One week post-op & discouraged after what I read

Hi everyone. This is my first post here (just found this site). I was hoping to find information on hunger, etc., etc., positive information, and I ran across some really negative stuff and am now feeling unsure about getting VSG after the negative posts and comparisons to VSG and RNY.

I chose VSG because it wasn't as radical or complicated of a surgery as RNY, and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life dodging situations that may end up with my dealing with dumping syndrome etc. etc.

Those posts were the first I've ever run across on any site, group or forum where it just seems like some kind of contest between this surgery or another, this is better, that one not so good, etc.

I'm only 1 week post-op and going through a lot (hunger, fatigue, low BP making me weak and tired, insomnia, and emotional rollercoaster rides), so I'm having a really difficult time at this moment and can't seem to get myself to stop thinking... "What have I done???!!!" I wonder if I've gone through all of this just to face failure down the road? Will I have to have another surgery (RNY?) if this VSG surgery fails? Am I doomed to go through the exact same things post-VSG as pre? Meaning, since I feel a ton of constant hunger, am I going to be fighting hunger like this the same as I did on every diet I tried?

I'm really bummed out at the moment after reading those posts, and I feel a bit taken out at the knees. I just have so much to lose, and then the rest of my life trying to maintain what loss I do have.

:(

Do not lose heart. People are invested in their own choices. The easiest way to make one's self feel better about one's choice is to run another choice down. I will not do that here.

I had VSG surgery a little over a year ago. I chose it because it kept all my plumbing in the order in which God intended. To date I have lost over 200 pounds. I went through the exhaustion, the second guessing, the worry over failure, etc. Most of us, if not all of us do to one extent or another.

It is what you make of it. If you are determined to be successful, you will succeed. Surgery is not a magic bullet. It is a powerful tool, but your MOST powerful tool is between your ears. Use it. Make it work for you. You can succeed, regardless of what you see around you. You can be one of the ones who make it work. Good luck with it.

Thanks, LittleBillJr. I appreciate your reply. Thank you.

"What have I done" is fairly common after WLS. It gets better. You are in the process of relearning how to cope without food. The emotional "head stuff" is the hardest part.

Trying to differentiate between head hunger and real hunger in the beginning is hard. You can and will be successful if you follow the post surgery rules....forever. It takes commitment and focus, but you can do it!

Excess stomach acid can mimic hunger. Are you taking a PPI like Prilosec or Nexium. Getting the acid under control will help. Thirst can sometimes feel like hunger too. Make sure you are getting at least 64 ounces daily.

You've got this! Keep coming back to this site for support. We're a pretty good group, more than willing to help, or kick you in the butt when needed! Lol.

lol A kick in the butt isn't always a bad thing. ;p And yes, I'm on Famotidine, and I have Gaviscon for those gnawing 'hunger' pains when they hit. I'm keeping steady, but it's the emotional side that's really got hold of me right now. And the low BP isn't helping as it makes me weak, tired, shaky. I was told to drink more broth and bullion to help, but it's not helped a lot. A little improvement, though. Baby steps. 111/47 bp really stinks, that's for sure.

Thank you for the advice. All good, all heeded, and just trying now to hang on. I'm hoping the hunger subsides at some point. ***crossing fingers***

Hi!

Just chiming in here. A low BP is a sign of dehydration. I hope you're getting enough fluids. Dehydration can take us down very quickly.

Keep in mind that it is fairly common to be down in the dumps after surgery. The first four weeks are hard.

Here's a bit of my story and maybe it will help.

In April 2016, I saw a photo of me with my older daughter as she was getting ready for junior prom. I cried. For days. Because I was the fat mom. Because I was the shadow of the Olympic level athlete I had once been. Because I was twice the size I was when I married my husband.

In March 2016, after 20 years with the same primary care MD, I fired her and went to a new doc, who on my first visit said - I think you are an excellent candidate for bariatric surgery let me tell you my story. (She has been very successful with a Lap Band.) That was the first time someone didn't blame me for not trying hard enough to lose the weight.

May 11, 2016 - first visit with surgical team. August 23, 2016 - surgery. Highest weight known - 271.5 (I'm 5'3"). I'm sure I was heavier than that but I didn't get on a scale for quite a while.

The first month after surgery sucked - liquids, purees, soft foods. It was hell. I never loved a scrambled egg as much as I did in week four! But I used my time to get my head in the right place. I started to learn the difference between reflux and hunger.

I'm almost 15 months out. I'm down 107-ish pounds (depending on the day). I fence (en garde) 5 hours a week, do Pilates one hour a week, and do strength and agility training another 2 hours a week. My knees don't hurt. They still need to be replaced, but they don't hurt.

I eat, pretty much, what I want. I have wine, when I want. I'm still losing and hope to lose another 15 or 20 pounds. I've had my first consult with plastics. I've been asked to be a motivational speaker for pre-op support group at my center.

Like the rest of the internet, sometimes its easy to just be negative.

Best of luck.

Losing weight is hard no matter how you do it. No weight loss surgery is a magic wand.

So, let's go through your list of how you're feeling.

hunger - all your stomach's nerves were severed in surgery and it takes time for them to reconnect. This means that anything you're interpreting as hunger isn't because your stomach is currently a lying liar that lies. Hunger, at this point, is due to acid, dehydration, or just your brain playing tricks on you. If you aren't taking a PPI such as prilosec or nexium, taking one of those will help with the acid. You need to be drinking a minimum of 64 ounces of liquid a day.

fatigue - You just had major surgery, of course you're feeling fatigue! Anesthesia and healing will do that. Go easy on yourself.

low BP making me weak and tired - are you taking blood pressure medication? Lots of people are taking it prior to WLS and quickly find out that, after surgery, it lowers their BP too much. Ask your surgeon about this.

insomnia - I dealt with this post-op simply because I couldn't sleep the regular way in which I used to sleep. It'll pass. :)

emotional rollercoaster rides - hormones are stored in fat, when you lose weight you experience hormone dumping which really does a number on your emotions. Start seeing a therapist and go easy on yourself.

The VSG is unlikely to fail - however, it's possible to eat around any surgery. So it's up to you to change your lifestyle and make the VSG be your lifetime tool.

Welcome Summer! Glad you came by!

I'll share my story with you.

I was sleeved on 9/29. I spent 7/13 to 9/28 on what my surgeon calls Phase II diet (lean chicken, turkey and fish, no fruit, no dairy, no sugar, no grains, no starchy vegs). I lost 62 lbs by the time of surgery. Since the surgery, I've lost over another 40 pounds. So to date: over 100.

When I was first sleeved, I thought they had left my pouch too big. I was really worried. The first two weeks of clear and full liquids, I was never full. Then I started on pureed food, then regular food. The first time I ate solid protein, I was amazed at 1. how quickly I felt full. 2. How little I could actually eat & 3. how long I was full.

Being on liquids may be misleading at this point as to your fullness.

When I went into surgery, I was on 7 different meds for blood pressure and another med for diabetes. My blood pressure meds have been cut to 3 and 2 of those are much smaller doses. I have to take my blood pressure daily as the doc says I may be completely off BP meds in 6 months. And I haven't taken my diabetes meds since either. My sugars are running lower (90's) than they have in years and years (never used to be below 120, even fasting).

I don't believe in the concept of any surgery failing (barring any surgical complications). It is a tool. As other posters have written you can eat your way around RNY, VSG and Lapband. Milk shakes, high carb, high cal, low protein foods can be used to circumvent the "tool". Believe in yourself. You can do this. The surgery can be your crutch when you feel weak.

If you do fall (off the wagon), just get up, dust yourself off and continue on. I personally log everything that passes between my lips. I use My Fitness Pal, but others have success with Baritastic and other logging software. Even pen and paper is good as it allows you to review what you are taking in and allow it to be real.

Most of the posters here are very supportive and positive. There are cross posters between the RNY forum and the VSG forum. I read the RNY as well, but don't chime in very often. There is also a little trick. If you find posts from a particular person are disheartening, simply put them on ignore. You won't see their posts anymore. This is why I like this forum compared to an in-person support group. It's really hard to put a live person on ignore.

Again, welcome. Come on in, kick your shoes off and have a cuppa (insert liquid preference) and let us get to know you.

You had major surgery and all surgeries have challenges. Personally I don't think VSG is less invasive.... it is just different from RNY. You are altering your insides either way... you weigh the pros and cons and make the best decision you can for your life. No one has a crystal ball to know if you are going to have a side effect. Many people have been successful with VSG.