I had my lap band surgery 4 days ago and I am still unable to keep fluids down. Apple juice and jello are definitely not staying down. Gatorade and water will go down but in only very small sips. It will take me an hour to get 8 oz of gatorade down. Eventually I begin spitting up a foamy version of what I was drinking. When I wake up in the morning, I spend several hours spitting up the saliva that I swallowed during the night. When can I expect to be able to drink fluids and keep them down? I was told at the hospital that my stomach was swollen from the surgery. Anyone have a similar experience to me? Thank you.

Have you tried drinking warm or room temp liquids? They go down easier than cold. Try some warm weak tea....it is pretty soothing to a touchy pouch. Don't let this go on too long....you do not want to get dehydrated!!

I have been drinking all fluids at room temperature except the broth. They gave me tea in the hospital but it did not seem to go down much easier. My wife is making me soime warm tea right now so I'll give it a try. Another lady had surgery the same day as I did and she said she was able to gulp down her fluids because she forgot to sip the first time she drank fluids. Thanks again for your response. I greatly appreciate it.

Please call your surgeon.

When I was banded they didn't put any solution in the band, other than to check and make sure no leaks, but now I understand some surgeons leave a small amount in. Check with your doctor, sounds like he may have left too much in or you're terribly swollen, but you should be able to do liquids, otherwise how would you get your Protein. Don't assume it will pass, call your doctor.

Try some strained egg drop Soup...warm.

lshontz, you are really swollen right now. Just continue to sip your liquids. You may be swollen for a week or 2. Good luck.

My Dr. ordered a barium swallow before he would discharge me from the hospital. It was thick and strawberry tasting stuff, stood in front of a fancy x-ray machine and the Dr. watched it go through the band and into my pouch, then into my bigger stomach to make sure I could swallow.

Did they do that to you before you were released?

I was really tight right after surgery. I had to take to small sips and then wait a while. Drinking too fast made me PB. About a week and a half after the surgery I opened up some and I could actually drink a glass in less than an hour. Now I can actually gulp liquids if they are not overly thick and I am not having any problems with mushies either.

I have trouble keeping everything down and it's been 1 1/2 years