Another new post-op here...

Hello Everyone...my surgery was the 26th, I'm home now and it is slowly, very slowly, getting better. I do struggle with getting the liquids in. When taking pain meds they kept me knocked out, so I stopped taking them...it hurts a bit but tolerable. I am hoping I can now manage to get my liquids in each day.

So how  did each of you manage to get the liquids all in?  I am also afraid of drinking too much too quickly.

I am quilty of jumping on the scale already and was disappointed to see I weighed the same as when I had surgery.... not that I was expecting a big difference but I did expect to be down a few pounds. I'm going to have my son take it out of my house so I won't be tempted to jump back on it any time soon .

Looking forward to hearing any suggestions that you may want to share...thanks!

Mona

Hi Mona and welcome to OFF.

I remember well those first days post-op and it certainly has it's challenges, but you will get there. ..  sip, sip and sip some more is how you get those liquids in and not sure what your surgeon has you doing so far, but if it is liquids, they do count towards your overall liquid intake.  Just carry your water with you in a bottle that let's you know exactly how much you have taken in once it is gone, use a cup so you don't get tempted to gulp and if you take sips, you should not get in too much trouble as far as taking in too much at a time. 

The scale is tempting, but don't expect that you will be pleased if you step on it overmuch, sometimes you actually have a weight gain immediately post-op because of all the fluids they pump you up with. . .  suggestion, if no one has told you this already, take a frontal and side view picture monthly, if possible with a light background and you will see the changes as they happen, also take your measurements monthly and there will be the true tale, as very often the scale sputters and stalls, but yet clothes seem baggier.  Keep a journal, either blogging on here within your personal journey and you can look back later and see where you were and be reminded.  Those are about all the suggestions you need for now. . . 

Good luck, enjoy the ride.. . Laureen

Hey Mona, congratulations on taking control of your life. Three years after my surgery I lost 20 #. Don't ru**** follow the rules & it will come off.
Nan

Hi Mona,
     Glad to meet you. Laureen gave you great advise. Hope it helps.  Sip, sip, sip, and walk, walk, walk.  Hope all goes well for you.    Mag  

Mona

I gained 8 lbs after my surgery and it stayed for a week.  Just fluids that I received during surgery, but you couldn't have convinced me of that if I hadn't had the support of this board.  And I'm a nurse....

The scale will go down fast, the measurements will, too.  Good to get rid of the scale for a while, though.

Welcome.

Candy

Thank you all so much for responding so quickly. It helps to share this with others who truly understand what you are going through. Support makes a world of difference. I received some great advise and encouragement, all of which is greatly welcomed and appreciated.

Mona

Can't tell you much more than everyone else has. My problem immedately post-op was diarrhea; so I really had to get the fluids in. Plus, I had problems getting my post-op liquid diet in (we had a choice of protein soups, shakes, jellos that we purchased from the bariatric center I went to); seems I filled up too quickly and that worried me. Wished that happened now; now seems I can eat way too much.

I didn't have problems getting in the water; I love water, can drink lots of it without a problem. I also had acid reflux post-op ... rather funny because that was one of the things they told us would disappear; mine returned on only protein shakes and I had to take prevacid (and this was when all they had were the capsules; I had to open the capsules and gag down the little things inside ... yuck!).

Welcome to the forum. Hope to see you around a lot.

Hi Mona and welcome!

I'm just a bit over 3 months out from my surgery, so I've just gone through what you're experiencing now.  Just take it easy and be gentle with yourself.  Rest and take naps daily.  It will help you recover. 

I had to have a minimum of 32 ounces of water daily at the beginning.  So I put 2 16-oz bottles of water in the frig daily and I knew I had to get both of those down before I went to bed each night.  Sometimes I just had to look at the clock and remind myself to take a sip every 10 minutes or so.  Now it's no problem, so it gets better quickly.

I lost a few pounds at first, and then I hit a BIG stall.  Lasted over two weeks.  I was devastated, but these wonderful ladies talked me through it.  Everyone's body is different.  Again, just be patient.  Easy to say, hard to do.

Glad you are here.  What kind of surgery did you have? 

Keep posting.  It helps!

Hi Mona,
Welcome to OFF.  We are a friendly bunch here.

All of your shakes and popsicles, and jello count as liquids.  Not just the water you should keep with you all day, and sip, sip, sip.  I ate a sugar free popsicle everyday, and had jello everyday, sugar free of course.  I had pudding and shakes everyday as well.  They all count.  I made decaf iced tea, and sipped that all the time. 

The mantra I was taught on the PA Forum was "Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk." 

Walking helps with the healing as well.  It moves the food through the digestive system and gets out the gas.  It also helps your circulation, and gets you moving, a habit that should become a lifestyle.

As for the scale, I gained weight in the hospital with the fluids that were pumped into me.  Don't get on the scale daily, but weekly.  Also, take measurements and see them change before  the scale does.

Hugs,
Trish

Mona,

Everyone does it differently.  My doctor had me drink from a medicine cup, so that I wouldn't hurt my new pouch.  But, that was in the first few days.  After I went from liquids to full liquids, I would pu****er bottles out on my cabinet that gave me my liquids for the day.  I had to sip on the bottles all day long just to get it in.  I was never able to do the protein in any form.  I tried to mix it with water and juice and just couldn't do it.  My wls left me very lactose intolerrant and even the protein mixes created periods of extreme nausea and vomitting.  So, for me, I drank a lot of beef broth and spent a lot of my waking moments eating crab and shrimp: the only meat on the planet that didn't come back up.  I also tolerated canned ostyers.  Do the best you possibly can and look at ways where you can double up: get your protein and liquid at the same time.  As far as your weight, throw the scales out.  I have been on this board since before my wls and have seen people pre and post op who obsess about the scales; don't do it.  I only weigh when I go to the doctor and don't look then.  My wls surgeon's nurse would say, another ten pounds or whatever, but I didn't then and don't now look at the scales.  You've had wls and unless the doctor did it wrong, you will lose your weight.  You can increase the amount of weight that you lose by exercising and picking good protein over bad: chicken instead of pork or fish instead of beef, that kind of thing.  I strongly encourage you to begin some rituals that you will do no matter what: exercise by walking, parking far from the store's door, carrying bottled water with you at all times, using a child's plate and spoon, never eating after you finish your meal.  These things are things I began after surgery and still do it to this day.  I never eat out of anything larger than a baby's dish and I still use the baby spoon.  So, when I go out to eat, there is this feeling of nausea when I see this large plate piled so high with food.  I never eat but a bite or two before I load it up for home.  

And, my last piece of advise is as soon as you undergrow your clothes, get rid of them.  Don't keep them around for the just in case.  Never anticipate a rebound weight gain.