Help Please

Had surgery (sleeve) last week. I am still experiencing difficulty getting anything close to 30 cc's every 15 mins. ( on average). From out of province and thought I could wait till Monday to call Nurse,Nut & Dr. @ WW Clinic but am becoming stressed out and wondering if I could/should do something before Monday. I experienced the normal amount of post op pain with no infection at incision sites and everything looks to be healing well. It is just the small amount of food and liquid (full liquids, sorry, that I am having getting down that is really worrying me). I am eating the Greek yogurt, drinking chamomile tea, baby food apricots pureed, veg. juices, Campbell's Soup veg. broth. I believe my choices are good it is just the amounts that are concerning. I cannot seem to get the recommended daily requirement in without the sensation of "being about to throw up". Any advice fellow members would offer would be very greatly appreciated. I really want to be successful in this stage of my journey and any help would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks very much.

I know how important it is to get in your fluids, but it's not always easy.  After my sleeve surgery I don't think I was able to get in all my liquids until at least a month out, maybe more!  I tried, but my stomach just wouldn't let me, I think this is normal.  Try your best, if you feel symptoms of dehydration, leg cramping, little to no urination, dry mouth, lightheaded, then I'd start to get a little worried, but in my opinion, don't stress about it so much.  Your intake will increase over time.  You can wait until Monday to call the clinic and talk to your nut but I know for sure I wasn't getting in my requirements (water, protein, calories etc) for a long long time.

Jill

Thank-you Jill! Greatly appreciate any advice you may have for me!

Try to stop worrying.  I am 1.5 weeks out and still getting the fluid or food is a struggle.  Cooper's Mom is righ****ch your urine.  If there are little or no signs of dehydration keep trying to get the fluids in.  The liquids have gotten better for me but it was well over a week before I noticed a real difference.  I did use a straw just because it was easier for me not to gulp and I found I was able to get more in that way.  Remember that all your 'other' food at this stage counts as liquids (well most of it anyways).  Have you had a BM yet?  There could be some build up there that needs to get out (pardon the gross factor).  I sent my NUT an email last week and he was way more focused on just getting fluids than anything else, I certainly am not hungry in any way shape or form but am looking forward to being able to chew something in a few days...lol

Oh P.S. I also found that sitting straight up helps a lot.

Keep up the good work!

 

I forgot to add, try not to force yourself to take in so much.  The "being about to throw up" feeling is definitely well past the point you should stop.  I remember being on full fluids and having a 1/2 tsp of yogurt and feeling full and stopping.  If you get yourself into the habit of forcing things in then that could continue and could lead to weight gain in the future.

Just take it easy, get in what you can (slowly!) and let yourself heal.

Jill

I agree with Jill. For the first 3 weeks of full fluids I was lucky if I was able to handle jello, watered down soup broth and Popsicles. I wasn't tolerating anything much until about 4-5 weeks out. I did end up getting dehydrated and had to go into the emergency room for fluids.
 My NUT told me that stress can make your sleeve tighter, and I know first hand it does, just relax, call on Monday and watch for signs of dehydration.

Good Luck.

Kee.

I even had troubles getting down my  Tablespoon of codeine in the beginning.

Two tablespoons of pudding or pea soup and I was FULL.

Your tummy is still very swollen and as tight as it is going to be.  In another two weeks you'll feel very different. 

Keep up the good work in trying to get it down and don't stress about the volume.

Sips through a straw more frequently than just trying to get a gulp down will probably get you further.

I think yo're doing great if you're eating the yogurt and babyfood.  That is awesome!  Keep it up.

Your yogurt, tea, soup, babyfood all count as liquids right onw....you are doing great :)

I had to stop focusing on the 30cc's every 15 mins- my sleeve was too tight and there was no way I was going to manage that. So instead, I would focus on a window of time and babyspoons- I would have 1 babyspoon of food every 3-5 minutes during a 20 minute window, which gave me time to evaluate if I wanted more or not. Most times I would only get in 4 or 5 spoons of whatever I was having and I would be ready to stop. At a week out, eating was a chore for me and now that I'm at 4 months out, I eating is easier but still I can only manage a tiny amount of food. You might be just like me and have a very tight sleeve, which makes the 30cc's a lot tougher.

Also, remember the information you get here and elsewhere is not the final word on YOUR sleeve journey. Don't be afraid to find out what works for you. Not to say adopting bad behaviour is a good idea, but adapting things to suit you is the only way to be a success.

Congrats on getting started with your sleeve. It is hands down the best thing I have ever done for myself.