5 days post-op band to RNY conversion

Hello! I had my surgery on 6/7 and am now 5 days post op. I think I have just a few questions.

First of all, getting callories in has been hard...mostly because of having to time everything with a vitamin or a sip of water...and of course, lack of actual hunger helps. I read in a post just today that hydration counts more than calories right now...so if that's true, I'm not going to stress this too hard. I'd much rather be hydrated. Is the lack of calories and not meeting protein goals going to bite me in the butt in the long run? (Full disclosure, in the days I've been home I'm getting roughly 400 calories and 40 grams of protein per day. My goals are at least 600 calories and 60g protein)

As of this morning I'm back down to my pre-op, naked, post-peepee a.m. weight of 225. So my hope is that I can start seeing actual scale reductions after today. It was a big-fat-bummer to litterally not eat anything for several days and yet still have my weight up from the morning of the procedure. And I'm an old pro at this surgery thing...I know about surgical fluid retention and IV fluids and all that. But it's still a bummer when you see it on your own scale.

I've fallen madly in love with unjury protein powder mixed with anything NOT SWEET. I swear at this point I could go the rest of my life without ever eating a sweet item again (I'm certain this will pass). Seriously though...cream soup mixed with skim milk and unjury is so life changing right now...though I'm certain within the next couple of days I will never want to see that again, either.

Did anyone use an abdominal binder? I wish I had one for the last few days and I've ordered one off amazon but it will be a few days before it arives. In the mean time I'm using a boned waste trimmer...which is less comfortable but somewhat serving its purpose. I just felt so....I dunno...jiggly. I felt like my insides needed some support. Just me? I've used a binder before because I had excess skin removed 2 years ago and it was a post-op requirement FOREVER. Sadly I threw all my binders from that procedure away like 3 weeks ago. What stupid timing to make that purge-decision.

Has anyone found a wearable (like Fitbit or Garmin or whatever) that is perfect for WLS patients? I want something on my wrist to gently remind me to drink water, take my vitamin, eat, etc...so it needs a simple text display, a vibrate, and then all the added benefits of exercise tracking as well. I know I can do it with my phone, but I don't have my phone in hand all the time and keep it on silent/vibrate almost exclusively so it's not working for me the way a wearable would. Suggestions?

Thanks!

I'm a newbie - 6 weeks post op but I can answer the binder question. Yes, I did use one and found it very helpful in easing the pain for the first week or so. I also purchased a wedge for my bed on Amazon. Still using this. I liked the idea better than trying to sleep in a lounge chair and it has worked out well. Hang in there it will get better!

Hi! I didn't have a revision, just a straight up RNY at the end of March, but here's my input.

Yes- if you are not at your ideal weight, going low on calories the first month is normal, maybe advisable, certainly not going to hurt your long term success. Water is most important, then protein. Try to take in much of your calories/protein in the form of liquid to help you get more water in your diet. I found mixing unflavored protein powder with plain yogurt (first week) then with cottage cheese or yogurt was a easy way to get my protein in while also getting in some nutrition. My bariatric team also assured me that sugar free jello counted as liquid so I tried to mix a berry flavor with cottage cheese (to reduce the sweet) a few times a week.

Protein will help reduce feeling run down, it will help you with fuzzy thinking post surgery, it will protect your tissues from being consumed, and MOST IMPORTANTLY it will provide the building blocks needed to physically heal from surgery. By physically heal, I mean it provides the building blocks for your body to create the tissue that fills in your incisions, and replaces the initial scar tissue with smooth functional cells. Without protein your body can't heal. Normally a body will pull apart other tissue (muscle mass, brain cells, organ tissue) but if it's under significant stress it will just not heal. So push yourself to get protein up to the 60g recommended.

I was lucky and was given a binder in the hospital (it was on me in post-op). I used it more for holding an ice pack against my larger incision than for support, but it did help a lot. By the end of the first week it was less helpful, I don't think I used it after the second week, although I would hold pressure on the larger incision (up against my ribs - the spot where they pushed through larger tools like the stapler) as I got into and out of bed.

Also, for what it's worth, about day 5 I got a very sharp, stabbing, terrible pain about 2" to the left of my belly button, not near an incision. It really worried me, and it seemed to get the worst about 30 minutes after I ate or drank. Turns out that in many surgeries, they will tack the "Y" location of your intestine to the abdominal wall to prevent it from twisting or kinking post surgery. Occasionally there is a nerve at or near the tack location and as the stitch tugs as food moves through the intestine it causes the stabbing pain. The good news is that there is nothing bad happening, and after a few days or weeks, the body adjusts, the stitch heals and you no longer feel this.

I have a Samsung phone, so I use the Samsung Fit2 watch. It's great!

Good luck!

I just remembered a few more questions:

• I'm super spacey...not remembering too much from the last 5 days. Normal?
• I'm super emotional....happy and sad crying jags keep happening. I had a complete hysterectomy 3 years ago, so not sure what hormonal shift has been caused by this surgery. Did this happen to anyone else?
• To go along with the spacey comment above, I've once again forgotten my other questions. I'm sure they will come back to me...

I remember now! Poop! I'm 5 days post-op but still haven't pooped. In the hospital the surgeon said it could take a week so I'm not worried yet. I have passed gas....and until 2 days ago I had only consumed clear liquids so not a surprise that nothing was coming out. But now...now I kinda really would like to go (I feel a little bloatey in the lower intestines).

Is it too early for Milk of Magnesia?

Strike the poop-related question. That one has answered itself.

I am 5 days post op too from Ontario. I can totally relate. I know I am not getting in what I am supposed to, but am trying. Pain and nausea are up and down. No vomiting. I take frequent naps and my emotions are all over the map...mostly irritable and sad. I know this is early days and things will get better, but the struggle is real now. Oh and I am bloated as well...I feel like I look bigger than pre-op. No poops and very little gas. The surgeon said my large bowel was full during surgery so I think I will feel better when bowel function returns. I started to take lax-a-day to help move things along...nothing yet! Rant over...glad to know I am not the only one going through this!

CrystalLight Did you have to do a bowel prep the day before surgery? I did and I could tell it wasn't "complete" and kept warning staff that there may be an unavoidable accident...but nothing ever happened. But because it wasn't complete I assumed I would have gone before yesterday. But...I guess I don't need to worry now as I went 2-3 times yesterday after my post. no worries about constipation right now...I can check that off the list.

The emotions thing is NUTS...and I am 95% certain part of it is that they discontinued the Cymbalta I take while I was in the hospital and I have not reinstated it because it's actually hard to get off of, I was on the lowest dose anyway because it didn't significantly work for my chronic pain as promised...so the emotinal roller coaster could be from that alone. Except that my understanding is it takes a while to really feel the withdrawl of that med, so maybe this is not related at all. All I know is that I haven't felt like crying every day over every stupid sad OR happy moment in years. It's a strange return of uncontrollable emotions. I cried for an hour last night over the perceived state of my marriage. Just typing this is making me cry again.

I'm still clocking super-low on the calories and protein. But I got a fair amount of water in yesterday so I feel really good about my hydration.

Hope today is better for you with positive steps forward!

No bowel prep. I am passing a little gas but so bloated. Weighed myself 1st time since pre surgery and down just over 12 pounds...imagine when I poop lol

They kept me on my Trazadone which I take for sleep and mood so no changes there. I think the emotions are just from the major change, detoxing and perhaps the actual surgery had an effect on hormones.

Hang in there girl. Imagine how good we are going to feel in a few weeks!!

Don't worry about calories and protein now - as you said, stay hydrated. Take sips of water, of protein drinks that you can tolerate (there are ready to drink shakes like Premier Protein, or also clear drinks that some people like better such as Isopure). I was at 300ish calories per day for the first week or two after my RNY, but I made sure to get in at least 60 oz of liquids (water, crystal light, protein drinks) per day. I think 600 calories a day is too high at this point, or at least that's what my plan said. Being at 40 g of protein right now is perfectly fine, according to my plan. Just keep sipping!

I was also super sick of sweet things after my two week pre-op and two week post-op liquid diet. I tried Unjury chicken soup flavor protein powder and it was awesome. I would also make chicken broth and add in unflavored powder. Once I got to soft foods, I had quite a few meals of part-skim ricotta cheese with italian seasoning added in (just to make it savory).

I only used a binder after my lower body lift, not after RNY. But if having something wrapped tightly around you helps, go for it :)

I have a FitBit One that I clip on my bra but I don't have it tell me about drinking or vitamins. I use patchMD vitamin patches so I don't have to space out the pill swallowing anymore. At 3.5 years out, I remain vigilant about not drinking with meals or for 30 minutes after - it becomes a habit.

Good luck!