How does your new tummy feel like? Does it feel "normal"

[iloveorganicmilk]

HI, I'm getting my surgery this december and I'm wondering what your heeled sleeve feels like.

When you eat, do you feel perfectly normal, just like before the surgery, but just way smaller?
Or is it more sensitive and feel "weaker" than before?

Can you feel a physicial change in your body about your newly reduced organ? (not when you are eating)

I just imagine that after the surgery i'll feel a slight void in my tummy because the organ that was there is now much much smaller.

Ultimately, after the surgery I'll be living with this new stomach for the rest of my life, so I want to know if the sleeve feels "normal" or "comfortable".

Thanks so much for the replies in advance

[Bananna]

It's a different kind of full. More pronounced. Almost painful. It is my new normal. You can feel it as much as you can feel that you have a pancreas. (You can't.)

[Pam G]

I was actually just thinking about how I feel no different than before. I had super munchies today and ate about 400 more calories than usual. I can see how it would be soooooo easy to gain the weight back.

[WANAGL]

When you eat, do you feel perfectly normal, just like before the surgery, but just way smaller?
Or is it more sensitive and feel "weaker" than before?

Yes, I feel "normal" as long as I eat slowly. I wait a few minutes after the first bite, to let that first bite of food "register". There is a "restriction" or restricted amount I can eat. I measure/weigh (sometimes by eye) everything and Never, Ever, Ever. Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever overeat!

Can you feel a physical change in your body about your newly reduced organ? (not when you are eating)

No, it's no different than after any organ removal (ex: gall bladder, female organs).

I just imagine that after the surgery i'll feel a slight void in my tummy because the organ that was there is now much much smaller.

As above, No difference.

Of course...This is MY experience. Others may have/had other/different experiences.


I highly recommend watching Dr Matthew Weiner videos on YouTube. They're full of useful information, both pre and post surgery.

Best of luck as you embark on your journey!

[sraebaer]

I feel totally normal, just when I eat dense food like the protein we should be eating, I get full much sooner. I guess it isn't like the full I used to feel, it's like the "if you eat one more bite you may die" full. Best tool ever.

That being said, if I eat the crap I should not be eating, like chips or candy, I rarely get to that full felling. I can eat a king size bag of peanut M&M's or a small bag of chips, no problem. So follow the rules, they work. Don't follow the rules and it would be easy to stay fat.

[Shirl]

Physically I don't feel a void or emptiness where my former sized stomach was. As others mentioned I do feel a restriction when I eat dense foods including chicken or beef, and sometimes hearty oatmeal or other whole grains and legumes like quinoa, lentils, and beans. For me now it's an alarming feeling and now I know that if I take another bite I will feel awful, and possibly throw up as it was the case once. I can eat about a cup of cut-up and stir-fry vegetables, or a small baked sweet potato, and a few ounces of protein if I eat slowly and chew a lot before I swallow.

Funny enough, I have no restriction whatsoever for what others call slider foods, for me it could be ice cream, pudding, jello, chocolates, puffy vegetable snacks (not really vegetables).

I have reacted fiercely ill to hot chocolate.

I just started eating raw salad and I can eat raw tomatoes, cucumbers, with a few red onions with no problem.

I learned through trial and error to listen to my sleeve's reaction. I'm starting to introduce new foods in very small amounts. I did learn if I ate spicy foods three days in a row I will need a Pepsid. I decided once or twice a week, not back to back, spicy foods should be okay for now.

[Donna Rudewick]

There is no "void" feeling for me either. The only feeling that truly reminds me is the restriction I feel when I eat. I use to be able to just eat constantly now I'm not able to do that. After about 4 bites I'm full for several hours.

[lil_lisa]

Two things, you fill up faster, especially if you eat good food. And I have more problems with acid reflex foods, have to watch those more closely and take meds.

[trwilson75]

So I am only 3 weeks post op ... no feeling different inside... but I definitely am different when I eat -
as others have said you have to eat slow - no matter what it is.. liquid, soft.. (for me so far) and when I am full.. I have to stop..
when I take just "one more bite" I feel horrible and throw up..
I am still learning - so its happened a few times... I can eat about 4 teaspoons of something.. and when I drink.. i have to take small sips..
I cant just down a bottle of water like I used to be able to...
it would hurt and you would throw up..
So beyond that.. its just learning to SLOW down.. CHEW... and eat properly.
Tanya

[Luann]

It is a new normal, I am 3 years out nearly and still struggle with how little I can eat. It is, of course, the desired result and what I knew would be. But sometimes the food tastes so good & I wish I could eat a bit more. 7 bites, generally I get to pick which I want to enjoy and that will be it.

Heartburn is still there, but it is more intense than I had before surgery. I carry tums with me everywhere. In my purse, even when walking my dogs.

My stomach seems to have a mind of its own, and makes noise when I eat. It can be a bit embarrassing when you are out with sharing a meal with friends, or invited people over for dinner. My stomach sounds like a gurgling sink sometimes.

[americangrrl]

I have a question... since the surgery is laparoscopic, and not an open surgery... what do they do with the part they remove and how do they get it out?? I was under the impression there are 5 very small incisions...

[Blove2012]

I have 5 small incisions. The largest is about 1 1/4 inches wide. The smallest is about 1/3 inch wide. Your doctor will remove the excess through one of the incisions (I assume the largest). Dr Ariel Ortiz at Obesity Control Center has a video of the surgery online. It is fascinating to watch.

[sraebaer]

They just suck it out of the biggest incision. Gross.

[Pam G]

I have a question... since the surgery is laparoscopic, and not an open surgery... what do they do with the part they remove and how do they get it out?? I was under the impression there are 5 very small incisions...

go to you tube....there's a million videos on VSG

[lil_lisa]

They throw away the stomach they take out as far as I know.