Second day home... this is REALLY hard!!

I had the sleeve with a hernia repair Monday. Was home Tuesday night...they almost didn't send me home since I couldn't drink much of anything. Yesterday and today have been progressively better. Today I'm off the Oxycodone and can drink a little more...but am no where near the amounts they are suggesting. I'm probably at 20 oz of fluids and 10 g of protein.

I have to say, you can read everything about this and be as prepared as possible, but nothing prepares you for going through this! I'm having serious buyers remorse, even though I know this will get better. What an emotional roller coaster!!

Am curious to know how long it gook for you to be able to hit your fluid and protein goals? Any other suggestions on getting fluids in? Were you prioritizing protein over regular fluids?

And thank you all for posting replies here... this is an amazing community and a godsend!

Lisa

As soon as I was allowed to drink fluids at home, I was able to meet the minimum goal of 64 ounces of fluids per day.  

Fluids are more important than protein at this stage.  You need to stay hydrated or you could end up back in the hospital.

Your sleeve is swollen and it is difficult to get more than a small sip in at a time.  You have to sip sip sip sip and then sip slowly all day long.  I can't stress enough how important it is.  I've seen several people on OH not get enough fluids in after surgery and end up in the ER to get hydration.

Keep in mind that all fluids count towards your 64 ounce goal.  That includes jello, sugar free popsicles and your protein shakes.  Every little bit helps!  

Hang in there.  It gets better.

Definitely chose fluids 1st. All fluids count! Popsicles jello soup protein drinks water anything you can get down. it will keep you out of the hospital. Just make it your full time job right now. You are doing great - already reaching out for help. Amazing YOU is in your future.

Hi Lisa....my sleeve buddy!! I came home yesterday and it was a rough day for me.....also had lots of buyers remorse, but as I knew it would hit, I did my best to keep talking myself out of it......in all honesty, I was only partially successful, but I kept on trudging along. 

I had a hard time getting in enough fluid for them to let me go home, but I simply did not want to spend another night in the hospital being awakened in the middle of the night for vitals and then getting stuck with needles again and again.....I look like a purple speckled person....nice color, but I'd prefer it on a dress, not my arms and hands (I bruise easily).....and the purple dress I'm going to get WILL be a small size!!!

I haven't taken any pain meds since Tuesday - I think they gave me Tylenol in my IV on Wednesday morning, but that's about it.....I'm not happy with how I feel when I'm dopey and pain meds tend to make me nauseous. I think most of the gas is gone (I've been working on getting it out in both directions - what an accomplishment!!). Whatever pain I have left, I believe is from the hernia repair....none of my incisions are hurting...just the big one is tender if I touch it....so, therefore, I won't touch it.

Today I've been working on fluids....so far I've gotten in about 20 oz of water, 3 oz broth, about 3 - 4 oz of protein drink (watered down as my doctor told me to do) and maybe an oz of jello.  It seems to be getting a bit easier, so the buyer's remorse might actually go away.

I'm down 4 pounds since Monday and that feels really good. The one problem I have is that I can't wear a bra and I'm really wanting to go outside.....if it were winter, I'd put on a coat and go.....but I don't want to scare the neighbors....LOL. I have to go through my drawer and find an old bra that I can cut out the underwires....that should work. My friend is going to pick me up during the day and I'll sit by her pool for a few hours....and walk around (today I've been lazy about that and that's NOT good).

I'm watching the baseball game....and my team is slamming the other guys, so I'm happy. Going downstairs shortly to have some broth (hot goes down easily) and will stay downstairs for a while so that it's more likely I'll walk around. Will try to get in as much fluid as possible before I hit the pillows for tonight. Might take a half of the pain meds to help me sleep tonight.

May go out for "dinner" with my honey tomorrow night.....I'll watch him eat and I'll sip on broth.......sounds like fun! But I'll be with him and that'll feel good.

Keep your chin up........we can do this! You are absolutely right about this board........these people Rock!!!!

Lisa, congrats on being home and sleeved!!   Just keep sipping sweetheart, it gets easier.   I ate popsicles, drank broth, protein shakes.   It might feel like a job now, but its worth it!

I know it's hard right now, but the key is sipping all day long....as everyone says it will get better and the buyers remorse will disappear.

Hang in there.

Hi Lisa,

I had my sleeve done on Friday and came home Saturday, so I'm just a few days ahead of you. My goal is to drink 48 oz of clear fluid each day. So far I've been able to meet that goal, but just barely. I'm gauging if I'm getting dehydrated by the color of my urine. It has been clear to very light yellow, so that's a good sign. 

Tomorrow I will have my first post-op checkup, and I expect to receive the green light to progress to full liquids. This means I can start to incorporate milk, protein drinks, etc. I don't believe I will be tracking how many grams of protein I'm getting. Instead the main goal will continue to be getting enough fluids. After two weeks of full liquids, I can have puréed food, and that's when I'll start tracking grams of protein. 

Every day has been getting a bit easier, but my largest incision still hurts and I have some ugly bruises on my abdomen. 

Keep up the hard work. What works for me is measuring 4 oz of liquid at a time and checking off a box each time I empty my cup. I would feel overwhelmed if I was looking at a full glass of liquid. 

I think one day in the hospital really is not long enough.  I was in for 4 days to be sure I could get my fluids in.  I also found tha****er was the hardest to get in.  You don't realize how dense it is.  I drank a lot of Hot Tea.  or try adding some crystal light to the water, it does lighten it.  At this point don't worry about how much your getting in or your protein.   Right now concentrate on staying hydrated, that is the most important,  get some sugar free popsicles.   each day will get easier.  it really will. 

Lisa,

Take a deep breath and remember why you did this and relax in it.  I also had the sleeve and hernia repair.  It took me 2 1/2 weeks to be able to get in all my fluids but I was able to get at least 60 grams of protein from day 3.  The biggest issue I had was pain in my thoracic spine (up near my bra strap).  I thought it was trapped gas and teased my surgeon that I thought they dropped me.  But I believe it was just coincidence that I was having back issues 2 days after surgery.  Went to my chiropractor for a few weeks and everything is fine now.  I never did have buyer's remorse - I didn't experience the emotional rollercoaster that I've heard from so many.  I did have that right after I had a c-section - and when that happened, I recognized that I was being flooded with emotion. So I just kind of put myself on automatic pilot for the first week and intentionally distracted myself with a sit-com, et****il I could get through it.  Keep your eye on the prize and mimic behaviors of others here who have been successful. (800 cal / 75+ protein / 64+ water / carbs

My doctor and nutritionist told me to prioritize fluids first, then protein. I even brought up my protein concerns to my nut, and she said that if I could get one protein shake down over the course of the day (I was drinking Pure Protein cans, which have 35g of protein in them), she'd be happy, but that fluids were the most important. I'll reiterate what someone else here said--even if the "fluids" you're getting aren't full liquid (ie popsicles, Jell-o, etc), they still count as fluids because they'll turn to liquid as soon as they warm up enough and will keep you hydrated. The same goes for broth--it's primarily water, so it counts as a fluid. 

Best of luck to you, and remember that right now is the hardest time. You're going to get sick of what you're eating, you're going to get frustrated with it, and you're going to want to cray and chew something really, really badly at some point, but this only lasts for about a month. We've all gone through it and it will make your stomach stronger. Don't be afraid to cry or vent--this is hard! You can do it though--remember that we're here for you!