Angry and depressed and STARVING!

[Violet S. 0]

Hi All,

So I bawled my eyes out today for the first time since I did this surgery a little over 6 weeks ago. I feel like I am living in a walking nightmare and the only person that can relate is constantly telling me how great she feels and what her experience has been like and I'm just getting madder and madder that my dream is turning out horribly. I love my friend to death, but I seriously don't want to hear it anymore, which brought me googling support groups and of course brought me here.

Like I said, I'm 6.5 weeks post op and I'm miserable. It gets a little easier to eat each day but I'm so tired of throwing up. I'm tired of constantly being hungry. I hate eating every hour and if I don't, I get sick. I have been starving since I opened my eyes after the surgery. My docs looked at me like I was insane when I told them I had that sensation while I was still in the hospital. I was throwing up every half hour for the first 24 hours and ended up having to stay an extra night cause I couldn't even get Water down. I now have to suck on candies like peppermint to curb the starving sensation. I started being able to tolerate solid food like two weeks ago but it's limited. Was able to eat chicken at first, now everytime, I throw up within 5 minutes of starting to eat it, so no more chicken. I basically eat string cheese all day or crackers. Protein shakes only sustain me for a little bit and then I'm back to starving again.

My weight loss at first was 29 lbs in 3 weeks. I've only dropped 3 lbs since and it fluctuates. One day I'm down, next day I'm up. At first I stalled at the same weight for 10 days. Doc's sent me to get IV fluids and gave me a B12 injection. Said I was in starvation mode and my body shut down. I am better now and eating way more, but still no loss. I am to the point where I'm not even excited about this anymore. I'm hungry, sick to my stomach and seeing very little as a reward. I'm seriously thinking I made a huge mistake even though I've been wanting this for over a decade but until this last Feb, my insurance wouldn't cover it. I wish I could just wake up and have a good day. Just needing encouragement right now cause my breakdown today was too much for me right now.

Thanks in advance!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I am glad you are feeling better. We are at the same place post-op.

I was in a stall but it broke today. Just keep following your plan and the weight will come off.

Are you on a B-12 spray? what is your b-12 supplement after this shot?

How much Water do you get in daily? Can you tolerate Water?

[Dream4tc 192]

@@Violet S. - Have they ruled you out for a stricture?

[lealor 127]

It will get better. Keep moving, get B12 loenges and try to get your Vitamins in. Ill pray for you but it will get better

Hugs

[Beachsprite 118]

Agree with Dream4tc sounds like syptoms of a possible stricture.

[LuckyStar 24]

@Violet S. hang in there. Maybe you are throwing up frequently because you are consuming foods your new pouch is just not ready for. chicken for one, can be very heavy on the new stomach. This is why we are encouraged to eat tender thigh meat and not the white breast meat we may have learned to love so much. I find I am also frequently hungry and am not sure why since I eat according to plan on scheduled times with Snacks in between (applesauce, yogurt). Im also not sure if the hunger means that the new pouch is stretching out, so caution when serving portions. Oh and yes, there are weight stalls, I believe this is perfectly normal for those who are eating regularly around the clock and not relying solely on liquids and Protein shakes as their only meals. Hang in there it gets easier as time passes, I too was miserable for a few weeks -- but since surgery Aug 3, I seem to be healing slowly and feeling better.

Good luck with your weight loss and with this process in general.

[NikkiDoc 312]

Are you on something for stomach acid? Sometimes the hungry feeling is really acid reflux. Sometimes it is head hunger.

I was on Nexium when I was discharged and for 3 months after. I was give an anti-nausea, Zofran, just in case.

Since Nexium is available OTC I would start with that. I would also talk to your surgeon about the possibility of a stricture. In the meantime go back to Protein shakes, pureed foods, really soft foods like fish, refried Beans, ricotta bake, mashed potatoes with Protein powder in it, Soups etc....

When you do eat make sure your chew really really well and wait a long time between bites. My friend had the band was throwing up and getting things stuck since she was eating too fast. She really had to concentrate on what she was eating, how much she was chewing and how fast she was eating.

While they are frustrating stalls are common and can last a couple of weeks.

My surgeon has me take the subligual B-12.

For fluids try different temperatures. The first 3 weeks I preferred hot or room temp. Now I like it really icy cold.

I know most programs do not allow straws. I have been using one since week 4 or 5. I was not able to get in my Fluid otherwise. The straw has never been an issue. When I first started using it I would draw the liquid in my mouth, hold a second or two and then swallow. I was afraid of getting too much air since that was the reason I was told to not use straws. I figure I really did not want to risk dehydration and I just was not getting enough Fluid without Mio and without a straw.

[emilyphoenix74 49]

Im 5 wks post op. I have been eating since week 1. Soft foods of course...but now im on solids and have been since week 3. I was eating chicken no problem. .i have noticed that things i ate fine last week make me thhow up this week.

I take a Vitamin every day and i take 1000 mg of B12 daily. This helps so much. I just bought liquid b12 from GNC as other sleevers i no use this.

I would like to suggest if you can..try shrimp...its the best food i can eat. I can eat 4oz at a time with it and my stomach likes it alot. Other foods im still at 2-3oz.

I also use a straw. I cant get liquids without it and have no issues with it.

Im currently at a stall. I fluctuate between 283-280. Its our bodies way of catching up to whats going on with it. Keep your focus.

Try making protien Popsicles like with strawberry powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury...keep trying different things and remember as your body changes so does your stomach. What may work today may not tomorrow and what didn't work today might work next week.

[Violet S. 0]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I am pretty much trying a lot of these things already. My Protein is very limited as I'm lactose intolerant and even most of the shakes that say "isolate" on them still have milk Proteins in them and it makes me have to run for the bathroom and I have to be careful cause I have ulcerative colitis as well and lactose can trigger my symptoms. I use nectar brand Protein drinks but they are getting boring. I have four different flavors and I'm over them yet when I try a different brand I react to the ingredients so I keep trying to get the ones I have in.

As for a stricture, I'm not 100% sure I know what that is and after googling it, I don't think that's me, cause I the only symptom I have is throwing up and I'm getting certain foods down, but not others. My docs were super concerned at my one month post op but not so much now since I'm consuming food now, where as before I couldn't get anything down and I was literally starving to death. Now I'm just hungry every hour and if I don't eat right away I get sick. After googling that a few weeks ago, it seems to be a common complaint amongst people with complications. Part of the reason I'm so angry about this surgery is that I'm hungry all the time. I have a top notch surgeon in my state and in none of the seminars I was required to attend was this side effect mentioned when it's more common than you think it would be. I've always been told, you wont be hungry and I was starving from day 1.

As for the acid, I'm on Pantoprazole and it only works half the day. Docs told me to take it twice but my risks for CDiff infection jumps thru the roof and if you don't know what CDiff is then you're lucky. I've had it multiple time due to my ulcerative colitis and even had it the day I was released after my surgery no thanks to antibiotics I had taken 3 weeks prior to my surgery due to a cat bite. Lowering the acid in my stomach means less acid to my intestines which can cause the toxin to grow. So I'm trying really hard to limit the amount of antacids I take and it's rough at night. I know... just take the med right, however, with my history of bowel issues, I'm not trying to give myself any reason to get hospitalized anytime soon.

I appreciate people saying it'll get better. I'm really struggling with being happy with this. I'm seriously getting pissy when people ask me how I'm doing and how much weight have I lost. I want to scream that I hate this and I'm miserable, but instead I just say "I'm fine, I've lost 30 lbs" and I try to change the subject. I know I'm super touchy right now and usually I'm pretty patient and mellow and willing to share whatever, but I think lack of being able to take my "happy pills" due to it making me sick and always being hungry has me extra pissy these days. Not to mention, I feel like my kids are on the worlds longest summer break and are driving me up a wall. I work from home and they are home so I'm with them all day every day except for every other weekend and I'm ready to explode. School starts the 9th here!!! I'm gonna need a looney bin soon! Ugh.

Anyhow, thanks again... any suggestions on Snacks? no to pudding and applesauce and things like that. I'm so over eating out of my fridge with a spoon.