Getting enough liquids?

i am 4 days out from VSG. Had a lot of trouble with gas pains but that is finally abating. The current struggle is getting enough liquids in. Every sip is an ordeal- my stomach seems to lock up for a moment or so and I experience a wave of nausea. So it is quite a chore to get the 48 oz in. I cannot fathom how I will be able to actually eat. Any ideas or words of encouragement? (Btw my surgeon says to just concentrate on liquids now and worry about protein week 2)

Congrats on the surgery. Things will get easier. Your doctor is right ,- concentrate on fluids right now. Try taking smaller sips, or warmer fluids. I found broth was easier to swallow than cold water. Room temp water with flavoring.  Baby sips, like a tablespoon, to begin with every couple minutes (smaller sips more often). This will pass, its just your stomach recovering from the procedure. And don't use straws. Hang in there! ☺

I found that I could not handle cold liquids after surgery. Try drinking liquids at room temperature. Also, take very, very small sips at a time. The first week is the hardest, then things start to get easier once you start to heal. You just had major surgery so you need to give yourself time to adjust. Just check back in here for advice when you need it. We have been through what you have and will try to help you any way that we can. Hopefully others will have good advice for you. Get some rest and like your surgeon said, concentrate on the liquid. Don't worry about anything else, as you will be able to transition when the time comes.  Take care!      

You're doing fine and are on the mend. Every day you'll find that you'll be able to have a little more and will eventually be able to have your 64 oz a day. As for protein, you can add an unflavored protein powder to anything you drink or try a pre-made protein drink.  

Thank you all for the much appreciated words of encouragement 

I found that warm chicken broth was much easier to get down than cold drinks or water.  I couldn't tolerate sweet drinks at all, so I had no protein shakes.  So I had lots and lots of chicken broth with unflavored protein powder! 

try different drinks at different temperatures.  I hope you'll find something you can tolerate.

best wishes,

Carol

If, after 10 days or so, you're still struggling to drink enough liquid, you run a significant risk of dehydration, and believe me, it's no fun at all. Don't ignore the struggle; call your doctor and ask for Zofran or something similar to control your nausea. In the first month after my surgery, I was in the ER twice for severe dehydration. Terrible and dangerous thing to go through.

psychoticparrot

It looks like we had surgery on the same day!  Just keep trying to get tha****er in with very small sips--it has been getting better for me.  We've got this!! :) 

Hot chicken broth and herbal teas were my lifesavers during those first few days at home when my stomach was tender. I couldn't handle anything cold, and even room temperature liquids made my stomach hurt. What I did the first day home was take a sip and kind of let the liquid dribble down my throat, it seemed to go down easier that way than if I tried to drink normally.