Surgery went well

I had a revision from lap to RNY on 1/5/09.  It was lap and it only took 1 1/2 hours.
Dr. Barba did a wonderful job  and everything went fine. He discharged me from the hospital on 1/7/09 and have tons of questions.  Now... I know every body is different but I am always open to suggestions.  It seems that when I have cold drinks my chest and back get a little pressure, also I find it difficult to drink the amount of liquids I am supposed to.  I don't feel hungry and I could really just not eat but I know I have to and I do.  I am not "jumping" up and down with energy but try to also move around the house.  How much did you exercise when you came back home from the hospital, were you able to drink everything they asked you?
Please share your experiences with me.
Thank you

I hated anything too cold. It all had to be room temp for me or it hurt. I know I got most of my fluids in since my shakes counted but once I stopped drinking those I had problems. I even ended up in the E.R. a few times for dehydration. I think it was October when I started geting 1 1/2 to 2 liters of water in. I didn't feel up to doing much when I first came home. I was lucky I made it upstairs once a day for my shower.

Hi,
I am lurking on the CT board, as I am a Yankee at heart, I grew up in CT and still have many relatives that live there.

I am a little over 3 months post op and I definately see a difference when I drink cold water. I try to stick to room temp water. My pouch appreciates it much better.
 
I didn't feel hungry after surgery either but did the best I could.  At my one week post op appt.  my surgeon asked how I was doing with the protein drinks and I told him I was having difficulty getting them down. He didn't seem to care too much about that, as long as I was drinking water and taking my vitamins. It does get a lot easier to eat around the 4-6 week mark. I didn't exercise at all at first. I went back to work after 2 weeks and I do alot of walking there so that was my exercise....lol. I have lost 63 lbs. since surgery. I hope this helps.  

Take care and God bless,

Nancy

It is probably a good idea to keep your liquids cool but not really cold or too hot either as that may bother your pouch. It is hard in the beginning to get all the fluids in, just keep your drink with you so you can sip through out the day. As for exercise, when I came home from the hospital I just made sure I got up and took a walk around the house at least every 1-2 hours when I was awake, be sure to take deep breathes too. Walking and deep beathing helps prevent post op complications like pneumonia and blood clots. As you start to feel better you will start to increase your exercise and walking is the best and least stressfull in the early post op period.

You are only 6 days post op from major surgery, so what you are feeling is normal. It takes time to regain your stamina and energy. Watch the color of your urine, it will give you an idea if you are drinking enough fluids. Urine should be clear, pale yellow, if it gets real dark colored it could be you are not taking in enough fluids, you also should be going a normal amount, may be even more frequent since you will be getting rid of the IV fluids you got in hopsital.

All the best,

Sher

thank you for your replies. Today is my week aniversary from my operation and it is significant the improvemnet I have made.  I can walk much better now and drinking a little better (still struggleing with the protein shake). I will start with soft foods next friday. Any suggestions?

In reality, your pouch is way up near your chest, so feeling the coldness there and towards the back is normal...dry to keep things at room temp for now while you are healing.  Remember you have many staple lines there that are healing.

Also, don't gulp your liquids down...sip sip sip it all over a long period...you should be taking in your liquid meal in about 15-20 minutes by sipping it.  The other liquids you need to get in are the ones you should be slowly sipping all day long...

It's great that you are getting up and around. It keeps the blood flowing so you won't get a clot and is getting your metabolism up and running.  Also getting the anesthesia out of your system. 
You shouldn't feel hungry at all at this point.  Your pouch is SO tiny that it fills up and you're satisified, plus, the satiety center of your stomach is not being used any more and isn't there to tell you you're hungery and or full.

Try to walk a little longer each day and you'll get up to longer distances and faster speeds in no time.

Are you on mushies yet?  I loved that stage cause it was finally something to savor other than a sweet shake (though, I loved my bouillion chicken broth with unflavored unjury protein in it for my salt craving and also to keep my BP level, I ran low all the time and got dizzy)...There are many things you can mush up and have, like tuna fish, chicken from can or moist chicken that you make and cooked ****tail shrimp mushed up with a hand blender and with ****tail sauce...my version of a shrimp ****tail and it was my favorite...cottage cheese too...you'll enjoy it.  small tiny amounts...i bought a pack of 10 or so reusable baby spoons in the baby dept at Walmart to make sure I took tiny, tiny bites.

Rest up and good luck!
paula