Questions on Tuesday

Good morning everyone! 

Ever since my surgery I have been waking up about every 1.5 to 2 hours at night with cotton mouth so I whish the water around and take a few sips back to sleep to do that all over again.  Is this the norm and does it go away?  I sleep so little on a daily basis maybe 4 hours a night that this is driving me nuts.  In the hospital I just thought it was all the pain medications and other meds for nausea they were giving me but I haven't had any since late Saturday and still have the same problems with cotton mouth.

Also I am just not hungry but know that I have to get in the 3 protein drinks and at minimum 3 cups of water a day...is this just the beginning and soon the hungry will return in a really "BIG" way? 

I love to sew so I am going to work towards some new clothes a couple of sizes smaller so that when I get there I will have a few things to wear.  I already have the patterns, material, and such just need to energy to do it.

I hope that everyone is doing great on this cooler Tuesday.  I had forgotten that Saturday night is when the time changes back and I am very ready for the longer daylight.

Blessings and love,

Mikka

Good morning Mikka!

Glad you are up and going today.  Remember to rest when you need to.

The cotton mouth, as you call it, was a big problem for me with both my surgeries.  (I had a gastric banding done in 1993, which ultimately failed, and so I had the RNY in 2011.)  I'm afraid in my experience it never has really gone away.  I just finally got used to it.  You do know not to drink water or any liquids with your meals, right?  You're supposed to wait 1/2 hour after eating before drinking anything.  The first time through WLS, I thought I would go insane from feeling so thirsty all the time.  This second time I was prepared for it mentally.  There are some hard "candies" you can suck on to relieve the dry mouth.  I forget the name, but they are sugar free and okay to use.  Look where the breath mints are.

Another thing that helped me was to suck on orange slices (real ones, not the candy, LOL!) or a few grapes--any real and natural food that was juicy.  That would satisfy both my hunger and my thirst.  Of course, eating real food will come later (and in tiny baby steps) when you get off your liquid diet. 

I didn't experience hunger for quite a few months, maybe more than a year.  I do experience it now, but have to police myself not to mindlessly snack on junk or "easy" foods.  You'll soon learn what slides down the easiest.  For me its chips and crackers and such.  I try really hard to stay away from sweets, with varying success.  But a simple carb is a simple carb is a simple carb.  Chips or Oreos--it's really all the same to your body.  Make no mistake--you still will have old habits that will die hard.  But you will have tremendous motivation to stick to the plan!   I promise you that as the weight comes off, you will be so thrilled with your new healthier body you won't want to fall back into bad habits.  You'll fight it, just like the rest of us do.

I love to sew too!  And crochet.  It really helps me to have some kind of needlework in my hands when I sit down in front of the TV.  Can't snack when both your hands are busy with fabric or yarn! 

Prayers that you have a good day of rest and healing, sista!

Hi Mikka!

Get Biotene mouthwash! It's for dry mouth and works great. Don't worry about not being hungry...you will be soon. I had rny in Aug of last year and now I'm hungry all the time. Take it easy and don't rush things.

Prayers, Debbie

Hi Mikka:

I'm like Vicky:  I still have cotton mouth overnight at 5 years out, but think I sleep breathing through my mouth which doesn't help...so I have a bottle of water bedside every night which I sipped on, but now can take gulps of water like before surgery.  I too swi**** around my mouth as if swallowed immediately, I need another swig or two to feel satisfied.  You are doing the right thing. I also wake up several times a night, and sometimes fill the water bottle again and just about fini**** by morning.

Remember to take it easy as, although you have no long incision on the outside, you have had major surgery and have been seriously sliced and diced inside.Takes about 3 months for your insides to heal completely.  No lifting of things or your grandkids for another 4-5 weeks!

May be a while before you get the energy back ,for some  it's a bit slower in coming back to as we are older.

Good luck with the sewing...

Jennifer