What's they don't tell you about post op...

my doctors gave us a "bariatric bible" containing every question we would possibly ask. 

They forgot perhaps the most memorable item... The gas pain. The mini gurgles and explosions taking place in your gut that feel very similar to contractions! 

Also the the water retention- they put you on so many fluids and limit you to mostly the bed and you end up weighing 15-20lbs more than you did preop!! Talk about frustrating. 

Oh and at my hospital liquid diet contains this nasty diabetic jelly (kinda like jello). And chicken broth. Every single meal. No tea or clear sugar free juice or Popsicle. Nope. So yeah... Be prepared. I thought by living on these boards that perhaps o would learn everthung I would ever want to know and boy wd I wrong!

I am hoping once I get realease and home I can funally start to flush the water weight out (which is hard since I can only do it through a teeny tiny pouch. 

Umm you are retaining fluid because they pumped your full of iv's, it will be peed out just like normal.  I hope you don't really think it is all in your pouch.  The gas pain you mention is the result of trapped gas that occurs with any lap abdominal surgery, it can be walked off, walking is key, get up and get going if you want that gas gone.  As for your diet, every protocol is diffferent, I ate nothing, we had to drink a protein drink before we could leave the hospital.  I can assure you I never ate a drop of jello, which has zero nutritional value and full of dye.  Everything you mention was brought up at the pre-op hospital meeting we had prior to surgery. Every protocol is different and some just much better and more informative then others.

Good Luck.

I am not stupid then pouches the size of a Walnut. However for Nero gain nearly 20lbs in two days is baffling! Especially when I read nothing about it before hand! The gas too. No one said anything about it but it just steamed passes contractions as one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. Iwant to go home so ican walk but my hospital is busy today and get my nurse in here to disconnect me so I can pee takes nearly an hour. 

Welcome to the other side, and hope you get out soon. For me I had one bad day of gas pain and then most of it was gone. Remember fluid weight gain, is not weight gain. Flushing it out has nothing to do with the size of your pouch... you are going to be in the bathroom a lot...  When I got home the sugar free popsicles were my light at the end of the tunnel... at least they were frozen liquid.

Good Luck!

I would kill for any liquid that is not soup or jello. Yuk. 

For lap surgery they 'blow you up ' with gas. Sitting in bed, pretend you are swimming. The movement of your arms help release the gas. I hope in time you come to realize you are so blessed to have the chance at a new life :-) 

I get how blessed I am Igace been working towards this over a year. It's just frustrating to keep realizimg negative after negative. Obviously with major surgery somethingnwouls be expected but this is a lot more extreme than I inagine as far as pain and gas and more. Hopefully the tool will work in the end but when your on day three at the hospital you have a very hard time finding a silver lining.

I had seen a lot of posts about the gas pains and fluid so knew what to expect.  Both will pass (in different ways ;-)  Walk as much as you can.  Why are you limited to bed?  

You are fresh out of surgery and the lack of food is protecting your brand new stomach.  You have some recovery to do, so don't be hard on yourself for the fluid gain.  Everyone experiences it and it will be gone in a few days after you are off the IV, all on its own.

A Nurse has Tk walk with me and there aren't even nurses avaible to take ur pee let alone on a walk. I should be out soon. Hopefully 

Oh wow.  I just grabbed my IV pole and explored the halls of the hospital.  Hope you get released soon.