I'm struggling getting enough clear liquids in and already messing up day 1 as I thought protein was more important.

When I sip the clears too quickly I get a pain the middle of my chest that radiates outward.

I'm wondering how best to time this. Sure I can gradually sip, but it's prefer to just take half an ounce at a time if possible.

You may need to try an oz an hour until you can gradually work on your intake

You have to go slowly at first. I remember taking a tiny sip every 5-10 minutes. 1/2 ounce would have been way too much. Fluid is your first priority.

6 hours ago, AZhiker said:

Fluid is your first priority.

Absolutely. Lack of fluids is what will put you back in the ER. It can take weeks to hit your protein goals.

I'm 5 days post op and had the same problem. I was so thirsty. I had to learn to take a tiny sip, put my bottle down, count to 15 then take another sip. Another thing that really helped was adding half coconut water, a quarter Zero Powerade and the rest water so I would get electrolytes. I am able to get 45 oz water and 1 protein shake in so far. My struggle is that I can't stand the sweet protein shakes. 1 week left until soft food. Looking forward to eating fish again. This has been a journey but I know I will be ok.

9 hours ago, tahoetwin said:

I'm 5 days post op and had the same problem. I was so thirsty. I had to learn to take a tiny sip, put my bottle down, count to 15 then take another sip. Another thing that really helped was adding half coconut Water, a quarter Zero Powerade and the rest water so I would get electrolytes. I am able to get 45 oz water and 1 Protein Shake in so far. My struggle is that I can't stand the sweet Protein Shakes. 1 week left until soft food. Looking forward to eating fish again. This has been a journey but I know I will be ok.

If you hate the sweet drinks, try bone broth.

10 hours ago, tahoetwin said:

I'm 5 days post op and had the same problem. I was so thirsty. I had to learn to take a tiny sip, put my bottle down, count to 15 then take another sip. Another thing that really helped was adding half coconut Water, a quarter Zero Powerade and the rest water so I would get electrolytes. I am able to get 45 oz water and 1 Protein Shake in so far. My struggle is that I can't stand the sweet Protein Shakes. 1 week left until soft food. Looking forward to eating fish again. This has been a journey but I know I will be ok.

I tried Premier Protein preop and thought it would be great. I bought 3 cases of it when it was on sale at Costco. Then post op it tasted so sweet I couldn't stand it -like chocolate syrup. I had hubby take it all back to Costco! Then a couple of months later it was fine again and he had to bring more home. I think the taste buds do a big flip after surgery and a lot of things taste different. But hang on to your protein drinks for now - you may be able to tolerate them better in a few weeks.

As mentioned, bone broth is a great fluid - I personally did not like the beef, but the beef/turkey/chicken was great. It's got a good deal of protein as well. Once you get to soft or pureed, mix some refried beans into the bone broth.

You can also try thinning your protein drink with some soy or almond milk. Soy has more protein.

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone.

I was actually asking for a medical/scientific point of view, if you ingest an ounce of fluid, how long would/could/should it take to empty out of your stomach?

Honestly, fluid empties quickly. Less than 5 mins for sure.

I take 1-2 oz every 15 mins. I'm up to my 64. Tbh I haven't been able to sleep past 5am so I've been up sipping since then since post op.
I use mi0 too and it's a life saver