4 days post op

First of all, WHY didnt anyone tell me how painful this would be. OH MY GOD!! Anyway, I am not hungry at all, so its very hard for me to eat or should I say drink everything that they have told me to drink especially for the protein. Can anyone tell me what to buy with the least amount of volume, with the highest protein, and with the best taste. Is there anything out there?

Hi Linda. I'm sorry to hear that you're in pain, but happy to see you are surviving. I had a lot of extreme pain after my lap band and I regretted it often as well as nearly losing my mind. Something to keep in mind with the protein drinks is that you have a limit to how much your body will absorb at one time due to malabsorption and the normal absorption limits of the body. This varies with size, but most RNYs won't absorb much more than 20 grams of protein at a time, so finding some "super high" in protein might still leave you lacking for the day. Look at the ads to the left, this PROFECT stuff is like taking a small dose of cough syrup, less than 3 oz and thin. You can find stuff like this at GNC. The thing to keep in mind is that if you need 60 grams (example), it's still better to only take 20 grams at a time cause anything else is going to be eliminated or stored and could still use your muscles lacking. I'm a big dairy consumer and as soon as allowed, I mixed it up with milk, sugar free hot chocolate milk and other drinks with milk and yogurt. I hate the tastes of most protein drinks and the first set I drank after surgery caused an allergic reaction. I use Juice Plus Complete now once a day, but it's more of a meal replacement than a high protein drink. It gives about 13 grams of protein, but I mix it with milk and I'm right back to the 20 grams without the yucky tastes. I wish you well in your search and encourage you to just keep "sipping along." Onward! Frances

Hi Linda, sorry your are having pain, everyone's experience is different, I hurt worse with my gallbladder surgery, then gastric bypass, It is hard to eat when you are not hungry, but it is important, just try different things, and see what works best for you, I use to eat instone pudding, when i could eat that, and it has 20grams of protein, im with frances on the amount, i use to get the gladitor at smoothie king, and it has 50grams of protein, but i was told your body can only metabolize about 20grams in one sitting, so it didn't do me any good to drink the whole thing, good luck! and i wish you a speedy recovery! rhonda

Thanks for all the advise, I will try the things you suggested and let you know how it goes. Dr Hargroder said my gallbladder was fine so he did not take it out but let me tell you this pain on my left side is something else. What could it be? Im a nurse and I dont know...I feel so helpless. Anyway, just gonna try to rest, rest, rest, and drink as much protein as possible. Keep me in your prayers. Thanks a bunch.

Hi Linda.I'm sorry that you are having so much pain.I can relate though as I also hurt alot after surgery.I'm a nurse too-*hearing the song--It's a small world after all playing in the background* I asked my surgeon the question about the pain on the left side,his explanation is that most of the work for the bypass occurrs on the left side and that's why it hurts more in that area.

i had pain on the left side and my doctors said it was where they put the staple gun inside of me and it would be more painful. it will soon pass denise

Wow, Linda, I was the only "non-nurse" *****sponded here. Rhonda is one of BR's finest angels of mercy. I'm not a nurse ... I just play one on TV. I hope today is better. Frances

Hi i'm pre-op..Is it really that painfull?What kinda pain?Is it constant?Almost everyone i talk to say it's not painfull at all..I thought that was really weird, considering it is a major surgery.Mostly seems people complain of gas pain.

Profect

Oh no, you're scaring me. I'm pre-op and my surgery is scheduled for September 21, 2006 with Dr. Andrew Hargroder also. Keep us up to date...I may back out before 9/21/06.