Visited the ER yesterday.

For those of you who had positive suggestions and encouragement, I would like to say thank you. I am doing a little better with my fluids today. Went shopping and found a few different type of protein drinks to try, to hopefully be working on my protein as well. Figured if I can find a protein drink I can handle, I would be killing 2 birds with 1 stone, getting fluids and protein with each drink. Cross your fingers I found some drinks my tummy can be ok with.

Just a suggestion..If the regular shakes are too thick for you Atkins makes a protein drink called Lift. It was sweet to me, but it is thin like a Gatorade or Powerade. I think they have 3 flavors and I have gotten them at Walmart. I used them the first few weeks post op. Also you can go online and order a sample variety pack of Syntrax Nectar..they are protein drinks in flavors like roadside lemonade and fuzzy navel. They aren't as thick and creamy as some of the other shakes. There are some other brands as well, but those are 2 I tried and used. You could chill them and sip,sip,sip..that way you are hydrating and getting protein. As you get farther out and your tummy heals it will get easier to eat. Hope you feel better soon!

I got out today and went looking a several stores for protein drinks. I did find and buy the Lift drink you mentioned. I even like the flavor, such a plus at this point. After sipping about 1 oz, my tummy started putting up a fuss. It has been about 3 hrs since I had it, and my tummy is still feeling the nausea. I had 2 bites of chicken today also, my tummy did the same thing with the chicken and the Lift. Starting to wonder if I am having a problem with protein. Is that even possible?

It seems to me like you might be trying to advance your diet too quickly. While there are guidelines, we all vary.

Your main focus right now should be hydration. Once you've mastered that, work on adding protein in. Maybe the milky protein drinks aren't for you - have you tried Isopure? It's a clear drink that some people tolerate better than the milky drinks. You could also try protein powders from other protein sources like hemp, egg, or pea protein. Try protein powders and mix them with unsweetened almond milk - I really like Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate for whey protein.

I never liked the premade protein shakes. My body is much happier with protein powder that I mix myself.

Once you're tolerating liquids well, add in soft protein sources - yogurt, soft fish, etc.

Chicken breast, even now, is the hardest thing to put into my stomach. Try thighs instead.

This early out, it's really about experimentation as your stomach heals. Don't ru**** Just.. you've got to get your liquids in. Once you're mastering that, you can deal with the protein part.

For a non-milk protein, I also really liked the Syntrax Nectar powders right after post-op. I could mix them more dilute than standard and they were easier to get down than the milk based protein to start with. I would also freeze them into pops (Amazon sells ice-pop style ziploc bags that are awesome) because sometimes that worked better -- anything to get the fluids in and having protein was a plus. I personally never found a pre-mixed clear protein drink I liked, but there's a bunch out there, and you can buy singles of most of them at places like Vitamin Shoppe so you can try them before you sink a bunch of money into them. The Syntrax Nectar is also available in a variety pack of individual serving pouches, which is nice.

I diluted all my protein for the first several weeks. I'd put 30g in 32 ounces of water. It made it easier to tolerate, and also had me sipping until I fell over to make sure to get it. I used unflavored unjury protein for the first few weeks, and would mix with water, flavoring with Mio or squirty drink maker of choice.

Lift was pretty good. Isopure is also very good. Whey isolate is highly digestible so that will be easier for you to have. Try to use isolate of very good quality if you can.

Could she also drink like Propel water ?

Other people have given you great advice about fluids and protein. The only thing I can add is a suggestion about the potassium prescription... if you are having too much trouble with the horse pills (and ye gods are they HUGE), the prescription is available in a liquid. Mind you, the stuff is the definition of NASTY. When I was an ER nurse, we gave it often and mixed it in orange juice as that was the best to somewhat cut the nasty flavor... more orange juice diluted it better, but then it was more volume to drink. Mixing the 15 or 30 ml in about 4-6 oz of juice seemed to be optimal for the patient to be able to get it down quickly and keep it down. Don't know with your nausea and other issues if it would be better or not, but wanted to make sure you knew it was an option.

You'll also want to follow up with your doc and have your potassium checked regularly for a while. Too high is just as bad as too low, as it also messes up the heart's electrical conduction.

Thank you for your words of wisdom. I did have trouble with the HUGE pills, even broke them in half. Though it was difficult taking them, with what you are saying, it might be best that I just do the pill form. It is hard to do, but I keep them down. For the most par****er is my main source of intake right now. I did eat 1/2 of a small banana so far today. Unfortunately, once I try and eat something, it takes at least a couple hours before I can even tolerate drinking water again. I do have an appt. this afternoon with my surgeon, hopefully he can give me some answers/explanation to what is going on.

Saw my surgeon today. I go in for another swallow test tomorrow. Hopefully we can figure out what is going on. I can already feel myself going towards the dehydration side of things again. I am just trying to drink, setting the eating aside for now. Hopefully I can slow the dehydration down if nothing else.