Am I Doing Something Wrong Post Op?
Hi all!
i had VSG on 2/17/15. I have had zero nausea from day one and after only a couple of days, I do not feel any restriction or pain when i drink liquids. I also don't feel full. I can drink with no problems whatsoever and I am constantly feeling thirsty, so I can drink more than the 2-4 oz /per hour liquid requirement with no issues whatsoever. I am hitting my daily 60gms of protein goal with the shakes. I am on the 1 week post op liquid diet and I am allowed to eat applesauce and baby food prunes with medication. I could eat both containers likely with no problem if I allowed myself to, but I didnt.
i had been having pain, but it is minimal now and mostly is just in a couple of the incision sites on my left side, as well as some lessening back pain, most likely from gas.
obviously these seem to be good things, but I am becoming worried because my stomach is growling and I feel hungry, plus drinking liquids has been no problem for me whatsoever. Am I doing something wrong? Why am I not feeling super full and not having a hard time getting liquids in? Shouldn't I feel overwhelmingly full? And why is my stomach growling with pain in the mornings when I wake up? I really want this tool to work. Please tell me what is going on because I am concerned that my stomach isn't small enough or something .
Life is what happens to you while you?re busy making other plans. ?John Lennon
HW: 380 SW: 324 GW: 175
on 2/21/15 10:12 pm
If you are still only drinking 2 oz an hour no wonder you are thirsty. You are probably dehydrated. The hunger pains are in your head. They removed the section on the stomach that contains the hunger hormone. Plus they cut the nerves so you have no sensation. It's just in your mind.
"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue." --- Dorothy Parker
"You may not like what I say or how I say it, but it may be just exactly what you need to hear." ---Kathryn White
The amount recommended by my Bariatric dietician is 2-4 ounces per hour or 1 ounce every 15 minutes. I am drinking more like 3 ounces every 15 minutes, or 12 ounces an hour. This is much higher than recommended, but I just want to make sure I'm not doing any harm by drinking too much. It seems that it takes other patients 15 minutes to get an ounce down, whereas for me, it really is easy. I just want to make sure that I'm not abnormally "okay".
I am measuring all my protein shakes and getting in the amount of protein suggested by the dietician.
I guess I am just worried because it's so easy for me that I want to make sure others have experienced the same thing as me. My body isn't rejecting anything and I'm just maybe worried too easy means I'm not doing something right.
the tummy growling that I am getting is physical. I can feel it and hear it. If they are not hunger pangs, then what could the be? Acid? It's quite painful in the mornings when it does happen.
Life is what happens to you while you?re busy making other plans. ?John Lennon
on 2/21/15 10:56 pm
Just because something is going good doesn't mean something is wrong. You won't harm yourself by drinking liquids. The harm comes with overloading a healing sleeve. When you are on solids measuring your food will come more into play. The more fluids you can drink the better. It flushes the kidneys and keeps you from dehydrating. Don't chug or use a straw but you won't hurt yourself. Postop is easy for most if you follow the instructions preop. You follow the diet. Your body is prepared for surgery and postop.
Now there could very well be an acid issue. It's very common with sleeve patients. Did your surgeon put you on a PPI/acid reducer?
"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue." --- Dorothy Parker
"You may not like what I say or how I say it, but it may be just exactly what you need to hear." ---Kathryn White
on 2/21/15 10:14 pm, edited 2/21/15 10:18 pm
I also wrote in a previous post that it is important to measure your foods and not try to eat until you feel full
"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue." --- Dorothy Parker
"You may not like what I say or how I say it, but it may be just exactly what you need to hear." ---Kathryn White
I had RNY same day. I can definitely tell when I've had to much liquid I get a tightness in my upper section.
I am nowhere near 60 grams of protein a day. I am taking in 1.5 adkins shakes. My postop diet called for 3 to 4 half servings a day.
SW 221 CW 209 GW 140 surgery date 2/17/2015. RNY gastric bypass
You described my first few weeks exactly. I had little pain, no trouble with water or protein shakes after day 3. Was able to get 90 gm of protein with shakes by day 9. My stomach sounded like a marching band all the time. I had "hunger pains" but they went away when I was able to start taking my Prevacid again by the second week so it was more likely acid fluctuations.
Happy to hear you are following your plan as directed. You might want to call your surgeon's office and ask if you can increase your fluid intake. Every plan is different but my plan called for increasing water intake daily to achieve 100 oz per day within a week or so.
I did ok and you will too!
5'9", 52 years old, 10 years postop VSG, HW 316 CW 195. Updated 11-12-23
