2 weeks beyond surgery still hungry 2,200 calories a day what's wrong?

[toasty 371]

@@Dallas Powell I hear you that you are losing weight, but it sounds like the only way that is happening is for you to do the same type of dieting that we all had to do pre-surgery. That's absolutely wrong. Like you say, that depends on willpower alone, which won't work over the long term.

You're going down the right path to make your doctor accountable for this. Having him explain how you can possibly eat three lean cuisines at a sitting if your pouch is the size of an egg would be very illuminating. Its not so much about the calories (although I agree those are beyond the pale), but just the volume is impossible if your surgery was done correctly. If you can do that, why bother getting the surgery in the first place?

If your doctor denies there is any problem, be sure and tell him you are not satisfied and are going to get a second opinion.

Best of luck, and keep strong. If you are persistent, you will get to the bottom of it.

[Dallas Powell 23]

itstimealready yes it was in the US. It was in Roanoke Virginia. Carillion Hospital.

DUB, thank you. It means a lot to me that you guys are there for me. It's hard to talk to other people that haven't had the surgery because they don't get it.

Toasty yes you're right. Losing weight only by my own diet that I could have been on without the surgery. I do feel like I have a small tool to work with considering I can eat less than I did before but no where near where I should be. It seems like I'm at the stage that someone would be at 10 years after having their surgery. After stretching their stomach back out to a degree. I feel like I really got screwed over by them. Will be interesting to hear what the surgeon says on the 10th.

[cindi gant 101]

Dallas, I know it has been a while since your original post. I hope you are doing better by now. I hope you have seen your surgeon for resolution.3 Lean Cuisines is not healthy for anyone that has had WLS. It is a lot of food and the sodium is very high.

[citygirl1962 50]

I would not trust that surgeon with this. I'd find the most reputable bariatric surgeon in your area or nearest LARGE metropolitan area and have them look at it, ASAP!

[hellohealthy 32]

I am 6 months out and if I haven't eaten all day, can eat an entire lean cuisine. But I don't. I can't get more than 1200 calories in on a good day. For sure follow up with your surgeon as others have said.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

@@Dallas Powell, how are you are doing? I am curious to find out how your appointment goes this week.

[LynnAlex 44]

I am going to be the lone person who thinks there is not a problem. For at least 2 weeks after surgery, I had no restriction. I weighed 210 and eat 1000 calories for the day. If you eat slider food, food that has a lot of carbs, you can consume a lot of food. 3 Lean Cruisines probably equal 600 calories, it would not have been a problem for me. I was mad that I could eat so much. At my 2 week appointment, the doctor said just because I could, I shouldn't. You don't have hunger in the first 2 weeks, you have head hunger. You are swollen inside, and the nerves have been cut, so you don't know the boundries. I was waiting to feel full in the area where my old stomach was located. At the 2 week meeting, I found out that my new stomach was located just below my breasts. That is the area I thought was my esphogus, and thought it was sore from the tube from surgery. Turns out, it was from overeating. Around week 3, I was only able to eat to eat 1/4 cup of food. But, if you are eating food every few hours, I can see where you can get your calories up to 2200 for the day. People that are months and years post surgery all tell stores of how much "slider carbs" they can eat. BUT, dense Protein, it still difficult to overeat on. You have to get your mental act together, and not be so rebellious. Work the program, until you get sensation back in your pouch or until they find out if something is wrong.

[peglynmc 15]

Just a suggestion but how about seeing a gastroenterologist (out of your network not a partner of your doctor) and letting them know some of your fears and tell them you need a second opinion. They can do tests to determine how quickly your food is passing through and digesting and can determine if an EGD(camera) would be safe to take a look around in there at your pouch. You may have to pay for this, make a payment arrangement through the patient financial counselor if need be, you need a second opinion.

[winklie 518]

@@LynnAlex

My best friend had a band installed 5 years ago. He lost some weight, it was up and down, fills were common and he had a lot of problems finding foods he could eat. He lost about 40 pounds and sort of stayed there. Two years ago he deployed (as a civilian) to Afghanistan and having nothing to do, decided to get back into the military workout routine. He lost 50 pounds. Came home and had a fill. As it turns out they overfilled him. He figured he would just keep losing weight and grow into the fill. He gained weight back, 10-20 pounds up and down and has been in that range for the last two years. He had the fill reduced 2 weeks ago, and lost six pounds in his first week. The problem was the fill was so tight all he could eat were soft carbs, so in spite of walking 25K steps EVERY SINGLE DAY and being one of the most active people I know he was not losing any weight. Now that the fill set correctly, he can eat hard Protein again and had lost about 15 pounds. However, he still eats what he wants. If he wants a snickers bar, he eats one. So in spite of the band, he'll remain around his current weight just because he pushes his caloric intake everyday. Oh he is also a nighttime alcoholic, what was the odd beer or two at night is now, 8-10 oz of Jack seven days a week. I love him like a brother and would take a bullet for him (we enlisted together), but I cannot solve his drinking problem. He has to realize it's a problem, and given his past history he won't until it is too late and his wife leaves him. The point of all this was soft carbs versus hard Protein, in 3 weeks I go to an unrestricted diet, and intend on eating solid foods as much as humanly possible, because with the exception of my beloved yogurt, I am a bit tired of soft food. This just gave me an idea for a chicken stir fry I could probably eat......

[heather5565 959]

@@Dallas Powell

so?

what's the update?

[winklie 518]

I agree, the appointment with the surgeon was on the 10th, I am praying for you that it did not wind up with a "Take him to the ER and prep for surgery right now type moment".

If you are able let us know how you are doing....

We are all pulling for you!

[Dallas Powell 23]

Thanks Guys,

I talked to the Dr which was irritating. I recorded the whole conversation. it started out as expected with him saying everything is normal and he did mine just like he does all of them. He then said he does his stomachs a little larger at 60 cc's. Sure would have been nice if he told me that BEFORE the surgery rather than after. So that would be 2 oz's in size un-stretched. Or 4 tablespoons. Still much less than the quantity I can easily eat.

I asked him what exactly does it mean when he told my GF that he had problems developing my pouch. I can tell he knew I was recording it. I had my phone out. The screen was black. But he kept looking at it. I had it resting on my leg. He said the difficulty was due to my anatomy. Same thing he said about my GF when she had her surgery. He said my stomach was folded over with something over it so that made it difficult. Do recall that she too can eat way more than most people here. Just not anywhere near as much as I can.

LynnAlex that 2,200 calories I can eat is just what I naturally feel like eating. And the majority of it is all at once when I get home from work. I don't eat much during the day. That's the way I always have been. My breaking of any diet happens at night when I get home.

I explained to the Dr. how much I can easily eat at once. 3 lien cuisine amount of food at one sitting. I am not eating 3 lien cuisines. But that is what I can eat to give you all an ideal of the quantity. And explained to him the little weight loss I have had is strictly as a result of the diet I have been on. It has very little to do if any with the surgery. He ended up agreeing to their being some sort of problem. He said that I am the only person he has EVER seen that can eat that much right out of the surgery.

So the next steps with him are this coming Monday the 23rd I'm going back to have a upper GI. And from that he is going to look in more detail at where things are going. We looked over my CT Scan and he was not able to see any problems in it. He showed me where the stitches were and how it didn't look like it was going anywhere other than where it should.

I asked if he could have created the port at the bottom of the stomach too big so it is just dumping directly into the intestine. He then went into this long conversation about how there are all kinds of dangerous surgeries that can be done after and he is fearful of doing that kind of stuff because it's all new and not very well tested via time. But he said we should take some further steps and do some testing to see if we can see any issues.

So I'm guessing I should just do this stuff that he says to do to see if he can find a problem. And if the end result is all people are different and I have an extra elastic stomach like he said I could have then I probably need to at that point go to someone else. Which will push it into next year. Meaning I pay another deductible to the insurance company. I'm already at or close to my maximum yearly out of pocket right now and was hoping I could knock this out this year.

I told him all I wanted was an equal shot at this surgery that everyone else gets. Considering the fact that I am fat and the statistical likelihood of me staying on a diet forever is slim to none. It's just not going to happen. I have been on a diet for about 7 or 8 months now from having to lose weight to have the surgery. And I am getting tired of it. I needed that extra help of a successful surgery to make being on a diet easier and more tolerable.

[winklie 518]

@@Dallas Powell

FANTASTIC!! Kudos for recording the session. My first concern is that you get fixed. Go back on the 23rd and see what he finds. He has to find something, as there is obviously a problem. Continue recording your conversations with him. As for revisional surgery, to an extent he is correct, they are new, however I was just reading about a proceedure done in an outpatient setting where they tighten your port opening. Really simple operation, a surgeon on Long Island does it. I wish I had saved the URL.

As far a lawsuit goes, you have to give him an opportunity to fix his mistake or oversight or bad judgement. It's at that point you get a lawyer, get your medical records and all those handy recordings. His malpractice insurance would never let a case with that kind of evidence get to court.

So, we'll wait until the 23rd and see what is what, perhaps he'll find a problem and fix it and you will be good to go, let's be positive!

Have a happy turkey day!

Oh and what stitches? He should have been using a stapler. I have (according to my surgeon 3000+ staples in me) If this tool is using stitches he has missed like the last 10 years of medical training.

Edited November 17, 2015 by winklie

[Dallas Powell 23]

Not sure on that. He said stitches when he was showing me white looking lines in the old and new stomachs and the connection to the intestine.

Yes exactly what you said. That was the term he used revisional surgeries. I will do some research on that and see if I can find the guy you were talking about.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@Dallas Powell

I am glad to hear you went back and hopefully will make some progress.

There are some things you can do and should do to help with your weight loss in the meantime.

I hope you don't take this the wrong way but I am going to be straight with you. Obesity is a metabolic disease and as you know the surgery is only a tool to help you.

Not eating all day completely screws with your metabolism. If I learned anything at all in the last year, you must, must, must eat 3 meals a day to keep your metabolism moving and balance your blood sugars.

You also honestly have to change your thinking around "the diet". We don't diet at all, we actually learn to eat differently, healthy and it is for life. We cannot simply stop when we reach goal or the weight will simply pile back on. These steps are so important to getting past this disease and getting obesity into remission.

The commitment is truly for life. There are basic rules that help each of us who have had bypass become successful,

I am not sure if your doctor gave you these instructions but based on what you have said so far, I am guessing not.

1. Hitting your daily Protein goal is a must. 1 gram of Protein for every inch you are tall

2. 48 to 64 ounces of sugar free liquids daily. This includes Water, Soups, etc.

3. No drinking 30 minutes before and after you eat

4. No alcohol for first year

5. No carbonated beverages

6. A food plan that is high in protein and focused on good carbs like fruits and vegetables. Stop eating processed foods, sweets, bread, Pasta, rice especially during the weight loss phase

7. Move your body as much as possible, every bit counts.

8. You must take your Vitamins. Usually Calcium citrate, Vitamin d, B12 and a daily multi Vitamin. These are critical for bypass patients.