Recognizing Signs of Fullness after Bariatric Surgery
Medical investigators have found that many significantly overweight people have been eating so habitually that they no longer experience physical hunger. And in fact, what they refer to as hunger is really appetite (the emotional desire for food).
Following bariatric surgery, patients are left with a very small stomach, ranging in size from a large walnut to a small egg. To prevent the painful side effects of overeating and ensure the success of the surgical procedure, it is essential that bariatric surgery patients learn to recognize both hunger and fullness. The first step in the process is to understand how healthcare experts view and describe hunger and fullness.
Hunger is a collection of physical symptoms that begin with mild, periodic contractions of the stomach called hunger pangs that progress to a continuous pang, a ‘growling’ noise and perhaps even to lightheadedness. These signals prompt a person to seek food. Sensations of hunger typically begin several hours after the last meal a person ate. Researchers have suggested that hunger occurs when blood sugar and/or liver glycogen fall below an optimal level.
Appetite is the emotional desire to eat. Appetite may be general such as simply wanting to eat whatever food is readily available, or it can be very specific, such as a craving for a particular food item like chocolate or mashed potatoes.
Satiety is the disappearance of hunger after a meal.
Satiation is the feeling of being full to or beyond the point of satisfaction.
Recognizing Feelings of Hunger
Sensations of hunger and fullness may change following bariatric surgery. Depending on the type of surgical procedure you have, your new stomach may or may not signal hunger the way it did originally. If your stomach was cut or stapled during your weight loss surgery, immediately after the procedure, it will be swollen and need time to heal. The sensations of hunger and fullness you feel shortly after surgery may be different from those you feel two months from now when you are healed.
When you are actually hungry, you may experience hunger pangs or you may feel slightly weak, edgy, and lightheaded. When you experience these feelings, your body is telling you it is hungry. It is important that you slowly and carefully eat a small quantity of high quality food.
Since you will only be able to eat tiny amounts of food at a time, you may need to eat much more frequently, especially for the first eight weeks after surgery.
Recognizing the Feeling of Fullness
The sensation of fullness can be described in different ways depending on how much you have eaten. Fullness can be the disappearance of hunger pangs and/or a sensation of pressure in your abdomen.
Just as the physical symptoms of hunger may change after surgery, so too do the feelings of fullness. And, because your new stomach is so much smaller than your stomach before surgery, feelings of fullness can come on very quickly and feel differently.
Be on the lookout for a sensation of pressure or fullness in the center of your abdomen just below your rib cage. Some people feel a sense of pressure up under their shoulder blade. Stop eating as soon as you feel these sensations.
Whether or not you have had bariatric surgery, there is a delay between your stomach becoming full and your brain registering that you have had enough to eat. To avoid overeating, it is important to eat very slowly so your brain has time to catch up with your stomach and signal you to stop.
Overeating after Bariatric Surgery
It is very easy to overeat after bariatric surgery because your new stomach pouch is so small. Eating too quickly may cause you to overfill your new stomach pouch before you experience sensations of fullness. Instead of feeling uncomfortably full as you would have before surgery, overeating after surgery can bring very uncomfortable side effects including nausea, heartburn, and even vomiting.
Eating inappropriately is the most common source of vomiting following bariatric surgery. Common causes of vomiting after surgery are:
- eating too fast
- not chewing food properly
- eating too much food at once
- eating solid foods too soon after surgery
- drinking liquids either with meals or immediately before or after meals
- lying down shortly after eating a meal
- eating foods that do not agree with you
If you vomit more than once in a single day, stop eating solid foods and sip clear liquids (clear, diluted juice, broth, tea). The vomiting may indicate that the stomach pouch is blocked. If vomiting continues for more than 24 hours, contact your doctor.
Do your part to ensure the success of your bariatric surgery. Follow the post-surgical dietary guidelines precisely and seek help from your surgeon at the first sign of trouble.