Day 15 - Can barely get anything down

I am 15 days out from surgery.  Was doing great in the hospital, but I am not seeing much improvement since I have been home.  I can sip on ice water all day, but I am having a lot of trouble "eating" and getting protein drinks down. 

I added a second dose of antacid and have been avoiding lactose in an effort to calm my stomach.

 I feel full after 3-4 small bites of anything, which is ok.  The big problem is that I cannot manage to get down the  3 protein drinks I need to reach my daily requirement. I have become highly sensitive  (negative) to  sweet flavors.  The shakes and drinks make me gag and I can spend an hour or so trying to get in 6 oz. I have tried making more dense pudding things, but the sweetness just makes me gag.  Adding "unflavored" protein to soup or cream of wheat (the one thing that goes down easily)  creates a similar reaction.

Should I stop trying so hard - how worrisome is 3 weeks of low protein?

You might try to find egg white based protein and see if that would work in soups rather than the whey protein. If this doesn't get any better and you can't take in or keep soft solid foods down, call the surgeon and talk about getting scoped to see if you have a stricture.

--gina

I am eating egg white based proteins - it is the sweetness that gets to me and I can't seem to find an "unflavored" version of those.

you can only push so hard:) this is a 'your mileage may vary', some people can magically get in their requirements. others it takes quite some time. for me... it was really hard.... just keep doing what you are doing and it will come in time:)

Have you tried any Isopure ready-to-drink protein drinks?  That's what they gave me on the bariatric floor after my DS.  Purple Frost was the flavor, but the red flavor is also good.  Not overly sweet, and I think 80 grams protein per large glass bottle.  Clear, too.  Not milky.  And it's whey ISOLATE protein, so if you're lactose intolerant, like I was violently post-op, it won't make you sick.  I found it at GNC in my local mall.  Muscle Milk made me sicker than a hyena on crack.  We're talking absolutely GREEN around the gills sick.  Rancid. 

I got in over 90 g protein from the first week out with Isopure.  I credit that with my hair loss being so minimal and feeling so well, once I was over the diahrrea from the lactose intolerance.

Please stay hydrated.  But if you cannot, PLEASE get to the ER for an IV bag of fluids.  That's what the ER is for.  Don't be scared to avail yourself of it.

Thanks for the idea - I am so leery of all the packaged stuff because the aversion to sweet is so overwhelming. I was really hoping to keep the protein high from the beginning to avoid the hair loss - but I can only do what I can do.

I am not showing nay indications of hydration issues - I love my ice water all day!

Keeping your protein high from the beginning won't prevent post op hair loss.  Although there are many anecdotal stories of remedies or preventative treatments such as high protein intake or biotin supplements,  nothing has been proven to prevent post op hair loss. Fortunately the hair loss is rarely permanent.

You are TWO weeks from surgery - give yourself a break!  Eat what ever you can, whatever interests you.  You won't die from protein starvation between now and the time you can eat food or can get protein drinks down.  Be gentle with yourself and give it time.  Have a cracker - that might settle your new post op tummy.

Thanks for that - I tend to push myself to do the "right thing".

You're doing the best you can, it's ok.  When you can eat, eat some soft eggs or try them hard boiled and deviled. Hang in there.

--gina