What's The Deal On Hunger?

[sillygirlmi 8]

I am confused about when people say they are hungry after surgery.....when I am hungry, my stomach growls and hurts some. There is a nawwing feeling in m stomach. That is what I mean when I say hungry. But then people say they are hungry after surgery and then there is talk about head hunger. I really made my decision to have the surgery because I was told I wouldn't be hungry anymore. So, this growling, grumbling stomach pain that I call hunger, will it be gone after surgery?

[Blackstuff77 7]

I came out of surgery hungry. I was sleeved a month ago. Although it has got better, I still get VERY hungry at times. Not once have I "forgot" to eat like some people say they do. The good thing is you can fulfill that hunger with a VERY small amount of food. My Dr also said it could be stomach acids and your body asjusting to the new sleeve....that the hunger thing could be hormonal.

[PdxMan 4,292]

This is an interesting topic as everyone is different. If you do a search on the site for the word hunger, I'm sure you can glean a ton of information already shared.

For me, I had to set alarms to remind me to eat. Even at 11 months out, after not eating for 14 hours while waiting for the fasting blood draw, I was not hungry like I was pre-sleeve. I could have easily gone several more hours without eating whereas pre-sleeve, I would have been obsessed with what I was going to eat next. But I was fine and waited until my normal lunch hour to eat.

I had a terrible relationship with food pre-sleeve always snacking and eating until I was beyond full. I liked the feeling of being full. Now, that sensation is totally different, so my desire to reach that feeling has pretty much disappeared.

[Texasmom65 23]

I did not feel hungry right after surgery. If I didn't have to eat or drink I would not have. But I knew I had to sip sip sip. About 3 weeks out I had the head hunger. Physically I was not hungry. But I was so use to eating certain foods while doing certain things...like watching TV, etc..that I "thought" I wanted something. Or when I'm bored I want to eat...Not that I'm hungry, my tummy can feel full, but its habit. Your stomach it mostly removed, but your mind is still the same. We have so many habits we have made over the years, its hard to break them.

Now some say they actually feel hunger pains right after surgery, usually its the acid. I did have that, but took my acid pills the doc gave me and it didn't happen anymore. If I forget to take the pills for a couple of days, that feeling comes back. But its not true hunger.

Hope that helps.

[ashleyxx 277]

I dont have hunger like I did pre-op, I dont get the growling, or hunger pains, but if I go a long time without eating I get the urge to eat and feel like I need to eat something. Its kind of hard to explain, but it is nowhere near what it was pre-op, I just hope it stays like this.

[Texasmom65 23]

Pdxman...I still like that full feeling, and I hate it. I so want that to go away. I don't know why, but I like that feeling. That is what I'm fighting with now.

[Pookeyism 1,143]

Head hunger is that hunger that isn't - and it can feel like hunger, but oddly once you identify it, it doesn't so much anymore. I call it trigger hunger...there is always a trigger, something to make it start up.

it can be a little confusing because it is totally possible to already have a sensation on needing to eat soon, but then stress or boredom, or habits kick in, and it can feel overwheling.

This surgery will not fix the goings on in your head - and we all have them. That has to be acknowleded and worked on.

As for real hunger I occasionally get it but it is not the beast it used to be.

[Star1221 270]

My hunger differs from what it was 2 months ago. I don't have the growling, overwhelming pain in my stomach that used to happen. Now it's more like a hollow feeling. And that only happens if I am late on my normal meal time (meetings.. Always go over lunchtime) So yes. You know you are hungry, it's just not the same as it was. And if you do eat when you are hungry, it's not like you can each that much. Just have GOOD choices to choose from. 2-3 ounces, you're full.

[Mews 37]

I think for most people it goes away but for me it didn't. It actually got worse. I get that horrible gnawing feeling in my stomach within two hours after I last ate. I'm even on a PPI and that hasn't helped at all with it. I've just learned to eat a little every hour or two over the course of the day. My doctor really hasn't explained why I'm getting this now as I've never had this issue it pre-surgery. It is frustrating when everybody talks about how they "forget" to eat. I was like that pre-op but now my stomach is constantly reminding me to eat.

[clk 3,519]

Everyone is different, so do not count on no hunger post op - make your choice to be sleeved well informed. You should search these forums for threads about this issue as it's discussed quite frequently.

For most people, YES it goes away. For some it does not, and if you will not be happy with a tool that simply limits your intake with restriction this is not the surgery for you.

I didn't only lose my hunger, I lost all desire to eat and started to hate food for a while post op. I didn't have my first "oh wow, that's good" meal until nearly a year out. What that allowed me to do is work on my food issues (the mental ones) while food was easily avoided. Once my appetite returned (to some extent..it's nothing like it used to be) I was able to approach my relationship with food from a much better place.

In my experience, a number of people that post about hunger post op are usually struggling with acid and need a PPI OR are dealing with head hunger and the emotional issues surrounding food. But make no mistake, there are people that never lose the hunger, so again, I urge you to research this more thoroughly and make an informed decision before surgery.

~Cheri

[PdxMan 4,292]

Pdxman...I still like that full feeling, and I hate it. I so want that to go away. I don't know why, but I like that feeling. That is what I'm fighting with now.

I still like that full feeling, too, but it doesn't drive me as hard as it did. The overwhelming urge to satiate that desire which was an 800 pound gorilla on my back is now a 50 pound spider monkey. But not as cute.

Hey, I just noticed I'm 3 days older than you. Whoo Hoo! Coming up on our one year surgiversary.

[Dooter 1,457]

I am confused about when people say they are hungry after surgery.....when I am hungry, my stomach growls and hurts some. There is a nawwing feeling in m stomach. That is what I mean when I say hungry. But then people say they are hungry after surgery and then there is talk about head hunger. I really made my decision to have the surgery because I was told I wouldn't be hungry anymore. So, this growling, grumbling stomach pain that I call hunger, will it be gone after surgery?

I know that exact gnawing feeling you are talking about!! I had that until I was two months post op. It stopped right at two months, and now i feel "normal." Or at least the NEW "normal." It was explained to me that the hunger hormones still had to get out of the system. Made sense, because it shut right off right about when this person said it would. If I didn't go to bed early enough, my stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself!! It was a real, physical feeling, and I was plenty loaded up on prilosec and whatnot. Hopefully your shutoff is coming!

[4ALongerLife 329]

I still get hungry, more than I would like to. I never forget to eat (wish that I did), but I DEFINITELY have to eat much less.

I don't take prilosec or anything like that and I'm wondering, should I? I had surgery 3/5.

[clk 3,519]

I don't take prilosec or anything like that and I'm wondering, should I? I had surgery 3/5.

YES! Try this and see if it helps. You may not have such an issue that you're feeling reflux but that hunger feeling could definitely be acid. Try the over the counter generic omeprazole and take one daily for a week and see how you feel.

I just had a recurrence of that hungry all day feeling around two years out and had to pop back on my PPI for a few weeks and I feel much better.

~Cheri

[sleeveInSD 17]

I know that exact gnawing feeling you are talking about!! I had that until I was two months post op. It stopped right at two months, and now i feel "normal." Or at least the NEW "normal." It was explained to me that the hunger hormones still had to get out of the system. Made sense, because it shut right off right about when this person said it would. If I didn't go to bed early enough, my stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself!! It was a real, physical feeling, and I was plenty loaded up on prilosec and whatnot. Hopefully your shutoff is coming!

I feel exactly like you described here and I'm praying it shuts off at two months. I am six weeks out now. I also have to get too bed early enough so I can fall asleep before the hunger hits. I'm taking PPI's twice a day. It is a real physical crazy hunger feeling. I'm just hoping that the hunger hormone goes away like it did for you.