Anyone want to share how they're doing a few days out? My surgery was Monday. I feel like I have been hit by a truck! Can't get over the bruising on my belly. I tend to feel restless, like I want to wander around now knowing what to do with myself. This chair, that chair, walking, bathroom, bed. I took a shower today, and that was really helpful in my overall feeling. How are you doing? I posted about sleeping, and someone said I won't get over how much better I'll be feeling. When? In a few days? I can't imagine it, but I know I'll get there! Emotionally I'm very excited to start my new healthy life of eating less. Fornow, I'm sipping broth and juice and protein stuff. Hope everone is doing okay! Sorry about my typos.

I had surgery yesterday and am still in hospital. I tried togo without pain meds today and only made it until 2 this afternoon and then I gave in. I got to eat some Jello this afternoon and so far I don't think it is very pleasant. about one little cube every 15 minutes. I started getting up last night walking around the hospital. They did not use a catheter on me so I had to start getting up about 4 hours after surgery. I hope I feel better tomorrow. Best of luck to you on finding a good position to sleep. Do you have staples or derma bond. I have derma bond and I JP drain.

I also felt like I had been hit - but by a freight train. And, I agree - the bruising was unbelievable!!! Starting Day 4 I started noticing improvement and each day got better from then on. Best of luck!

Oh, I'm so glad to find you all! I just had my surgery on Monday also and today is the first day I feel anything close to normal. They did not give me my anxiety medication while I was in the hospital so my last full day in the hospital and the first day home was not pretty. I got back on it yesterday and can already tell the difference. I have about 4 or 5 incisions and they were all glued shut except for the one that had the jp drain in it. That one seems to hurt the most, man was that thing long!! Ughhh! I feel most frustrated by trying to get comfortable sleeping and trying to get this nasty protein stuff down. Oh, and when I'm thirsty, I only get a sip instead of draining it. Anyway, I am so glad to have someone to discuss all this stuff with!! Oh, and that feeling like something is stuck going down when I swallow, wears me out! Sorry for all the complaining!! :-)

Hi! I had surgery last Friday and for the most part I feel pretty good. I do have one sore spot to the right of my belly button...close to my largest incision but the pain is tolerable. I have not been able to get in nearly enough liquids and I know I need to. The Protein is disgusting and all smells horrible! I can't even drink 20 ounces a day! I'm just not thirsty. I cheated a bit today and ate a little oatmeal...I was just burnt out on yogurt. Sometimes when I eat/drink I get a little cramping in my stomach but it only lasts a few seconds so it is tolerable.

Now sleeping is a different story, I am a side/tummy sleeper and that still is kind of difficult!

I too was looking for a group of the "newbies." I think complaining a bit (or even a lot) is okay, and now we have a thread to do it. lol... I got this healthy shot Protein stuff. It's only 2.8oz but it has 24g of protein. It's made by hormel and only available online. You can get it on the GNC website or the hormel site (it's cheaper on the hormel site.) It's still not great, but I dilutted it with water/ice and given it was so small, I got it down by 3pm yesterday. I started on a new on in the evening, mixed in some lemonade. I think I'll just do it on the rocks from now on though, makes me feel accomplished to get that much protein in in a small drink.

I got two shifts of sleep in tonight, which is better than the sleep for an hour, wake up restless pattern, I had going. SLept from about 9 to 12 and then from 12 to 2:30. Was on my third shift, (lol I typed shit at first lol) and my little guy woke up, so I came down here just to wander around and get a change of scenery.

I agree the JP drain is gross and freaking me out and probably my most painful spot, other than one other scar on the left which is the most badly bruised too. It's right in my "waist" if you can call it that... like my crease between rolls. (lol) I am happy to have my sense of humor back at least. I had quite a bit of anxiety in the hospital too and just nervous thinking, etc... I feel a bit more like myself now. I'll be checking in with you all, frequently!!! Thanks for posting!

Here's that site. They're still not delicious... I don't know which ones are.. but only 2.5oz. and make sure you get the ones with 24g. Protein.

https://www.homecarenutrition.com/HHL/nxcsc.nsf/ListProducts?openagent&ListMenuEntry=6E7F3EE5EE83D2F485257625004FB354&MenuEntry=6E7F3EE5EE83D2F485257625004FB354&SID=0748D8C1782B4FA2852577A8002C1D97

I relate to everything you are all saying. I had surgery Wed and came home yesterday. I was unprepared for the intense pain. I generally have a pretty high tolerance to pain, but this has brought me to tears.

It takes me FOREVER to get anything down. I am going to try a Protein shake today, but I am not looking forward to it. I spent 40 minutes getting down 2 ml of liquid tylenol. I tried to take a spponful of applesauce last night and it felt like a bolder going down. Anyone else having a had time getting anything down?

hi ya'll,

i had surgery monday also and am experiencing all the same things you are. i can't gag down the protein drinks i liked last week. don't even want to drink water but i know i have to. my left side is really bruised and really the only sore spot. i have to hold up the flab on that side when i walk around to keep it from pulling on my stitches. funny and not! (o: i too have cramping when anything hits my stomach. only lasts for a few seconds and fades. i'm going nuts being home alone. can't really do anything... but see everything that needs to be done. i want to go back to work so i don't have to look at the things i can't do. that's sad....

i'm gonna try frozen yogurt with chocolate protein powder to see how it tastes. i've gotta get something in my belly before it get's completely fedup with me. poor little banana shaped thing.

Wow Gena! You can have frozen yogurt?! I'm so jealous!! I can only have thin liquids....broth, protein drink, and water, oh, and jello (which tastes gross for some reason). I'm hungry today and wish I could eat something. :-( I slept last night from 11 til 5:30 and then went potty and slept til 8:30!! I was so happy! So glad I found you all!! My right side hurts and pulls when I move but the other side feels perfect! Weird.

One thing in your post stood out to me, that desire to pace and inablitity to settle yourself down. I had a weird reaction to the anasthesia and I think all the anti nausea meds (and of course the holy cow what have I done!) I called my GP and got a scrip for an anti anxiety. I only had to take it twice, but it really did help me. Don't feel bad about complaining, I think sometimes people want to present the positive so badly that they forget to mention that you have 80-90% of a major organ removed and you feel like crap. And you should that is a lot of trauma to a body. I intially read others posts about how they woke up from surgery, ran marathons, and cured cancer. That was NOT my experience, but all those crap days have paid off into lots of great ones!

definitely agree about the anxiety thing. yeah it's just a weird feeling. has gotten better, thank goodness, but still. I think I reacted weird to the anti-nausea meds too. When she would give them to me, I felt really weird afterwards. I refused them on my last day, when I knew I was going home. In fact.. I refused the damn blood sugar stick in the finger, the nausea meds, the pecid and the breathing treatment! lol.. I had had it. I'm amazed at you girls who came home the next day. Though I also had a lapband removed. Maybe that has something to do with it? Not sure. I am also only on clear liquids for two weeks: broth, diluted juice, jello, popsicle, water, crystal light, stuff like that. I haen't tried jello yet, but I am also starting to 'feel' hungry, so I may move up to jello. Wow, what a big step! lol! My left side is also really bruised, really dark dark purple, eeek. And that incision hurts. The right side is the drain, with the bandage over it still. That hurts a bit too. I am still doing the lovenex injections in my lower fat roll (blood thinner) every day. So that is all little bruises. Ahh the joy. I know there will come a time when I look back and say "that was ALL worth it." I'm not quite there yet though. Better and better each day. Heather good for you on the sleep.. I read that and was like yeah! I would love to sleep like that. One of these nights it'll happen. I'm always achy when I wake up though. I find that I am very rambly. Like on and on. I'm glad this thread is here. hahahaha..... Take care everyone. Don't overdo it. Take it easy. SIpping only.. don't gulp.

I totally agree with the restlessness! OMG at the hospital I felt like I couldn't wait to run out of that place. It felt like the walls were closing in. Thank god I took my anti anxiety meds with me and the doc let me take it on the second day. I noticed as soon as it kicked in the less discomfort I seemed to be in also. Those helped so much and when I got home I took about 400 showers a day. I would sit in the bottom of the shower and just let the water beat on me. It is totally relaxing.

what? i can't have frozen yogurt? i can have regular low fat yogurt. i thought it was the same thing. i ran out to wally world today and bought 3 half gallons of frozen yogurt. came home and blended my first semi-ok smoothie: 1 scoop 52g whey protein, 1 cup milk, 1 cup frozen chocolate yogurt and 4 ice cubes. it's creamy, goes down easy and tastes like a chocolate marshmellow cream if there is such a thing. i have had a real hard time getting anything down... i figured i needed some calories and protein anyway i could get it at this point.

i see most people had to stay in the hospital.. mine was out patient surgery. i had a hard time with the anti-nausea drugs so spent 3 hrs in recovery but then went to motel for the night. went back the next morning for the swallow test and 2 bags of iv fluid, then saw the surgeon on the next day. i

i haven't had any problems with anxiety but am on zoloft for ptsd... long story, dont ask.

i feel pretty good. just really hard to get back into the routine of hourly proteins i cant gag down and water... i'm cutting myself some slack til monday.

what? i can't have frozen yogurt? i can have regular low fat yogurt. i thought it was the same thing. i ran out to wally world today and bought 3 half gallons of frozen yogurt. came home and blended my first semi-ok smoothie: 1 scoop 52g whey Protein, 1 cup milk, 1 cup frozen chocolate yogurt and 4 ice cubes. it's creamy, goes down easy and tastes like a chocolate marshmellow cream if there is such a thing. i have had a real hard time getting anything down... i figured i needed some calories and protein anyway i could get it at this point.

i see most people had to stay in the hospital.. mine was out patient surgery. i had a hard time with the anti-nausea drugs so spent 3 hrs in recovery but then went to motel for the night. went back the next morning for the swallow test and 2 bags of iv Fluid, then saw the surgeon on the next day. i

i haven't had any problems with anxiety but am on zoloft for ptsd... long story, dont ask.

i feel pretty good. just really hard to get back into the routine of hourly Proteins i cant gag down and Water... i'm cutting myself some slack til monday.

I had to chill about calories and protein for a while to. I was super dehydrated and had to drink orange drink from McDonalds and I felt super guilty, but believe me your goal at this point is just to get hydrated, you will have plenty of time to track all the other fun stuff, honest!

I think that's a good idea. The first few days I didn't want anything. But now I'm doing better getting some calories in and Protein. I am just trying to continually sip throughout the day.

That chocolate smoothie sounds great. Wow... What kind of frozen yogurt? Chocolate? Any special brand? What brand did you use? And what whey protein has 52grams a scoop? Mine (unjury) is 40 g per scoop and I thought that was good! I am def. going to make that when I get to my 2nd stage. I can't have milk yet. Just clears. Wow a chocolate marshmallow smoothie sounds good about now. Guess I'll go have a lime Jello in the meantime. haha...