Hey there,

So I am officially a week post op and I have noticed I am not drinking ANYWHERE near the amount of fluids I should be intaking.

The first few days I was able to at least get down one Protein shake a day, maybe 16oz of Water and 4oz of Soup. As of the last 3 days I have barley gotten down 3 full water bottles in those days all together-maybe a few sips of Protein Drink and soup. All my Protein shakes that I liked at first I can't stand anymore--to sweet, so I am trying the flavorless but I still have to mix it with something.

My real qualm is it still really hurts if I don't teeny tiny sip (Like not even enough to wet my mouth--then I am full for the next 4 hours). I guess I am wondering if at this point post op is it normal to still be having trouble getting liquids in and still having pain if I take a smaller sips. I go for my post op appointment on Nov 3, and I have so far lost 13lbs, but I am worried that I am getting dehydrated or not healing right (Over worked brain, I just worry a lot).

Did anyone else have an experience like this? Any tips or tricks?

Thank you so much!

Perfectly normal. You need to stick to that teeny tiny sipping. Especially while your tummy is still healing. What I did to balance things out was have Protein shakes for Breakfast, lunch and snack if necessary, then have soup with unflavored Protein powder for dinner and maybe herbal tea as my evening snack. I needed to balance that sweet out with the savory each day. Anytime I was not drinking protein I sipped Water.

I suck at getting in my liquids too. Just focus on your Proteins and getting in as much other liquids, to include Water, that you can. I add MIO drops, Crystal Light, add clear Isopure, etc. to sip on between meals. It is tough, my doctor already can tell from my labs that my water levels could be better. It is normal.

Just keep trying.

I really do want to know everything that you are sharing. This is good to know. Because when you read in the books to expect pain, it is not the same as hearing your actual experiences. It is hard to imagine otherwise. I am scheduled to have Roux en Y and I have no idea whether the post-op discomfort is the same/more/less. But, after reading your comments I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the same experience you are having.

Thank you so much...please keep sharing.

The first few weeks after surgery is rough. You may not meet your Protein and Fluid goals. But keep trying. For fluids you might try other fluids. I switched to Crystal Light. Later I found fine English teas were good. Then when it turned cold, a cup of hot cocoa (no sugar added) with no fat or low fat milk was good. The liquid in Soups also counts towards your daily requirement. Even the Water that you use to swallow your Vitamins counts towards your total. So don't get too discouraged. Experiment!

I really do want to know everything that you are sharing. This is good to know. Because when you read in the books to expect pain, it is not the same as hearing your actual experiences. It is hard to imagine otherwise. I am scheduled to have Roux en Y and I have no idea whether the post-op discomfort is the same/more/less. But, after reading your comments I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the same experience you are having.

Thank you so much...please keep sharing.

Keep in mind not everyone experiences pain. I had zero pain, gas, etc.... Stay positive!

I had pain for the first 10 days and bloating just as long. Walking definitely helped, but the GasX helped a lot too in the first 5 days. I really had to watch the soup because of the salt content. I retained 7 pounds of Water after the surgery so I mostly sipped water all day and used the isopure powder to get my Protein in.

sugar free popsicles. They gave me one with every meal in the hospital and now I use them as part of my Fluid intake.

I second sugar free popsicles. They are a life saver. The first year I was eating about 6 a day. They helped with the pain.