Thoughts About Revision

Hi Jean,

You have been on quite a journey yourself.  I've always been impressed with your resolve and commitment to your health and sharing your experiences with others.  I'm sorry to hear that you have issues with hunger and acid.  Despite taking Protonix, I still have to add a Zantac at night but that almost always works for me. 

Hope that you find a way to calm your hunger down.  If I go easy on the carbs it's better for me but that is a tough thing to do on a consistent basis.  Rice is the worst carb for me.  It revs up my hunger like no other so I rarely eat any rice at all.  Potatoes are the least devastating for me.  I can eat them without too much damage. 

Hang in there Jean and keep up the good fight.  It is SO worth it!

Greg

The ghrelin thing isn't a myth, I'm over 3 years out and still never physical hunger. And, there are 100s who share my experience with zero physical hunger.

There's several studies out showing that plasma ghrelin levels are significantly reduced with the fundus portion of the stomach being removed.

However, not everyone gets full hunger resolution because guess what Ghrelin is produced in other organs in our bodies. So, it can not completely resolved. I also am on a PPI which controls the overproduction of acid which causes silent reflux thus leading to false hunger. If you read about the VSG forum, you will see this is a very common occurrence with VSG.

Every surgery requires work. And, not eating until feeling full, measuring poritons, is all part of sleeved life. It helps tremendously and prevents that sudden feeling of fullness.

It gets way better with the sleeve the further out you get. Regardless of what's going on now, and the new learning curve you are having to endure, I promise you, life with the sleeve has been a blessing considering all the crap it sounds like you went through with your band.

Thanks for the tips.  I do my best when I track all my food on myfittnesspal.com.  I tend to eat more than I think when I don't track.  It's good to hear that things get better the further out you get.  Thanks!

I have to track rather I'm with or without a tool or I just gain, gain, gain. 
It is crazy, it I don't track while I go, I can hit 3000 calories and think I
hadn't done TOO badly.  When in reality I got in 7 days worth of
calories in 48 hours.

Other sleeve patients (here on OH, and elsewhere) have told me that not every sleeve patient experiences an absence or reduction of hunger, and also that some who have no hunger at first find that it returns in a year or so. While it's true that grehlin is made in other parts of the body, the stomach is still the #1 producer. I'm hoping that my body figures out SOON that most of the grehlin-producing part of my stomach is gone now.

I've also been told that excess acid can feel like hunger. I've tried omeprazole and dexilant so far, with no results. What PPI are you taking?

thanks,
Jean

I was on Prilosec (generic omeprazole 20mg) once daily for the first 18 months with zero hunger until pregnancy. Then was switched to Nexium for the pregnancy.

All PPIs require really good timing. I have found that more and more people aren't ever informed of it's "time released" properties. It needs to be taken on an empty stomach, Prilosec requires an hour wait after ingestion to begin eating so it's best to take it at the same time every day. If taken at night, after the last meal, it's recommended to take 2-3 hours after that meal. Lots of VSG'ers have to double up on dosing for the first couple of months. Our stomachs are such strong little pressure pots especially if we had issues with our bands.

Nexium requires just a 30 minute wait. If you can, try the Prevacid melts because that one is super popular when dexilant doesn't work.

It is true that not every VSG patient loses hunger, but the ghrelin isn't a myth. It's made in the pancreas too which if eating carbs, any carbs can cause those insulin/blood sugar spikes, quick burn of energy/sugar and then a hunger effect. It's a crazy hormone, but honestly at over 3 years out, I still forget to eat. Well, not right now because I'm pregnant, on prednisone, and about to deliver on Wednesday. The ONLY time I've had hunger return is in both of my post-VSG pregnancies, in the 4-6 weeks. As soon as I deliver, about 2-3 weeks after delivery, my hunger disappeared again.

I still have a fat girl's appetite. That'll never change because that's my head, not my guts.

All PPIs require really good timing. I have found that more and more people aren't ever informed of it's "time released" properties. It needs to be taken on an empty stomach, Prilosec requires an hour wait after ingestion to begin eating so it's best to take it at the same time every day. If taken at night, after the last meal, it's recommended to take 2-3 hours after that meal. Lots of VSG'ers have to double up on dosing for the first couple of months. Our stomachs are such strong little pressure pots especially if we had issues with our bands

I was never told this!  Thanks for the info!

OK, I stand corrected. Grehlin reduction in sleeve patients is for real. But not for every sleeve patient.

I think we're all fated to live with a fat person's appetite, no matter what size we are. Unfortunately.

I have read that ghrelin is just one of the hormones that triggers hunger (there are others) and that also there are hormones that signal fullness.  Drug companies are working on diet drugs that work both ends...the hungry and full hormone suppression. 

I would imagine that someday, they'll find something that works without causing big side effects.

My experience has been very similar to USAF Wife's description, I have little to no physical hunger. I can (and unfortunately, do) easily forget to eat if I'm not careful.

Lindsey