Dehydration

I was sleeved in Lancaster PA on 2/2 this year. My husband and stayed in the area until the 2-week post-op check with the surgeon, then headed to Florida until the end of April. During those first 2 weeks, I had no trouble getting in my 8 cups of liquids (being on a full liquid diet helped, I suppose). I suspect now that I may still have been under the influence of anti-nausea meds I was given in the hospital.

We stayed in a rented cottage for 2 weeks in Jacksonville FL. Here is where I began to run into difficulties. It became more and more difficult to get enough liquids in. And with the addition of pureed foods came the injunction not to drink 15 min. before and for 45 min. after eating, so this further cut into the time I had to try to get liquids down. I was nauseated by the time we got to FL, and I could not force in enough liquids. Sometimes after a sip, I had to wait 5-10 minutes until my stomach was ready for the next one. One night I tried to push the liquid just a bit in order to get it down, but my stomach threw it and all I had drunk up to that point right back up.

I ended up going to the ER, where I was diagnosed with a dangerous kidney infection and severe dehydration. During the 30 hours I spent there, they gave me IV liquids and antibiotics. Then I was discharged with an oral antibiotic and the order to "Drink lots of fluids." As if I didn't spent nearly every waking moment trying to do just that!

We then drove down to Port Charlotte in southern FL. After a week on the antibiotic and struggling to get my liquids in (6 cups is a really good day), back to the ER today with severe dehydration. They plumped me back up with IV liquids and sent me home.

My big question: How in the world am I supposed to get all this liquid in? I'm nauseated most of the time when I'm drinking. Does anyone have any advice about how to get in 64 oz. of liquids a day? If I don't solve this soon, I'll be making weekly trips to the ER until .... when? My arms already feel like pincushions. Please don't tell me to just force it in -- I've tried that and it makes me vomit, literally.

psychoticparrot

Different flavors and temperatures can help. I had good luck with warm drinks, tea, broth, and SF cocoa. Maybe different flavors could help, sweet vs tart vs savory.

Are you still on anti-nausea medicine? If not, I would ask for a script for that. Does the nausea improve after the IVs? I do understand about the dehydration as I also ended up having to get IVs a couple of times. I know that after the 2nd time my surgeon was incredibly concerned and was talking about admitting me again if things didn't improve. One of the things that he was considering was dilating my stomach. Luckily, I did start to improve about the 5 - 6 week mark and managed to avoid the admittance and dilation. 

While I understand that you are not in the same area any longer as your surgeon, have you called and talked to them? If you are having this much difficulty I think they need to be aware. Perhaps they can offer some suggestions. 

No further anti-nausea meds once I left the hospital after the surgery. About a week ago, I sent my surgeon an email asking if I could have a script for that. he wrote back and said that nausea was part of "the healing process." So I'm not looking for help from that quarter.

Your 5-6 week threshhold gives me hope though. If I know there will eventually be an end to this, that's very encouraging.

If you do end up going back to the hospital for another IV (and I hope that is not the case) ask them for anti-nausea. Do you have a pcp that you could call and ask for a script? If nothing else, I think that I would be tempted to call one of the Care Clinics in a CVS/Walgreens type place and see if they would be willing to give it you. A local urgent care is another option. These aren't addictive meds; it should not be a struggle to get a script for one. SMH at your surgeon. 

One thing you may be overlooking is that your in Florida

and the heat and sweating are making you expend an awful lot of fluid..    

6 cups aren't gonna cut it, I know it's hard..maybe set a timer for every 5 min.

and sip,sip,sip or don't let tha****er bottle out of your hand..

don't worry so much about getting protein in that will come in time..

but I can't stress enough how much you need this water..hot,cold,flavored, unflavored..

Some of the symptoms of dehydration are extreme weakness and fever. I've been holed up in our air-conditioned condo since we got here with those symptoms. I haven't been outside at all except to go to the ER.

Believe me, no one knows better than I do at this moment how critical water is. Knowing that doesn't force liquid into an extremely reluctant stomach.

I would have been in the same boat as you post op if my surgeon hadn't happily prescribed me Zofran when I called him 5 days post op on a Saturday because I was so nauseous I couldnt drink. It helped so much. I highly recommend you continue to pursue that. 

I experienced the same thing 4 months out. It is extremely hard for me to get the water in. I like water and always drank a lot pre-surgery. Now I can barely get it in. My kidney infection was no joke. Super painful. Went to ER. They gave me antibiotics and IV fluids. The anti-nausea medicine really helped as the kidney infection caused me nausea. I have found that I drink more water when I have crushed ice in it and it is really cold. I can also drink more when I put Crystal Light Raspberry Ice. Other than that, I struggle to get it in. I do not want another infection so am trying to do better. Experiment with different types of liquid. Good luck

a ppi might also help , acid can make you nauseous  and anti-emetics  will do wonders

also try sf ice pops   they count as liquid