Any suggestions for a newbie that is having a bit of anxiety over my upcoming surgery?

I have been reading the forums here for a while. I have a sleeve surgery date already set for November 17th. Some of my anxieties are that is hunger post surgery an issue? My brother had RNY 13 years ago and it was very successful and he states he is never hungry, that he has to remember to eat. My sister had the sleeve done last year and it didn't help her at all. She claims she always felt hungry and that she was in a lot of pain for quite some time post surgery. Personally I don't think she followed the program, but I am not in proximity to where she lives so I don't know. So my questions are as follows:

How do you deal with post surgical hunger if any?

How do you deal with pre-surgical hunger on the 2 weeks of liquids only prior to surgery?

How long was it before you were able to be active at least in a minor sense, such as driving to the post office, etc., I have seen comments about energy levels being flat lined for some?

I have never been able to sleep on my back, did anyone have issues sleeping on their sides or even chest down when they went home? Such as pulling stitches or having one of the small incisions open, etc?

Any insight or examples would be greatly appreciated.

I have no hunger and set a timer to remind myself to eat. But I had RNY eight years ago and my surgeon also severed my vagus nerve. That nerve sends hunger signals from the stomach to the brain. Check with your surgeon about having that nerve severed as part of surgery.

There is research now where patients are successful in losing weight just by blocking the signals from the vagus nerve.

I could drive when I quit taking pain medicine at four days out from surgery. I slept in a recliner for a week or so. I was doing housework after four days and back at work in a week.

The pre-op diet was easy for me because I was so excited about the surgery and wanted it to be a great experience.

Hi there....I am about as newbie as you can get. I had my VSG surgery on Thursday as an outpatient. My surgery was 7:30 am and was homeboy 12:30 pm the same day. I have NOT been hungry AT ALL. They will tell you to sip liquids all day and walk, walk, walk. The gas pains that I had outweighed the surgery pains. The walking helps a lot with some soft massaging of my belly as much as I could. I have only been taking my pain meds about every 6-8 hrs and mainly to sleep at night. Only taken the nausea meds maybe 3 times since I got home. The gas pains wake me up several times a night especially the first 2 nights. As far as laying on your side, yes I did and the nurse said whatever is comfortable to you. If it is not comfortable you won't be able to tolerate laying in that position. I'm not a back sleeper either. My left side was much more comfortable than my right up until my left hip started hurting from laying on it so much. Then I laid on my right. Just get comfortable to what is comfortable to you.

I had my surgery 7 years ago and have lost a little over 100 pounds. In the first few weeks I confused hunger with nausea (that's till hard for me to get my head around), but eating a little something did settle my tummy. You will likely find that your head craves something and you will want to figure out ways to deal with that head hunger. But the sleeve is a wonderful tool that helps control physical hunger. If I eat to much or too quickly, I at least have to make a quick trip to a sink or a bathroom to spit. Yup, spit. Nausea gets the salivary glands on full alert and I find that the nausea fades quickly if I just get rid of the spit as it is being made. But sometimes, spitting isn't enough and I lose whatever I put into my stomach. Dense meat like chicken often bring that on, as does bread. Sometimes it is ice cream. Sometimes it is one too many sips of coffee after a meal.

Your tummy is going to be very small and very swollen after surgery. You won't be able to put much into it, so you will see very rapid weight loss. It is several months into the journey that things will slow down. That might be the danger zone. I can still gain weight. And with Halloween and the beginning of the eating season, there are lots of food distractions that can dissolve my resolve. This happens to everyone. Roll with it, learn from it, try and burn off some of those unneeded calories, and keep your eye on what makes you YOU.

Hi I am 3 days post op

I have not been hungry at all. I can only do small sips of protein shakes and that is all I can handle

The 2 week pre op diet sucked, but I was so worried my liver wouldn't allow them to do the surgery successfully

My energy comes and goes right now. . Too early to give any input on that

I too am a side sleeper. But I have been Able to sleep on my back no problem so far

Hope that helps

Good luck on your surgery

I didn't have a lot of hunger early out. I had to remind myself to eat. But the hunger did come back, and I have to work to manage it. I don't know if its real hunger or head hunger, but it is strong. I manage it by having veggie snacks - cucumbers, broccoli slaw, other low cal foods that don't throw me off my target calorie intake.

I managed the pre-surgical hunger by keeping my eye on the prize. it was hard but "one day at a time" helped.

The 5th day post-surgery, I was up and out and about. You cannot drive until you are off the pain meds. I did take long naps for some weeks post surgery, but I was able to work and manage life within a few days.

Best of luck with your weight loss journey

Carol

Hunger while on pre-op liquids: Do the best you can with the knowledge that noncompliance can complicate or cancel your surgery.

Post-op "head" hunger (as opposed to true hunger): Comes on quickly, often in response to food stimuli (images, smells, etc.), usually involves a craving for a particular food -- usually junk carbs. This kind of hunger must be dealt with medically if caused by excess stomach acid production, therapy, and support from family, friends, and groups like this this one.

True hunger: Comes on slowly, delayed gratification is not a problem, is satisfied with small amounts of healthy proteins, does not return for 4-5 hours.

Post-op activity: Slow, short-distance walking should be tolerated (and encouraged!) almost immediately after surgery. Assuming you have no complications, local driving is doable anytime from a few days post-op to a week or two (follow your surgeon's instructions on this). After that, activity is dependent on the individual patient's rate of recovery and not predictable.

Sleep positions: I had no trouble sleeping in any position, even on the tube side (this was after it was removed in the hospital, of course). Again this varies wildly from patient to patient and cannot be predicted.

psychoticparrot

I didn't have hunger until about 7 months post-op. Then, it came back. BUT, not the same kind of hunger I would have pre-op if I went all day without eating. At this point, I have forgotten what very strong hunger with a full stomach truly is and no complaints about that here. BUT, like I said... I do feel it. How do I deal with hunger post-surgery? I eat. But, measured portions that I track in an app on my phone.

I was active in the sense you're talking about probably 1 1/2 weeks - 2 weeks after surgery.

I never slept on my back, even for a few minutes prior to surgury. I used a recliner for the first couple nights, then propped on pillows a couple nights then no issues. Don't let that be a factor in not pursuing it.

Hunger- If you avoid slider foods you will not deal with hunger issues. (Eat protein first, then veggies type meals.)

I was back to work 14 days post op and walking regularly. Loads of exercise by 6 weeks (elliptical, no weights at first)

Not gonna lie- the preop part was the hardest leg for me. I knew this going into it though. I started 3 months early instead of the required 2 weeks. First month didn't lose anything, but stuck dead on the plan provided to me. I counted it as a win though because I didn't gain, and I had just come off gaining nearly 40 pounds in the months just prior. Lost some in month 2, more in month 3. Worked damn hard for it to, but it totally set me up for succuss and it was a great investment in myself. Don't stress over it- just make up your mind to do it and proceed!