the gas bubble feeling you have mentioned a few times, that IS NOT surgical gas. The gas used during surgery is not inside your digestive system. It's in what's called the peritoneal space. This is used to allow the doctor to help visualize all your organs.

My point is that's not what's causing your gas bubble feeling. I can't say I actually experienced that feeling, but it makes be wonder, are you drinking with a straw? Typically using a straw is a no-no right after bariatric surgery because it can cause you to swallow air. Since you have such a limited amount of space right now in your stomach, We don't want any air in there.

so...i, at no point, regretted the surgery. yes, it was challenging sometimes, but i had (and still do) have the eye on the prize.

stay the course, keep on keeping on, and enjoy the ride!

i'm 7 yrs post op this year and i am forever grateful that i did all this. yes, sometimes things sucked, but on balance, the totally awesome stuff far, far outweighed the sucky stuff.

life is good. i love it all. ❤️

5 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

For me, it may have been 5 or 6 days, but like you said, everyone is different.

Also, in terms of the gas bubble feeling you have mentioned a few times, that IS NOT surgical gas. The gas used during surgery is not inside your digestive system. It's in what's called the peritoneal space. This is used to allow the doctor to help visualize all your organs.

My point is that's not what's causing your gas bubble feeling. I can't say I actually experienced that feeling, but it makes be wonder, are you drinking with a straw? Typically using a straw is a no-no right after bariatric surgery because it can cause you to swallow air. Since you have such a limited amount of space right now in your stomach, We don't want any air in there.

Nope, I’ve avoided straws like the plague. I know I’m not drinking too fast or gulping. The only other thing that makes sense to me would be a stricture? But it seems to be too early to deal with that.

6 hours ago, Beks18 said:

Thank you! Does eating ever feel normal/comfortable again? I can’t tell if the gas bubble feelings I have when trying to take sips is from surgical gas still (4 days out) or if that’s just going to be the new normal. I guess that’s the scariest part for me right now…. That it will always be uncomfortable.

Yes, eating and drinking gets much more comfortable. You're less than a week out now, so everything is still healing. That's why you have to progress through the food stages before you get back to regular food. I'm almost 5 years out now and I tolerate most things, at least in small quantities. Like most people, I struggled to sip enough fluids in the first few post-op weeks, but after a few months, I could drink at a completely normal pace. Everybody's a little different in terms of what they can eat and what causes discomfort (and what kind of discomfort), but you will learn what you can eat without issues, and that will just become your new "normal."

2 hours ago, Beks18 said:

Nope, I’ve avoided straws like the plague. I know I’m not drinking too fast or gulping. The only other thing that makes sense to me would be a stricture? But it seems to be too early to deal with that.

I doubt it's a stricture or anything serious, but if you're concerned, it's never a bad idea to talk to your surgeon's office. My guess is it's just due to the swelling. Right now, your new stomach has lots of little "pockets" in it and I suspect that may be contributing to this feeling. If you get to where you can't keep anything down, that's when you should definitely reach out to your team ASAP.

I'm 5 weeks out from surgery and the gas is what they used to "blow up" your abdomen like a balloon so that they can see everything while rearranging things in there. That goes away with time and I found that walking did the best. I also tried to move a lot, not just walking but raising my arms and doing tow pointing while sitting and things like that to move the air out of my abdomen. Also, try and use an abdominal binder, did they give you one to use on discharge? Sometimes that helps. I splinted my tummy with a pillow when I coughed. I had a tough time doing the sipping but got better over time, and even eating real food was a blessing. But as others have said, dehydration is the worst complication so keep sipping. The continued desire for food is called "head hunger". The brain is telling you that you are hungry, but how can you be, there is very little room in your stomach now, it is mind over matter. Time to find a hobby to keep your hands busy and out of the fridge. If you continue to have "head hunger" I would recommend BariNation that you can become a member of and join the support groups and member meet-ups to ask questions or get some group therapy where your people are. I'm a member and am in groups all the time, I started with them before surgery so I knew what to expect, and thankful for the wonderful support from my new friends. It is forty bucks for a month, and to me it is worth it, I spend less now in food. Just a thought to help you through the rough patches that are surely to come, especially the time when you are eating and having rapid weight loss, and hormone changes that cause your emotions to fly about. I find the support groups and meet ups to be so helpful.

On 6/7/2025 at 11:25 PM, WendyJane said:

I'm 5 weeks out from surgery and the gas is what they used to "blow up" your abdomen like a balloon so that they can see everything while rearranging things in there. That goes away with time and I found that walking did the best. I also tried to move a lot, not just walking but raising my arms and doing tow pointing while sitting and things like that to move the air out of my abdomen. Also, try and use an abdominal binder, did they give you one to use on discharge? Sometimes that helps. I splinted my tummy with a pillow when I coughed. I had a tough time doing the sipping but got better over time, and even eating real food was a blessing. But as others have said, dehydration is the worst complication so keep sipping. The continued desire for food is called "head hunger". The brain is telling you that you are hungry, but how can you be, there is very little room in your stomach now, it is mind over matter. Time to find a hobby to keep your hands busy and out of the fridge. If you continue to have "head hunger" I would recommend BariNation that you can become a member of and join the support groups and member meet-ups to ask questions or get some group therapy where your people are. I'm a member and am in groups all the time, I started with them before surgery so I knew what to expect, and thankful for the wonderful support from my new friends. It is forty bucks for a month, and to me it is worth it, I spend less now in food. Just a thought to help you through the rough Patches that are surely to come, especially the time when you are eating and having rapid weight loss, and hormone changes that cause your emotions to fly about. I find the support groups and meet ups to be so helpful.

Wendy, I just want to thank you for this. Seeing your experience and your positivity really helped. They did give me an abdominal binder and I also did the pillow method for coughing. 2 weeks out now and I’m feeling a million times better. I hope your journey is going amazingly!