Feeling hungry, right out of the gate

Hi everyone. 4 days ago I had my VSG. I'm recovering quite well and feeling pretty good. But one thing is really bothering me- hunger!

The same day after wls, in the hospital, I was lying there and suddenly became aware that my stomach was growling and I was feeling hungry. I've had this same hunger on and off ever since. It's freaking me out because I thought hunger was supposed to be reduced if not eliminated because of reduced production of ghrelin. Now I'm worried I'm going to feel hungry the whole time while losing weight. Or for the rest of my life

I did read past posts here that explain that stomach acids can mimic hunger, or that our brain interprets the sensation as hunger. I've got my Pantoloc, which I'm taking every morning on an empty stomach. Will it eventually help with the hunger feelings?

I'm also very well aware of "head" or "heart" hunger. In the hospital, I recognized that in addition to the stomach sensations, I was longing to eat something to soothe myself because I was feeling crummy having just had surgery. I'm in therapy, so I have the tools to cope with those sorts of longings and so far I feel I'm doing okay taking care of them.

I'm also aware I'm experiencing cravings right now for high protein and/or fatty foods (which is unusual for me, I've always been a carb-oholic sweet tooth)- I'm hungry for steak, cheese, avocado, sausages, bacon. I don't know where this is coming from, it's kind of funny.

Anyway, I guess my big concern is this physical sensation of hunger. I know not to take it literally, and am following my plan (full fluids for the next 4 weeks). I just wi**** would go away.

You still get hungry but you should be following your dieticians guidelines. For me, it was eating 4oz on the liquid diets for a few wks and then gradually going towards eating solids again. If you follow the regiment, you shouldn't be hungry at all because you normally get like 3 meals and two snacks in the schedule. Also, for me, there were protein shakes when I felt hungry too.

Going back to the first point, your dietician should be in contact with you and should have had at least a two week food plan for you.

Oh yes, I've got my plan which is 4 weeks full fluids (protein shakes, greek yogurt, cottage cheese). And I have my first follow up appointment next Tuesday. I'll be sticking to my plan and following my centre's instructions no matter what. I'm just surprised and annoyed by this hunger feeling.

hmm, be sure to tell your dietitian then, hopefully he/she will have a solution. To be honest, after my surgery I didn't feel hungry after the protein shake or cottage cheese. However, I did get VERY bored of them after a week.

Yeah, it's weird. My abdomen feels full (say after 1/2 cup of protein shake), but I get those gurgly hunger feelings up in my stomach. That's why I wonder if it's acid.

I hear you on getting bored. I'm soooo looking forward to having some cheese (Ricotta bake!) and maybe some avocado and ground beef once I'm cleared for pureed.

At this point hunger is most commonly due to the head, acid, or dehydration.

You might need a different PPI, or to add in an H2 blocker - that's something to ask your surgeon about.

How many ounces of liquid are you getting each day?

Remember, your nerves were severed during surgery so anything you think your stomach is telling you is a lie right now. It takes time for that to heal before you can actually believe what your stomach is telling you :)

Dehydration is something I hadn't considered. I suspect I wasn't getting enough fluids in the first couple of days after surgery. Today is my first full day at home, and I'm carefully keeping track. It's 11:30am here, and I've consumed 1 cup of protein shake, 1/3 cup water, and 2 SF freezies (1/2 cup fluid).

Maybe over the next couple of days, as my hydration gets better, the sensation will go away. I will mention it at my follow up next week, though.

Good point about the severed nerves! I need to remember not to take the hunger literally, and not to panic about it.

Hydration, right now, is your number one job. You need to get a minimum of 64 ounces into your body - sip all day, you might need to experiment to find the liquids that are easiest to drink.

Your stomach will be gurgling like mad for quite a while. Its not hunger, just healing, gas, all sorts of other things.

Forget the crap about ghrelin and hunger. Its the most overemphasized bunch of malarkey out there.

Many have to try various kinds of acid reducers, or different dosages, or different combinations, to find one that works. Acid is a big deal postop.

This is still brand new. It gets better.

Yes, I suspect gas is part of it too. I'm amazed at all the "action" going on inside my guts! I should really just be thankful that other than some muscle soreness, I'm not having any pain.