VACookey

I just had surgery on the 7th and I'm having serious regrets right now. I had a great day Monday (and even posted about it here, but said I could be in pain that night). Sure enough, I had the worst night ever. I've been in so much pain the last couple of days. My back hurts, which makes me hunch over, which makes my stomach hurt, so I try to straighten up. I can't sit, I can't lie down, I'm weak, I'm hungry, my stomach growls like never before. Everything is horrible and I don't know what to do about it. Drink more Water? It hurts. Suck on a popsicle? It hurts. And don't even get me started about wanted to actually EAT something. ~sigh~ Ok, rant over. I could just be stressed out because my husband is out of town and I feel all alone. I probably should just suck it up and get over it. Not like I can do anything about it now anyway.

IsoPure is already watery, like a fruit punch. And it's huge. It took 2 days for me to drink half of it. It also gave me horrible cotton mouth. However, some people here like it. Buy a bottle and try it yourself before buying too much. Another word of advice: the drinks you like the day before surgery might make you gag the day after. So don't buy too much. Buy some samples or just one or two of the item. I bought a big container of protein mix that I always drank at the gym but added splenda to it. When I tried it after surgery, it was too sweet even without the splenda. I can't drink it now. Total waste of money.

*YAY*

I'm counting all fluids but silly me, forgot to count the current 17 oz bottle of Water. I'm almost done with it. I also had 4 oz of Premier Protein (pretty good stuff) so my official totals today are 52.25 ounces of fluids and 56.8 grams of protein. We'll see if I can do that every day. I'm sure some days will be more challenging than others.

amencorner, have you tried eating and just can't keep anything down or what? I was feeliing really weak and fatigued and thought, gee, I probably should try eating more. Of course, when I say "eat" I mean "consume Protein." I hate to hear you say you feel so miserable.

I've been tracking my grams of Protein today and as of right now I'm at 46 but all I need is 50 for the day. I've had muscle milk lite,

I had wicked acid reflux this weekend and finally got a prescription for Protonix. It has made all the difference for me.

oh! I haven't been taking mine either because I haven't been nauseous. Does it curb hunger too?

What is Zofran?

Have you talked to anyone about incorporating weights into your activity? I'm 5 days post op and I'm lifting little 5 pound weights, just to try and keep up the muscle mass. I got permission from my nurse first, of course. I'm not saying that'll jump start your weight loss, but I think it will help maintain and/or build up a little more muscle until you're ready for more intense workouts.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Oh look at me, I'm running marathons already. I could very well be in the recliner two hours from now crying from pain and wondering why I did this to myself. So right now, I'm not taking this day by day. I'm taking it hour by hour. And every time I have a good hour, I'm taking advantage of it. It's springtime! The perfect time to get out, enjoy the weather, get some exercise, and get this sleeve party started!

Oh I know. I was getting tired towards the end of my walk. I just had lunch and now I'm drinking some Water. I'm really listening to my body, kinda relearning how it works. Thanks everyone!

The weather is so gorgeous today, warm and sunny. I've been feeling really flabby and wanted to get some exercise in. I took an exceptionally long walk today (relatively speaking) since my walks have been short the last few days. I also got permission from my nurse to do 5 pound weight exercises. Wow, what a difference! I feel so good right now it's not even funny. Considering this past weekend I was crying over intense acid reflux, today it a total turnaround. I know I have nothing to add for people who are looking for better fitness advice months out, but I wanted to share how my baby steps today have really helped my gas, my mood, my energy, you name it. Can I shout this out? Please? I FEEL FANTASTIC TODAY!!!!!

Because I bought a big old bottle of chewables and I don't like wasting money. They actually dissolve pretty well so I'm ok with them. Just a little scared at first.

This is so inspirational! Beautifully written, wonderful post. Thank you so much for sharing your story! And you look amazing. I hope you feel just as amazing!

I liked the taste because it was light. Right after surgery any heavy flavors made me quesy. And I can't stand the smells either. However, the IsoPure gave me horrible cotton mouth. I had to take 4 sips of water for every sip of the IsoPure. It took 2 days to drink half a bottle then I just gave up.

I took one this afternoon and chewed it up really good. No problems at all!

TrueBlood, I was scared to take my vitamins because I have to chew them up. What if I don't chew them up good enough? But I'll take one now. Let's see how this turns out.

I spoke too soon. I'm having a horrible day. So I came back to this thread for more advice. I'm so weak and I can't tell if it's from lack of food, or from the meds, or the surgery, or what. My favorite protein shake pre-op is so sweet post-op it's not even funny. Couldn't drink it. Isopure is ok, but it hurts. Warm broth seems ok so far but don't I need calories? Or is it too soon to worry about that? It's only been 2 days. I just want to be sure I'm doing what I need to do.

Thanks everyone! Today I'm really focused on drinking. I feel like I'm drinking so much but I'm only halfway through a 16 ounce bottle of water. Everything hurts going down. But I refuse to get dehydrated so I'm dealing with it. I take my water bottle with me everywhere and every time I walk into another room I take a sip. In the bathroom, take a sip. Back to my desk, take a sip. I WILL finish this bottle of water!

I was sleeved yesterday and I have the same problem. What's been helping is just taking smaller sips and taking more time in between them.

I had a horrible night and morning because the pain meds made me puke, but I really wasn't puking because I had no food in my stomach. It was more like dry heaves. It was awful. Then, this morning, at the barium test, I puked while still standing on the machine. I felt so bad for the tech. I don't think he was prepared for it. I felt worse than right after surgery. I was crying and thinking "Why did I do this to myself? What was I thinking????" Then my new nurse came by, saw how horrible I looked and when I told her about the nausea she said "Oh, we'll just put you on something else." She gave me new meds. I slept for about an hour or two and I was a new woman! I walked around the floor, came back to the room, opened my laptop, ordered some food, you name it. She came back in and did a doubletake. I did a complete turnaround. I ordered 4 ounces of broth and ate it all no problems. Had some Jello, drank some Water. I was fine. So, to make a long story short, I did so well today that they sent me home a day early. I'm feeling a million times better than this morning. And to think, all my problems were because of the wrong meds and NOT the surgery itself. WOO HOO to the new me!

I had a last meal of seafood but it was completely unintentional. That was the day of all my pre-op tests and I didn't leave the hospital until 4, after not having anything to eat or drink since midnight the previous night. So yeah, I was hungry. I'm about to drink my last shake and a little cup of sugar free Jello and that's it until sometime tomorrow I guess. Will I be able to eat anything the day of surgery? or is my focus just going to be keeping down the Water?

I was wondering about this myself. I ususally go to the all you can eat sushi place but they also have a to go tray. I think I'd buy the to go plate and fill it with sashimi and vegetables instead of the stuff with lots of rice or the fried stuff. I'm certainly not happy that this happened to you but I'm happy that you posted about it as a warning to the rest of us. I'll either take it easy my first time back or wait a little bit longer than you did.

Last day of pre-op diet. Down 18 pounds! I'm trying to drink lots of water because I can't have anything after midnight and my surgery isn't until 12:30. That's a long time to go without water. Anyway, in less than 24 hours I will have a new stomach! I can't believe it's here already.