Hello from Indiana.
I am going to do the bypass in August. I’m curious if leaving the stomach in causes hunger? I can’t imagine leaving the stomach there, it being empty and not feeling hungry all the time.
Also, does the reconnection eliminate the hunger hormones like the sleeve?
Lastly, I need help with emotional eating. What suggestions can you offer me? Support groups? Counseling? Where do I go from here?
Thanks in advance for your patience and answers!!
Welcome, Hoosier! For my money, this support group has been the best resource around. Hang out and read the archives, where you can search by keyword like "hunger" and "hormones," which can direct you to many answers and experiences.
The ASMBS, of course, is another great resource, but lacks the human touch and support you'll find here. They do have lots of great illustrations, which really helped me.
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I don't think leaving most or part of the stomach inside has any effect. I remember reading that necessary hormones remain intact after surgery. There are several gastric bypass techniques that result in different digestive routines. Also, emotional eating and eating disorders are not cured by surgery, but in reading thousands of posts over the 16 years I've been in this group, most people find their obsessions greatly lessened. The fact that the amount you can eat is drastically reduced sort of creates a chicken/egg dynamic, where you might want to eat, but since you can't eat as much, your habit changes, and that can lead to many scenarios.
I found a great book a long time ago, "The Only Diet There is," which is actually NOT a diet book about food. It's a "diet from negative thinking," and man, does it work great if you're ready for it. There are exercises in the book, and I found it's useful very early on into reading. It's not a thick book, either, and you might be able to benefit from it whether you read 30 pages or 100 pages.
You're doing the right thing by asking such great questions. Keep up your curiosity and read everything you can. It really helps.
The reason this group is great is that 1) people looking for help come here, 2) people who've been helped come here, and 3) people stick around, no matter what kind of success or failure they have. It truly is the richest resource of all the ones I've found on the Internet.
