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Strange things my body does that might effect surgery??? Part 1

C

Chelseee

Member
I'm almost at month 3 of the 6 month lead into my surgery, which is projected to be late Nov, early Dec. I plan on asking the surgeon but I just wonder,,, does anyone else experience a kind of panic attack when they don't eat normally? Or when they eat less than usual? I weigh 450 lbs so I obviously eat a lot. A few years back I tried intermittent fasting and when I skipped a meal, sheesh. It was terrible. And I tried it for about a year, to see if my body would get used to it. But nothing changed. I shake and get nervous, almost scared. I've been told it could be diabetes or low blood sugar but I get checked every 3 months and I've never been diagnosed with even pre diabetes. My aunt thinks I'm just literally addicted to food. So. My question is, if I'm only eating 1000-1200 calories a day, will this feeling continue? I think I would go insane if I had to deal with that feeling for an extended period of time... I'm worried I shouldn't get the surgery.
Thanks yall
 
I think battling the addiction and anxiety and whatever else comes after WLS is a battle worth fighting for a better quality of life. The outcome of not losing the weight is a shorter life span and more medical issues that will impact your life negatively. It is hard to go through the process, and I've not had surgery yet, I am actually on the same timeline as you, 3 months in, and I go back and forth sometimes whether I want to go through with surgery or not, but I want to believe in myself and the process.
 
In the beginning you won’t be getting anywhere near 1,000-1,200 calories a day, and when you do get to that point your body will be adjusted to it by then. However, if your brain is expecting something different than that’s another thing. Have you talked to a counselor about these feelings towards food? Maybe an addiction specialist or tried over eaters anonymous? I will not speak for everyone who has had this surgery, but the majority of people who do have WLS have some level of addiction. Gaining control over that addiction, learning the signs, and gaining coping mechanisms is the best way you’re going to get through these episodes. When they happen what do you do? It’s really intuitive and proactive to ask these questions now instead of after surgery. I think you can be successful with the process if you are committed to the mental change.
 
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3boysmom said:
I think battling the addiction and anxiety and whatever else comes after WLS is a battle worth fighting for a better quality of life. The outcome of not losing the weight is a shorter life span and more medical issues that will impact your life negatively. It is hard to go through the process, and I've not had surgery yet, I am actually on the same timeline as you, 3 months in, and I go back and forth sometimes whether I want to go through with surgery or not, but I want to believe in myself and the process.
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying I didn't think anyone would. Lol. The funny thing is, it isn't until I got to this weight that I actually wanted the surgery. I followed a link on the site that lead to a site that had a "results calculator" for 18 months post op. The number(which was higher than I expected) was actually easier to cope with than the idea of losing all of my weight. Thank you again for replying! I am feeling more confident in myself and the process now!
 
3momchaos said:
In the beginning you won’t be getting anywhere near 1,000-1,200 calories a day, and when you do get to that point your body will be adjusted to it by then. However, if your brain is expecting something different than that’s another thing. Have you talked to a counselor about these feelings towards food? Maybe an addiction specialist or tried over eaters anonymous? I will not speak for everyone who has had this surgery, but the majority of people who do have WLS have some level of addiction. Gaining control over that addiction, learning the signs, and gaining coping mechanisms is the best way you’re going to get through these episodes. When they happen what do you do? It’s really intuitive and proactive to ask these questions now instead of after surgery. I think you can be successful with the process if you are committed to the mental change.
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying as well
When I start feeling that feeling I eat, a lot. That's why I never let myself get hungry. I wonder if it's a hormone thing like ghrelin being released. Which makes me also wonder if the bypass part of the surgery will help bc isn't that what reduces the hormone reactions when we eat?
Anyhoo. Thanks again!
 
Hi and welcome. You are among the most helpful, nonjudgmental people you will ever meet (well, virtually that is). What you won't do is receive any medical advice, just comments on others' experiences & lots of support for your feelings, emotions, whatever support you need along your way.

What type of surgery are you considering? One of the things that might help is to increase your water consumption, trying to get to at least 64 ozs daily. As you do this, try to decrease & eventually eliminate soda, caffeinated beverages, and any liquids that contain sugar or sugar substitutes. This may begin to help you prepare your body for surgery & to stay fuller.

Best of luck to you. Please visit some of the archives to get a feel for life before, during, and after surgery. Remember you are among friends here. ❤
 
Thanks for the welcome! in regards to water intake, remember the medication I mentioned before? They make me very thirsty and also give me dry mouth. So I do already drink a lot of water. Though, I also drink at least 1 diet soda and 1 diet tea a day as well,,, so I'll take your advice and cut those out... somehow. Lol. Thanks for the tip! Really after visiting the statistics link I mentioned in a reply, I'm feeling much better about the whole thing.
Thanks yall!
 
Chelseee said:
Thanks for replying as well
When I start feeling that feeling I eat, a lot. That's why I never let myself get hungry. I wonder if it's a hormone thing like ghrelin being released. Which makes me also wonder if the bypass part of the surgery will help bc isn't that what reduces the hormone reactions when we eat?
Anyhoo. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Honestly, I’m not that well versed in ghrelin and it’s function. What one person experiences, or is “supposed” to happen, as far as hunger and fullness is really based on the individual. Some people definitely have changes to their hunger, some don’t. Some can feel when they’re full and some can’t. I had zero appetite the first 4 weeks. Then all of a sudden I got hungry. But I ate smart, and within the phase I was in. Now at 10 months out I still cannot eat a lot at once, but I can eat almost anything. I do have a full sensation though, so that helps me mentally. I know about how much food I can eat, so I’m good about portion control. I’ll always take less than what I think I am going to eat because it’s easier to go back for a little more, but there’s no good way to come back from eating too much.
 
Hi, and welcome! Although there is no guarantee, you could very well not have the urgency to eat with less of the ghrelin hormones gone. But as they say, everyone is different. Definitely discuss with your doctor, your nutritionist and/or during your psych evaluation.

You are wise to make some changes now, even if you do them slowly to get prepared. It's much better not to have to do everything at once!

I wish you the best on your journey!
 
Chelseee said:
I'm almost at month 3 of the 6 month lead into my surgery, which is projected to be late Nov, early Dec. I plan on asking the surgeon but I just wonder,,, does anyone else experience a kind of panic attack when they don't eat normally? Or when they eat less than usual? I weigh 450 lbs so I obviously eat a lot. A few years back I tried intermittent fasting and when I skipped a meal, sheesh. It was terrible. And I tried it for about a year, to see if my body would get used to it. But nothing changed. I shake and get nervous, almost scared. I've been told it could be diabetes or low blood sugar but I get checked every 3 months and I've never been diagnosed with even pre diabetes. My aunt thinks I'm just literally addicted to food. So. My question is, if I'm only eating 1000-1200 calories a day, will this feeling continue? I think I would go insane if I had to deal with that feeling for an extended period of time... I'm worried I shouldn't get the surgery.
Thanks yall
Click to expand...
My biggest fear for post surgery was not being able too eat. I’ve had lots of therapy And did OA for three years. Love that program. Post surgery my head is so different. I think part of that is due to the hormones that get removed when they remove the stomach. The other part is I just haven’t wanted too. The first week it was everything just to get my protein down and hydrate. That’s still my focus. My head hunger is practically non existent. Surgery has done so much more than just give me a smaller stomach. Everyone’s journey is different. So talk to a professional or self help. You got this!!
 
Welcome to the group! I am only one week postop, so I have very limited experience. What I can tell you is that I too take medication that gives me chronic dry mouth (don't you hate it when you are talking and you lips start sticking to your gums)! I also drank a ton of water preop, way more than 64 oz a day.

Postop is a bit different. You cannot drink from a straw (total alien concept for me) and you have to take small sips. My bariatric team wants me to sip 2 oz of water over 15 minute time. That is the hardest part for me. Making 2 oz last for 15 minutes! My stomach really objects when I go faster. On the up side, you will be almost constantly sipping so your mouth doesn't have a lot of time to get dry.

As for hunger, it is really too early for me to know anything longterm, but right now I am on full liquid diet. For me, this consists of 2 protein shakes a day a two 2 tablespoon snacks (choice of list of foods provided by my bariatric nutritionist, all of which are sugar free, fat free and smooth, like yogurt, cream of wheat, pudding, etc).

Prior to surgery I was skeptical about 2 Tbsp of anything being enough of anything to do more than tease me. Postop I was amazed at not only how good everything tastes, but how filling it is. If I don't stop at the first sign of being full my stomach let's me know the same way it does when I drink my water too fast.

Since having my surgery I can honestly say I haven't been hungry once. When I went out for the first time yesterday to my postop appointment and drove by some of my preop favorite eating places, I felt a bit nostalgic knowing I wouldn't be going back, at least not for a long while, but no real urge to do so.

So I am hopeful that this is going to work for me. Everyone is different. I also believe that it depends upon how invested you are in it. How hard are you willing to work to make it work for you. It is going to be hard.

One final thought, they gave me Biotene Gel in the hospital for my dry mouth. It worked great. I didn't even know Biotene had a gel. If you haven't tried it, you might want to, especially for bedtime.
 
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