I am 6 days post op and I feel awful and lots of regret. I felt awesome when I left the hospital and after taking pain meds felt horrible. I've been to er twice for iv to rehydrate and today I'm trying to stay on top of my fluids. I have a gnawing feeling in my stomach which I assume is hunger. almost thinking this was not worth it at all. somebody tell me this all goes away and. I will have my life back.

Thank you all for the support. I am feeling better but the eating part is making me crazy. I am not sure when I'm full. I'm eating so little that maybe I'm just not getting that sensation. At 9 days out I'm still on full liquid but once I am told I can eat soft food I'm not sure what to eat. To make it worse I'm only taking two weeks off of work so I go back next week.

My NUT told me that sometimes the nerves have been impacted during surgery, so in those early weeks you can't always trust how it feels. My advice so early on is to eat small small portions. I was told Every surgeon is different, I was on what they called "protein liquids" until I was 2 weeks out. That meant no lumps in food, so I could start adding Greek yogurt with no chunks and "strained" soups. Then I progressed to Pureed foods so it was stuff like unsweetened applesauce, smoothies with protein powder, pureed chili or soup, small curd cottage cheese etc and was on that for a week. I don't have time to write the rest out, but you get the idea.

Hang in there! It does get better! The first six weeks are the hardest. I am almost 10 months out and have lost 140lbs. Just take it one day at a time. In the beginning, I drank nothing but either isopure (which I didn't like, but it was high in protein) or water mixed with nectar protein powder and had soups occasionally. I remember I would get 4 meals out of one can of soup. By the time you're about 2-3 months out, you will be thinking and feeling differently. Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

Hi ! I'm a month out tomorrow and am still having a hard time getting enough fluids too. Not that they won't go down or they hurt, but the problem is WANTING to drink. At 6 days out, the #1 thing is fluids. At 30 days out, fluids are just as important. Without protein, you lose muscle, but without fluid you lose way more so protein is secondary in my book. Muscle can be rebuilt. Dehydration will make you very sick and feel even worse ! A trip to the hospital for an IV isn't something anybody wants. The first couple weeks really were the hardest. Your body is still in "what the hell happened" mode and it's trying to decide how to deal with such a huge change. Most of us were told to never use a straw, but I've found that I take in less air (which makes things a little more comfy) using one. It's all about what works best for you. Please hang in there and try not to get discouraged. It really does get better

Hang in there, I'm 4 months out and at 2 weeks I remember crying and saying to myself why didn't I just eat right and exercise instead of having this stupid surgery! Now I'm down 83 lbs and I can say it is the best decision I have ever made! Just concentrate on getting your liquids in every day, I didn't really worry so much about protien at first, I just know I didn't want to get dehydrated. So keep your head up, you so have got this and in about a month or so you will forget about this part, I promise! Good luck!

I haven't had my surgery yet but I have done a lot of research and tried a lot of different drinks to find the ones I like or can tolerate so that I am more likely to drink them. To me the one with the highest Protein and the best (when cut with water) was Isopure. Why not get your protein and fluids at the same time. A friend of mine had this done in May and her hardest part is also getting the fluids down.

My surgery is Jan 2 and I really appreciate everything I find on these boards as they are very helpful.

Redsoxygirl I am really happy that you are doing better.

Hi ! I'm a month out tomorrow and am still having a hard time getting enough fluids too. Not that they won't go down or they hurt' date=' but the problem is WANTING to drink. At 6 days out, the #1 thing is fluids. At 30 days out, fluids are just as important. Without Protein, you lose muscle, but without Fluid you lose way more so protein is secondary in my book. Muscle can be rebuilt. Dehydration will make you very sick and feel even worse ! A trip to the hospital for an IV isn't something anybody wants. The first couple weeks really were the hardest. Your body is still in "what the hell happened" mode and it's trying to decide how to deal with such a huge change. Most of us were told to never use a straw, but I've found that I take in less air (which makes things a little more comfy) using one. It's all about what works best for you. Please hang in there and try not to get discouraged. It really does get better <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote']

I 'm right w Liz. 5 weeks post as of yesterday. 1st week was tough. Fortunately my dr and nut just told me to concentrate on getting Water down and healing for first week. During that time I decided pain killers were the best invention ever. :-). I went of pain meds by about day 7 and by day 10 felt much better and was sipping Protein shakes. One I started those back had some of my energy return. Like Liz I found I do less air with a straw and am more likely to sip vs forgetting and taking a big gulp of water.

Now at 5 weeks out I feel great. Only discomfort I feel is when I eat something like dry like chicken and don't chew long enough. Get a pretty darn uncomfortable 'stuck' pressure feeling. I've lost about 29 lbs since surgery. And that is pretty darn thrilling.

So hang in there. Every day gets better. Keep sipping water or any fluids (bullion, Jello, Popsicles,...) that you can do.

You must constantly sip when you are not eating. Perhaps you need an acid reducer, so ask your doctor for a prescription one. They tend to be more effective than over the counter ones. i must say I never had any pain or nausea and never had any regrets at all. I am 10 months out and already at my goal. You will forget all about what you are going through now. When you start losing inches you will be so happy and will turn your focus on getting rid of those big clothes and buying some new ones. Then you also will be asking ourself why you didn't do it sooner. Some people just react to surgery differently than others, that's all. You will need to eat every couple of hours at first to feel full, and that is fine but you must drink constantly so you won't get dehydrated.

Red Sox girl, I sincerely hope you are doing better. Please update us. I appreciate all of the responses. I am scheduled for 11/23. I will make sure that I'm stocked with protein drinks and low cal and regular Gatorade.

OMG I am so glad I am not the only one who feels this way! I am 11 days out and very regretful...just taking it one day and demon at a time.

The only time i had any regret was the day of the surgery and after.Only because of the pain.Once i was passed the pain it was on like donkey Kong! Just try to have a positive outlook and attitude.I reminded myself that the doctor just installed a tool in me and now it was up to me to put it to use, not him!

Thank you all for the great advice. I am past my melt down stage and after 16 days I am back to work. I am not one to lounge and if I act miserable I know I will feel miserable. So back to worm I went. I feel great maybe a little tired rundown feeling but I expect that due to lack of calories. I'm getting clever with food choices since I'm still on soft and scared of my pouch leaking. I'm Dow. 25 pounds since the surgery. All in all I'm glad I did it but I sure do miss guzzling water. Thank you for your support!

Wow! I'm sure glad to hear that you feeling better!!! I have my appt. with my surgeon next week and post like this makes me think twice! Hope you continue to feel better!!

I felt the same way for the first few weeks or so after my sleeve.. I was like WTF did I do?! But I promise you it does get better!!! I am 8 months post and down 98 lbs so far and I feel amazing! You will feel better soon! Hang in there.

Yeah! So glad to hear you are doing better. Seems like most of the regretful posts turn out this way and I am glad you are one of them!!!! Looking forward to hearing of your ongoing successes!