Post-op? How do you know when your pouch is full?

Immediately after surgery, how do you get in your fluid? How can you tell whether your pouch is full or swollen from surgery or just gassy? I understand that sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference. Any tips? Watch out--This is probably the first of many questions!

Good question and don't worry about how many more you have coming, its ok!! First, you will feel really full. It won't take much at all. Also you will be really uncomfortable if you try to put to much in all at once. You could even end up getting sick. Much of the time especially early on its all a matter of timing to get in all you need to. I don't remember that I was even hungry for a while. Thats partly why it is very difficult to meet all the water and protein requirements in the first days especially. I know of others though that claim they do feel hungry. Second, its been awhile but I think in the first place your liquid protein and your "liquids" all count just about the same as liquid, while doubling as your protein when you drink the protein, but only while you are gradually trying to increase your amounts by doing both water and protein, and only for the very first few days you can actually get away with that (less than a week approx). I hope I didn't just confuse you with all that. It is important that you try to keep the water and the protein parts separate so you can get both things in the way you need to in the right amounts. You just have to gradually keep trying to increase the actual liquids-ie water- in between the real protein supplement. It is a job in itself especially when you do have to keep track of the amount of time before and after you are to have your protein and when you can only fit a little bit in at a time. I felt like in the first place there wasn't enough hours in the day to do it like I was told its suppose to be done, but I did manage to do it. Its like a transition time from the first day on with getting in all the water and protein. You will catch on real fast and find out what works for you along the way. I'm sure you will do fine. It will get a little easier when you have been doing is all for a little while. It does take some getting use to. I wish you the best. Take care and God Bless! Beth

Good answer Beth! Spoken like a tried-and-true post-op veteran! Jon

Beth, Thank you for taking the time for such a detailed explanation. It was very much appreciated! It helps to heare from those have been on this journey for awhile and have experienced so much of what I will be going through. Thanks again, Vivien

Viv: Here's what I found a year ago after surgery! You spend nearly your whole day working on getting in the water and protein. I set the timer on stove after I drank my water for the 15 minutes. Then I started with the protein and got in as much as I could. Then I set the timer for the 45 minutes you're supposed to wait after protein and started drinking the water again. Like Beth said, it's basically a job and you work at it all day! Exactly as MMPC said, I could do the four packets of protein by day 4. Never thought it possible on day one, but by day four, it was no problem. Getting in the water was simply something I kept working at and got in as much as possible. I also never felt hungry, but I knew I needed to nourish my body with the protein and worked hard at it! In the hospital they will give you a bunch of these little 1 oz. "cuplets". The second day they will give you some of the Carnation Instant breakfast and they want you to do 4 of those cuplets in a certain amount of time. It might have been a half hour or 40 minutes? I can't remember exactly. Anyway, you need to get that all down before they'll release you, so you'll know how to do it before you go home. If you have questions, ask the nurses, they are great and all of them work only on the Bariatric floor at Spectrum/Blodgett. I never really felt swollen that I can remember. I felt pretty good after surgery except for a little nausea when I got up to walk. I expected that to be worse since the last time I had anesthesia (1982) I got really sick on an outpatient treatment that they ended up admitting me. This was nothing like that! By the next day, I was up walking pretty well and by the time I went home there was just a little nausea left so I laid my head on a pillow on the way home. (That was an 1 and 15 minutes from the hospital since my hubby went on the slow side and tried to miss all the bumps in the road for me!) Have you taste tested the products from MMPC, yet? Get that bag full of all the items and find the ones you like best. It's the best buy you'll make so you know in advance what you like and don't like. Even though your tastes will change after surgery (for instance, I hated sweet things after) it still lets you know the things that will work best for you before surgery. You have to be on the supplements for 2 weeks, so you might as well make it the best 2 weeks you can! Ask any of those questions, that's why we're here. Let me know if you'd like the W. Michigan site too! Love, Pam