Does this feeling ever go away?

Well today makes me 5 days post op. So far I feel ok and able to move around with ease.  I need some of you vets to answer a couple of questions for me.  

How long does this dry bad breath taste last?

I dont like any of the protein shakes I have and have a hard time getting any down.  How long does this take to go away?  I know the paper say sugar free everything but does that include fruit?  I want to try my own protein shake but dont want to use something im not allowed too. 

When I look at my cuts from surgery I see black and blue marks all around them.  Is this normal?  It really look weird almost like a rash or some sort.

I realize that the only liquid I can keep down is warm water.  Every time I drink something not warm I feel it sliding down my stomach which which is weird and annoying.  Will this go away or will I feel this from now on?

I cant believe how hard it is to really get liquid down.  I read a million post and everyone said the same thing but going through it myself seem so weird.  My mom literally wakes me up to drink water at least. 

Another issue I have is the sense of smell.  Everything smells funny to me.  Will this go away?

Beside the issues above I feel great.  I hardly feel any pain but soreness and that seem to be going away.  Im able to sleep on my side with the help of a pillow.  I went on the scale and realize I lost 8pds since surgery.  Talk about wow

Thanks in advance.  I know most of these question have been answered already but for some reason I can't find any of those post. 

 Hi,
Nice to see you post.  Everything you're talking about is normal, and yes it all goes away in time.

The dry bad breath - it's probably from ketosis, but you want to make sure you're not dehydrated or have thrush.  Do you notice any whitish coating on your tongue?

The feeling of stuff going through you - yup, that happened to me and lasted maybe about 6 weeks.  As your stomach heals and the swelling goes down that goes away, too.

I also had bruising on my stomach (what the heck does Dr Roslin do in there? lol).

When I was a post op I read about everyone struggling to get fluids in, and it was hard to imagine until you go through it yourself.  It's your full time job to stay on top of them now, and it does get easier in time.

You will be better and things will normal out, promise.

Hi Joanne

Thanks for responding to my post.  I feel a lot better now knowing this is all normal.  As far as the dry mouth I dont have any whitish coating on my tongue.  It just feel dry all the time and it feel like my mouth is in knots. 

 I would watch your tongue and make sure.  Some people end up with thrush after surgery (lots of different types of surgery).  You use a medication to gargle to clear it up.

But lots of people complain about odd breath, and it's caused by ketosis.  

My recovery was miserable, but just take one day at a time and you will get through this and bounce back.  Little by little you will start to feel like yourself again.

The fluids are really trial and error.  Some people do better with warm things like tea, others cool stuff, it really just depends.  And if something doesnt agree with you today, try it again in a week or so and you might be fine with it.

I forgot to mention the smell thing - normal.  Lots of people mention it.  I was super sensitive to smells, too for awhile.  But for me that went away, too.

Thanks Joanne

Do you remember the name of the medication used to gargle?

 I was going to say the same thing Joanne!  I had the worst thrush post-op.  What the OP described sounded exactly like how I felt.  I had to do 3 rounds of nystatin rinse and oral diflucan to finally get rid of it...and it lasted until I was 7 weeks post-op.  

Call your surgeon's office or PCP and let them know what you are experiencing.  If it is thrush, the longer you wait, the worst it will get.

~Roxy

 

At five days post-op, I was still in ICU, so as far as I'm concerned, you're doing great!  

Dry breath - may just be a function of being/staying hydrated.  It should pass with time as you're able to handle more fluids.

Protein shakes - I couldn't drink any until after I had been on TPN for a while, so I'm not sure.  I used to make my own with soy milk, egg protein, vanilla extract, banana and a raw egg.  It was relatively high in carbs and low in protein, but it was what I could handle at the time.  You may want to hold off on fruit until you're on the soft-foods diet.  The sugar issue with fruit is more an RnY issue than it is for DS.  We want to keep our carbs low in general, but we're not on a low-calorie diet.

Surgery marks ARE scary, particularly on darker skin.  They will fade with time.  I had some scars on my neck for about 7 months before they went away.  My TPN marks on my arm are just now fading after 6 months.  If the site is not infected, just give it time.  You can also use something like Ambi on the scars to help them fade.

You won't be as sensitive to the feeling of cooler drinks later on.  The feeling of them going down is annoying, but if it's not uncomfortable, you may want to try room-temperature or cool drinks during the day to help you get more fluids in.  You can sip them through a straw and get them down faster.

Funny smells-tastes seem to chill out slowly but surely over the first few months. Taste buds change a lot earlier out, too.

I'm glad you're doing well otherwise!  Hang in there, everything is new and it will all make sense soon.

Hi there,
Congrats at being at the computer at 5 days out ! All the things are so normal.. It is just "weird" to actually experience them, you know what I mean...  you read about it.. but them to go thru them it's just weird.

Sorry about the bruises. You were probably given a blood thinner during surgery and this makes us bruise easier than other times.

Everything will go away in time.  Do not worry about protein drinks if you are not tolerating them yet... but do ge****er down for sure.. It is most important to prevent dehydration. Keep sip sip sip every few minutes. As your hydration increases the other issues will disappear slowly.

The sense of smell threw me at first.. I was so over sensative to many items. It will get better.
Glad you feel great overall. You will also noticed somewehre between 8 and 12 days, you will suddenly feel a burst of energy as your body adjusts.
Welcome to the losers bench ! 

The smells were pretty hard to take for quite a while for me, months...but less intense after the first month.

Everyone is different regarding getting in more volume, for me...took a long while, restriction was pretty darn strong. But as everyone else said, you are early out...it'll get better.

You've just been hit by a Mack truck. Things might not be normal for awhile as you recover.

Drink at least 64 oz. of fluids a day and keep your mouth hydrated. You may have bad breath for months while you are in ketosis. I found that sugar free mint gum helped.

Many people never like protein shakes. They are like medicine. Until you can eat enough protein, the shakes will have to fill that void.

Avoid fruit. It is loaded with sugar/carbs. Juiced is even worse. Avoid it like it was candy. It may as well be.

Water would stick in my throat, but coffee went down like silk. Go with whatever works for you.

Your Mom is on the right track. The most important thing right now is that you are sufficiently hydrated. You'll end up sick, nauseous, and back in the hospital if you don't stay on top of your liquids. (YAY, Mom!)

Everything else is perfectly normal.