VBG to RNY - never feel full - anyone else?

Hi Maggie,

Do you know if you're having too many carbs? I notice that if I have a high carb meal that I need a half hour nap too. Almost instantly.

Your regain story does sound pretty common to me and unfortunately either extreme discipline through our cravings or revision to another surgery are impending.

I never get the shaky weak feeling you described. I also don't eat bread or rice, fast food or junk food normally. Once in a great while I might have to stop at taco bell, but a shrimp taco is actually not too bad for us. Just not every day.

I have been thinking of seeing a counselor for the head hunger that I believe I also battle. Only when I'm at work, I feel like I can't go an hour without having something. I bring a bag with several high protein snacks (probably high in salt, but......) string cheese, turkey pepperoni, canadian bacon, deli meat, dill pickle spears, boiled eggs.

These things are better than anything in the vending machine and I can't risk feeling hungry and not having anything with me that is a good choice. I don't have this problem at home. I can eat just my meals and maybe a snack or 2. Obviously there is a habit issue here and I'm working on it.

I hope that you can reach inside and remember all of the hard work you did to get to those 12/14's. Use some of that power to help you get back to better health.

Good luck, Maggie :)

Thanks for reply. sounds lilke you really prepare for your hunger well. I do need to do better. Yah, those rotten carbs....they make me sleepy. I also suffer from sleep problems. When I can't get back to sleep I get up and have something. Prob. the bread slice makes me go back to sleep.
My worse time is from dinner to bedtime.  I know what I need to do....it's just implementing what I know. My dr. suggested going back to just shakes for a while.  sigh.................. I also need to work on getting more water in each day.  The beat goes on......................

Best wishes to you too!
Maggie

I guess I could have answered your questions, lol.

I was always full with my previous surgery. So full that I got into the routine of eating soft foods instead of protein because there was so much restriction. If I would have had the education and support with that surgery and focused on protein like I do now, I might not have gained my weight back. Looking back I can see exactly how that happened.

I'm doing everything differently this time. I am doing my follow up, support group, excercise, vitamins, protein and water. I had none of these things the first time around.

Good luck to you as you begin taking control of your health!

..This sounds like me.  I got full quickly and went to soft foods instead of protein.  My main reason for the revision is reflux - bad time and of course the weight gain. 

I will be checking your progess and posting mine after surgery.

That would be great :)

Hi, I am considering a revision to rny from a band. How long did it take to recovery? Do you get sick alot? Do you feel healthy and glad you done the rny switch?

Hi,

My surgery was long (5.5 hrs) and open. I was in the hospital for 5 days, 3 in intensive care. My recovery was good I think. I took 6 weeks off of work and took care of me, making sure to get fluids and protein during that time.

I have never gotten sick, dumped, vomited, or felt anything getting stuck.

I do feel very healthy and so far am glad I switched. My only concern is what started this thread and that I have no feeling of fullness now, at all. I feel like I can eat too much and make myself stop after normal portions have been consumed, even though I don't have a satisfied feeling in my stomach.

I'm hoping from some of the responses that have been posted that it still might come back in a couple more months or so.

Good luck in your decision and let me know if there are any other questions I might be able to answer. :)

Bobbie

Hi Guys - So happy to see I too am not alone. I had roux-en-y done in 2001 - after about 1 year maybe 1 1/2 years....my appetite came back....and slowly I was able to eat ALOT......Now 10 years later no restriction what so ever. I decided to see whats wrong. After several consults, I found out that my rny - is not what it should be. This could answer why I never got to my goal weight. I always felt in my heart something was not right. Long story short I am scheduled for a revision next thursday. I hope to lose 100 lbs. I would be so grateful if this will be the case. Have any of you gone for a revision or know someone who has? SUCH A STRUGGLE. I feel your pain ladies! This is a great support network! Good luck on  your weight loss journeys! Peace......Melissa~

I feel your pain, and what you are experiencing is very, very common and expected, please don't feel alone, your surgeon should have told you this especially since your revised from on restrictive procedure (vbg) to another restrictive procedure (rny)  when you have a vbg for any lenght of time (and a lap band),  and it is "very tight" and can only eat certain foods as you stated, that tight feeling that you are used to (and expect) is permanently gone.  you have lost the ability to "feel full" persay.  I understand this well, as I am one of those patients.  having any band for a significant amount of time (usually at the 7 yr mark your chances for permanent esophogeal complications increase, as they do linearly over time) you become accustomed to that "tight" feeling, and you lose your sense of normalcy.  there are no absolutes in medicine, but you can pretty much say that restrictive, tight feeling you have become used to is permanently gone, in other words what you have will not tighten over time, wishing you peace in your travels, there are other options, don't give up.....

Thanks so much for your post! I won't give up. I will just have to know that unlike most RNY patients, I will have to rely on myself rather than queues from my body for knowing how much I should eat. I wish that I could have some of the full sensation but if it doesn't come back, I will understand. I sure wish I knew this the last 7 months. Again, thanks for assuring me that I'm not alone :)