I'm 4 days post -RNY and wow it's hard to get the hang of it

Hi Everyone,

I had my RNY on Monday a.m. at Tufts; except for some horrible Dilaudid-induced nausea the first night, I have been feeling much better than I had expected, just very tired (no stamina).

It seems so hard to get in the liquids AND the protein needed--I am doing my best but I'm having a hard time distinguishing what my body wants (or doesn't want) right now.  Obviously, there is a learning curve on this and I need to get on it.

WHat are your best tips for surviving the first month or so? How much did you walk those first days? What were your best protein tips?

Thanks in advance to everyone, and thanks for your prayers on Monday (and a special thanks to LisaBC for the peptalk last night)

Take care,
Michelle

Congrats on your surgery!

I too struggled with getting it all in. Just keep sipping the water and use cyrstal light if plain water is not your thing. Write down what you are eating and add up your intake, cause I was pretty horrified when I realized how little I was eating.  Good Luck!

First, your surgeon might differ in what he said from some others, so these are just what were my general tips because they worked for me!

 Well, I walked the short loop of our neighborhood twice a day starting the Monday after my surgery (which was a Thursday). So, not much, probably a third of a mile total, but it's uphill some of the ways, and I didn't want to hurt myself. I took it slow and just relaxed.

Worry MOST about your fluid intake is what my doctor said, and that was hard enough, and he said not to worry TOO too much in the first couple of weeks about protein. That doesn't mean don't drink your shakes, it just means that if you can't get a whole yogurt down over the course of a day, don't PANIC unless you start feeling weirdly sick. I don't think I could get a whole yogurt down in 24 hours for a couple of weeks.

If you're really worried, try looking for a fluid/protein drink. I'm sure you've heard a hundred times about various ones, but my favorite for those first few weeks was Isopure. It's a 20 oz. bottle with 40 grams of protein, and it's a liquid drink. It COUNTS as fluids. It's better cut with water and some other things to flavor it up, but that's how I started getting all of my protein and fluids in in a day. I recommend the fruit-punch one. It's not bad. Tastes like strawberry yogurt, I think.

And when your body says it needs to rest, listen. Should be a no-brainer, but after watching my mom's roller-coaster post-op, I guess it needs to be said. (She had hers a month after me.) Watch out for antacid-induced nausea and sickness. My mom had to be switched from omeprazole (Prilosec) to another one. (The name escapes me.)

And if you get to that depressed 'what did I do to myself' state? Come on here, you're not the only one who's experienced THOSE thoughts before, and we'll get you through it! Good luck! 

OMG!!!!!  Michelle!!!!!!!


HUGS HUGS HUGS AND MORE HUGS!!!!!
CONGRATS GIRL!!!!!

omg !!!   I got soooo sick on that dilaudid that if it was the only drug left on earth and cut my arm off I would not take it!!!! It was horrible!!!!!

Everything is all normal it takes time just do what you can and make sure you sip... Week 2 and 3 I did not want to do a thing!!! I just sat in my chair and took lots of naps!!!! 
It will get better trust me...

However now for me I'm having issues with vitamins they all taste nasty or I gag on them...

Hang in there
Melissa

You will get the hang of it, you just have to practice.  Early out I used cups/bottles that i could hold in my hand all the time so that I'd remember to drink.  If I put a drink down next to me, i'd forget about it.  some people use a timer and set it every 5 minutes so they sip. 

My surgeon counted protein drinks as liquid, so that helped me, but it tooks weeks before i met my goals, so don't freak out too much. 

I tried to walk somewhere every day.  even if it was just around the grocery store, or to the corner and back.  Not long distances, but at least once/day if i could.

You're doign great!!!