Need help, cant do this.

I dont know wha to do anymore and I am starting to freak out.  First 2 weeks or so went great, but now I cant seem to keep up with anything.  Water, protein....  I barely had 20 oz of water today and I had to force myself to to drink that.  I have tried tons of different protein powders and so far they all make me gag, I just cant get them down.I have tried tea, changing the temp of the liquids..everything I can think of.  Food, I maybe get in 2 bites and I cant eat anymore.  I know this is bad and I have to do something.  Everytime I eat anything my stomach hurts.  I am not vomiting or anything, just my stomach hurts.  I dont know why I cant seem to do this, I never thought this would ever be a problem for me.  I am sitting here crying as I write this because I feel so lost.  I am getting in most of my vitamins in, as best I can.  I just dont know what to do....It should be getting easier and it seems to get harder every day.. please help...

The most important thing you need to do right now is to relax. You can slowly build up to your fluid and protein needs. It's true that you are not getting enough protein and water right now, but you need to make a strategic plan for adding it all back in.

If you can only eat two bites, can you do that at least once or twice an hour? Can you sip an ounce of protein every 15 minutes? Start with small, manageable goals. I hated protein shakes. I found one I could gag down. The one I could tolerate is Nectar Sweets Chocolate Truffle. I made it with milk to get an extra protein boost. It ended up tasting and having the consistency of chocolate milk. 

One thing that I could tolerate when everything else was disgusting was pureed Bean with Bacon Soup. It was a God send. I could eat half a cup of that and not feel sick or stuffed. 

Just to get you started, could you make some hot cocoa with milk and sugar free chocolate syrup? It would be a little bit of protein to start your day. Then you could have some pureed Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup a couple of hours later. You get liquid and protein all at once that way. Then, a couple hours later, you could try some yogurt. Any kind will do at first. it doesn't have to be greek yogurt. Also, can you eat sugar free pudding? That also has protein.

Try anything and everything to get some protein in you. Set the timer for 15 minutes and drink something every 15 minutes. 

Good luck and please keep us posted. I am worried about you and want to know how you are doing!

Hugs, 

Liz

Oh, sweetheart... We are all in this together! You made a big step getting on here to reach out. I know it is hard out there in that great big world where early post-ops don't quite fit in. But you have everybody here who has been there. Take all suggestions from those who know, and hopefully you can find a few things to satisfy you. Please keep us all posted... I haven't yet had surgery, and am frightened of these unknowns... YOU may be there for ME in a month or two! Good luck

Kim

 You can do this, you really can!  Relax is absolutely the best advice.  Go slow and don't judge yourself for where you are.  If you're not getting in your fluids, you may be dehydrated which will cause your stomach to hurt and reject food.  Have you called your surgeon?  You may consider a trip to the ER for some fluids.  I have a Sleeve, so I'm not knowledgeable about Pouch but dehydration can make anyone feel lost and hopeless.

I loved no-sugar added popsicles during the first two weeks.  They are 2 ounces of fluid per pop.  Your pouch is swollen and may love the cold on the swelling. I didn't worry much about the protein at the very beginning.  Try for a few sips of soup, or a small spoonful of greek yogurt if you can tolerate it.  Many people can't stand plain water.  Have you tried Crystal Light in your water?

I would say that a stomach hurting at this point is definitely reason to call your doctor and get good sound medical advice.

For now, please accept hugs.  I know you must be frightened, but I know you'll be ok.

 As I recall, things got harder for me around 2 weeks, and got better within 2 more weeks.  Sounds like you're experiencing something similar.  

I would suggest trying a number of different options for fluids.  Master the fluids first, then move on to protein.  I didn't get to a good vit schedule until about 4 weeks out.  You won't really feel better until you have all 3, but you can do it.  People do.  And you can, too.

In week 2, the only thing that worked for me fluid-wise was diluted homemade iced-tea.  Nothing else!  But I sipped down those cups.  I treated it like it was my full-time job.  And it was.  I also learned to drink past the initial pain of drinking.  The first few sips irritated my little pouch (remember that it's one big incision) but then, for the rest of that drinking session, it didn't hurt anymore.  Once I figured that out, my fluids got soooo much better.  And then, eventually the pouch healed and it wasn't a problem anymore. 

Protein is another issue.  I tolerated only one kind of shake (after trying about 15) and literally gag even thinking about it now.  I moved myself to fish pretty much out of the hospital (which was allowed on my plan) because I knew I wanted to eat my proteins as soon as I could.  That took a while, and greek yogurt was what got me through until then.  

This will get better.  But until then, just focus on one thing at a time. It makes things much more manageable.

:::sending hugs::: Yeah, been there, lived through that. Your body has healed just enough to start giving you grief about the surgery. Nerves are healing, and they're alerting at every little thing. When things heal a bit more, they'll calm down.

In the mean time, keep your doctor's office notified of what's going on. Consider dehydration - that could compound a lot of the issues, and you may need an IV bag to bring your levels back up. Other than that, just do what you can do. If today it's an ounce every 10 minutes, and tomorrow it's an ounce every 20 minutes, well, that's what you can do. The day after you keep on trying, and things WILL get better.

You are going to be ok. Before you know it you will be 3 months out and your stomach will be able to tolerate so much more, I promise!  I know because I was YOU just 3 1/2 months ago.  I had a really hard time getting in much liquid too.  And ugh!...the protein shakes.  It took me forever to find one I could force down.  And the vitamins!  Aaaagh!  It's all very overwhelming, isn't it?  Especially if it seems as though everyone else is having an easier time of it.  

Trust me.... it will get easier. I really like the advice given to you so far.  In particular, Liz's and Lee's advice would have benefited me a lot when I was going through this.  Maybe their suggestions will work for you.  I love the timer idea. Seriously...just try it. Send a friend or a parent to Walmart and buy lots of different flavors of Crystal Light.  It might take several before you find one you don't mind.  I could not drink it unless it was ice cold.  The sugar free or no sugar added popcicles are a great suggestion too.  But the timer will remind you to take those sips.  Keep on trying. If you are spending time on the computer, you can get distracted and not realize 2 hours have passed and you haven't taken a sip!  

I found that if my "pouch" got too dry, I felt a lot of discomfort when trying to eat anything. So keep up the flavored water and then try to introduce what was suggested above: a little sugar free pudding, SF jello, pureed instant mashed potatoes with gravy, skim milk with sugar free chocolate syrup. I'll look back at my notes and give you more suggestions tomorrow. 

You are at least getting in your vitamins! That's an accomplishment! Call your doctor's office. That's what they are there for. Don't even hesitate.  Please let us know how you are feeling tomorrow.  I'm new to this board too and the gals are just awesome. (oops...I hope I'm not leaving out any guys I haven't met yet!)

Big hug for you-
Kathy

If you havn't discussed this with your surgeon yet you should really do so.  You may have a stricture that is easily fixed.  Everyone is giving you fantastic advise for long term as long as you don't have a medical issue that is causing this.

Heather

Stay focused...calm down!  I understand how you feel.  I am THREE months out and I STILL struggle with getting all the protein.

Try the Carnation Instant Breakfast Drinks (sugarfree)...they have about 15-17 grams of protein after you add the milk and are MUCH more tasty than the protein shakes.  Not as much power for the punch but better than nothing....I resorted to these often.

Try Gatorade 2 (low calorie)....this was much easier for me to drink instead of water at first. There is a little sugar in this so beware of how you feel.

Keep experimenting with the food.  I remember how you felt (2 bites and then YUCK!)....it DOES get better!!!!  Hang in there!!!

Hang in there. I know how you feel. I was getting so frustrated that I couldnt get anything in.

If  you are feeling pain in your pouch though, maybe you should call Dr Schauer. Maybe you could be having issues or the pepcid isnt enough.

Call today, I am sure you will be able to talk with one of his nurses or fellows on the phone.
Just keep sipping, popsicles or whatever it takes to get your fluids in.

I have a couple of appointments today, but I will call you this afternoon.

Big  Hugs!!!

Maria