I am now 5 days op with a few questions. I have gone from "I think I'm gonna die and this decision wasn't so hot" to "I'm uncomfortable but it is manageable and I will be fine in a few days. I'm glad I did this.".

here are my questions:

how much should I be able to drink at a time? In the morning when I get up I can drink a 10 ounce Protein shake in just at an hour. Is that too much?

Should I still have pain on incision sites? I still have a pretty significant pain on my left side by one of my incision sites.

How much solids should I be able to eat? I am cleared for yogurt and I was able to get down 3 ounces in about 30 minutes. Is that too much?

I guess I was under the assumption i wouldn't be able to eat but a teaspoon of food at a time. I was shocked I could eat the yogurt. when I stopped at 3 ounces i didn't even feel really "full" or uncomfortable. I just stopped since it was the first time I'd eaten anything. I guess I am ultimately worried I have a leak in my stomach and I'm able to get so much food down because it is leaking into my abdomen! The doc did a leak test on me and it was fine at hospital. I just didn't think I'd be able to get this much down! Is this normal?

I'm only on day three post-op so I can't really comment on some of the other things but I'm glad to hear that you made it through the rough spots. There was times on day one and two where I thought "why the heck did I do this to myself?" Now that I'm feeling a bit better I'm reminding myself that I did a Good Thing by having this surgery. As for the other stuff, I'm on clear liquids for two weeks so I can't help you there.

mews, thanks for the reply. I feel a difference in my attitude and pain every day. every day has gotten significantly better. The first 2 days I was miserable. I couldn't even sip Water without severe chest pain on every sip. I couldn't sit down or get up without pain. I couldn't even sleep in bed because it hurt too much to get up (and I couldn't get up by myself. hubby had to help me!). Day 4 was much better. the pain was more manageable and the chest pains when sipping were only there occasionally. today is day 5 for me and I feel even better. Today i have reached many milestones already. i can get out of bed myself with no help (still hurts, but at least I can do it!), I can reach to wipe after using the restroom (tmi...I know), I can drink without chest pains--they are much fewer and farther between! I can stand and sit without much pain. I feel SIGNIFICANTLY better today. I can't wait to see how much better I feel tomorrow!

hang in there! Each day truly does bring more surprises that you will be thankful for!

Since you had the sleeve and not RNY you can eat/drink more. RNY people can only eat a couple of tablespoons because their stomach is the size of their thumbs. Sleeve people have a 4-6 oz banana stomach that will eventually hold 6-8 oz after the swelling goes down. Some can eat more and some less. I would say you're doing good. 10oz protein in 1 hour is great, not too fast and not too slow I'd say just right. Same with the yogurt. Pain is different for everyone but usually the left side is more painful since that's where they pulled the part of the stomach they cut away in surgery. Usually most talk about left side hurting more. To me it looks like your doing great! Good luck you're in the hardest part right now but it will pass. Ttake care and be sure to drink!

thanks 5dogma! I feel much better! I didn't know the stomach was pulled out the left side. that makes sense why it would hurt so much more. I was very nervous that I was eating too much for only 5 days po!

Don't worry I was the same way at first. I never really felt true restriction until I got past the soft food stage. Now I eat a tiny amount of protein and am very full. You are doing great.

You are doing just fine. It is a lot easier drinking fluids because if you drink too much, your pyloris valve releases it into the colon. The same for protein drinks. It is really important that you adhere to the rule of no drinking 30 minutes before your meal to 30 minutes after your meal. Drinking before will take up space and drinking after will push your food intake into you colon, allowing you to eat more. Or it could cause you to vomit. Keep ROCKIN your SLEEVE!

swimmer and dorrie, thanks so much for the reply and encouragement! I feel much better! I was worried I wasn't following the normal pattern! It feels much better to know your experiences and hear that I'm doing okay! I really want this to work for me!