5 days Post-Op!! Pain and healing questions...

So I'm having SUCH  a hard time believing that I'm actually 5 days out! It hasn't really clicked for me that I have undergone bariatric surgery. It's actually really bad... but I'm trying to get it in my head! So far, I've been feeling alright... I just didn't expect some of the sensations I've been having and I was hoping you guys could help me out!!

My first concern is that I am unable to drink enough water. For today, I'm currently at about 16oz which is terrible... But I can't drink more than a sip at a time because it hurts as it goes down, kind of like it's stuck! I am not sure if I'm still having gas pain from the surgery or if this is something I should really ask my doctor about. Did anyone else experience this?

Also, I feel like I've been out and about too much... I'm so worried that I'm going to get a hernia or damage my sleeve since I'm still healing but I feel really good so I've been out shopping and walking around everywhere. I haven't been lifting anything but is it alright that I'm out doing all this stuff? My doc says to wal****il I'm tired and I've been doing that so it should be OK, right?

And one more question for now... I had  a REALLY hard time when I woke up from surgery. I didn't expect to be in so much pain. And I was SO nauseous!!!! I had no idea I'd feel like that. Once they had me heavily medicated, I started to feel better. The nausea was still returned but once they gave me meds, I was alright. And I didn't have too much pain at the incision sites. I had terrible gas pain though and when I got home, it was unbearable. I just couldn't get rid of it. It's been OK now but when I don't take my pain meds, I feel like a tightness in my abdomen... like there's a lot of pressure, which I would usually attribute to gas pain. But could it be internal pain since it goes away with my pain meds? (It also might be alleviated by my nausea meds, which I take every 12 hours. The pain usually occurs in the evening, around the time I take my nausea meds. So could the tight, abdominal pressure actually be nausea?)

Sorry this is such a long post!!!! I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer!

your water intake.. if you are sucking too much air in while you drink it feels much different than if you were just getting water.. before you start to drink wait until the water is touching your lips to ensure you arent gettin alot of extra air.. I had to adjust how I swallowed as wel.. I am nerly 9 months out now and can drink like a "normal" person again.. 
Depending on the type of pain meds you are on but I know alot of the good stuff just seems to numb everything.. no more pain no matter what it is coming from..
You do need to make sure you are resting though.. Walking is fantastic bu if you are too tired your body isnt going to heal properly.  Plus if you are out and about running all over you may be missing some times when you could be getting liquids in due to being sdetracked.. I know you get me in a store and I am done for  lol

wow! I just tried your suggestion on drinking and it really helped! Thank you so much! and yes I will have to try to slow it down now... I have to make sure I heal! Thanks!!!

I was a "gulper" prior to surgery... I would get the pains after I drank and thats what worked for me :) GOOD LUCK on your journey!!

I was a gulper too! So I just thought sipping would do the trick but I see now that there is a science to it! Hahaha! Thank you! And congratulations to you on your weight loss! Fantastic! :)

First - congrats on your surgery!  Don't worry about being out walking too much - they really encourage the walking - it keeps the worries of blood clots and lung problems away! 

Drinking is really hard for a lot of people!  My suggestion is try different temperaturs - some people only do well on luke warm, others cold... Also try adding crystal lite or some juice to the water - it changes the ph and makes it easier to drink for some.  Warm tea and broth works for other people - and remember sf popsycles and jello also count a liquid - try them!

Since the pain is in the evening - wonder if it could be acid - maybe some PPI (prevacid etc) could help.

Good luck!

Thanks! I will have to experiment with different temps, I hadn't thought of that. Chicken broth was easier to sip so maybe warmer things will be easier! And I also take Pepcid every 12 hours so perhaps it IS acid, as you suggested... I guess it could be so many things, ugh! Lol! Hopefully the doctor will be able to tell me on wednesday!

Sipping water has to be an all day event. Keep at it. It gets better every day, but make it your TOP priority.

Walking around the house is what I did to help with burps.  Sometimes each sip was followed by a walk down the hall.

I was someone who struggled with water. Some people used timers. It helped me to set a goal for a certain amount by a certain time. I had to stay focused for a couple of hours to sip every 10 minutes (eventually reduced to 5 minutes).  It would take me 2.5 -3 hours to finish a glass. Then I would wait 30 minutes and eat. I noticed that if I didn't eat on time, I felt nausiated. Then I would take another 2.5-3 hours to focus on another glass. That is how I got up to 32-40 ounces.  Then I was able to take larger sips over shorter periods of time until I got to normal amount.

Now I break up my water drinking as after breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner. For some reason, I don't handle water well when I first wake up. I gag horribly which can lead to me vomitting.  I do 6 ounces of orange juice then. Since I'm getting full at the end of the day, I try to get in extra water after breakfast and lunch.

Oh wow! You had a really complicated time with water intake! Fortunately, I don't have a hard time with drinking during a certain time of day. I will have to try tomorrow to really focus, like you said... Maybe if I relax a little and take my time to rest tomorrow, I will be able to concentrate on doing what I need to do! Thanks so much for your advice! And good luck on your WLS journey!

"  We can train our sleeve to do what ever we want it to do!"

We just have to do out part!


Water:  Please keep working on this. Drink 2 oz every 15 minutes.  if you cannot do 2 oz. Start at 1 for the next 24 hours and then increase it.  If your not drinking something every 15 minutes,
you are NOT doing your part.  Please do this.

Being out to much is not going to give you a hernia. Lifting things we are not suppose to
or maybe bending early out may.  Walking is something we need to do. walk walk walk.....
So unless you are doing things you are not suppose to do...walking and shopping will not
kill you.  dont carry your shopping goodies unless they are light weight and when you carry
them you hug them.

If you are having pain, it will go away after about 3 weeks to a month.  hang in there.
This is part of recovery. Some people have just a little more pain than others.
What happens is in our head, we think something is wrong.  Now...  if you feel
you are in pain or something is wrong..  please go to ER

Also...  my concern is.. your not drinking enough water...and that you will end up in ER.
My suspicion or questioning would be is your dehydration causing you more pain.
PLEASE GET YOUR WATER IN  BEFORE DAMAGE OCCURS.

Remember every 15 minutes.  so I am assuming your not getting your protein in if you
are having a hard time with water.  Is this true?  please work on it.