Weak and Lost - 3 weeks post op

Today is 3 weeks, was in the hospital last week for heavy pains which I thought was menstrual since I started and am very irregular, turns out I have a kidney stone. OMG I was in so much pain. I passed out in the shower this weekend, and I know its because I have nothing in my system, but I cant keep anything down, I feel so helpless and weak. Scared my family, but scared myself I don't want to end up in the hospital for malnourishment. I've had days where I regret doing this. Anyone else feel this way??

I remember well my beginning - and I cannot imagine having a kidney stone on top of all the struggles I had as well! Believe it or not, I cannot tolerate plain water (something about the pH levels aggravates my pouch and I dump). I became severely dehydrated and so impacted it was awful. I'm sorry you are going through this :( I hope you can find something to keep down.

So sorry that you have having problems. What does your doctor suggest?

What have you been trying? Early on I couldn't drink plain room temperature water, but I could do SF popsicles and warm herbal tea. Also lots of PowerAde Zero. Also try some broth to see if that helps. You certainly won't become malnourished any time soon if you were MO at surgery. There are plenty of reserves. That said you can become very dehydrated and that can cause even more nausea and stomach distress. If you can't keep liquids down, you will have to get IV fluids.

Drs appointment for next week, my luck he took a vacation. I can do ice chips but room temp water is a no go, it has to be ice cold and still little sips at a time. Keeping my head up thanks to my family for support. Will try herbal tea.

Take heart! Lots of people have problems keeping liquids at different temperatures down. You will have to experiment with what temperature works for you. I couldn't do room temp but hot and ice cold worked for me. Remember that SF popsicles count as liquid too and you can live on those for a while! It is summer after all! I found that ginger lemon tea was really comforting and helped settle my stomach, but fennel tea is good for gas, peppermint is good for indigestion and any combination with rose hips smells so wonderful it feels good. Some people also make popsicles from protein shakes so they get liquid and protein. You might want to give that a try.

Keep at it! This time will pass even though it doesn't feel like it now.

I loved ice cold hibiscus tea after surgery. I didn't add any sweetener (artificial or regular) to it.

Wow having a kidney stone on top of else surgery?! Yikes. I am not a dr. but I say keep liquids coming. Maybe switch a glass of water for a glass of stalk like beef or chicken. I think lots of fluids and keep your surgeon up to date with what is happeningp

Wow you've had a time. I'm so sorry.

I think others have mentioned it but focus on fluids. If you have to, go back to drinking an ounce at a time every 20-30 minutes. You're fine without food (I know you're weak, but we can go without food for quite a while.) The liquids though. Do everything you can to get those liquids in. And remember anything you drink counts as a liquid, it doesn't have to be clear, or unsweetened or water or any of those things. Even jello and such count as liquids I believe.

You probably won't end up hospitalized. At least not for malnourishment. And honestly you don't want to be hospitalized for dehydration either if you can help it. Something to remember: once we're dehydrated, past a certain point most folks no longer get or "feel" thirsty. So you've got to get those fluids in even if you aren't thirsty.

You've passed out once already, and in the shower of all places, so please do not stay home (or anywhere) alone until this is corrected. The passing out itself isn't a huge deal when you know why it's happening. Syncope is mainly due to your heart not being able to get enough blood to your brain. Fluids is generally the culprit, unless you've other issues that have caused fainting in the past.

The biggest risk though i****ting your head when you fall without anyone around to hear you. When we faint - normally as soon as we hit the floor we're back and semi cognizant. When you faint and hit your head you may give yourself a concussion or worse. It's amazing how many times our head**** the ground first.

So it's pretty important to make sure someone is with you, especially if you're showering. Showers and such are notorious for contributing to fainting. The heat from the water and steam in the bathroom can do a number on us when we are already shaky.

I understand that your doc is on vacation? If you have worries I wouldn't hesitate to call whoever is covering his practice. There's always an on call doc for emergencies and it sounds like you probably qualify. Personally I'd be calling them, or the doc's answering service now. Waiting a few more days doesn't sound like a good idea to me. But I'm not a doc and I don't even play one on TV.

Good luck. Keep us posted if you can. You'll be ok, but you've had such a bumpy road that it makes sense that you're wondering if there is something else you should be doing.

as long as you are still obese - and have stored fat to burn you won't become malnourished. Focus on getting all the liquid in that you can because dehydration is your worst problem right now.

I'm sorry you've had such a hard time. It really will get better.

Make it your full time job to drink. The number one cause of kidney stones is lack of fluids. The number one cause of readmission to the hospital after WLS is dehydration.

You won't be malnourished. Its only been a few weeks, and you still have plenty of fat reserves. The weak feeling is dehydration. As hard as it is, you won't feel better until you get those fluids up.