Question:
does anyone else have trouble with fluid intake?
i am 9 mo post op and since surgery have had a really hard time getting in enough fluid. i only average about 20 oz a day!i very seldom ever feel thirsty! does anyone else have this problem and does anyone have suggestions on what i can do to improve this? i have tried drinking everything i can think of to see if it will work, but it's like i just don't want anything to drink and have to make myself, which is hard when you just don't want it!! i have even tried sugar free popsicles. — RNlvnCARSON (posted on June 30, 2008)
June 30, 2008
I have the same problem. I am lucky if I get 20 to 30ozs. in a day. It is
odd, if I am out and about, no problem. If I am at home or sitting at my
desk, ugh, difficult. I just try to sip, sip, sip.
— teresasmiles
June 30, 2008
Yikes, you should have been drinking more than that BEFORE surgery, let
alone afterward. I'll admit that have trouble getting down over 50 oz, but
that's about where I was before, too. What I do is carry around a sports
water bottle that I know contains 32 oz, and I work at it all day and then
refill when I get home. That's my goal each day, trying to finish off both.
You really HAVE to or you will become dehydrated. I notice that I start to
get cramps in my calves if I slack off. Good luck!
— suezahn4me
June 30, 2008
I didn't get enough water in and I got so dehydrated and ended up forming a
kidney stone, I wasn't able to stay on top of it with flushing it out so
ended up in ER for a day...Is that why a person could have cramps in their
legs because of dehydration?
— usfour
June 30, 2008
It doesn't matter if you don't want it or feel like it, you just simply
have to find a way and do it. Your body organs will suffer the
consequences. I also have kidney stones and trust me, they are not fun.
They are not from dehydration, my entire family has them.
I start sipping away the minute my feet hit the floor in the morning and
stop when I go to bed at night. I began water delivery service of
distilled water only... a little blah at first, but I got used to it.
Try the FUSE low carb drinks, Propel or diet green tea, all low carbs with
good flavor.... sometimes I just need a little flavor ya' know? It all
counts.
These are the changes we committed to when we underwent this life saving
surgery.
Cramps in the calves can be from dehydration, exercise soreness or low
potassium.
Good luck,
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
June 30, 2008
You really need to work on that...I used to have a hard time getting in my
water too...I bought two large 32 oz plastic glasses...I make sure I drink
at least two of these daily. In the morning, the first thing I do is fill
up my glass with ice and water...I carry it all over the house with me...It
is my goal to sip that all morning while I check emails and do random house
chores...(If you work get a 2 liter bottle (64 oz) with lid.) Sip on that
all day or at times when a bathroom is close by....In the beginning, your
body has to get used to drinking the water...I peed all the time...Then it
slowed down even with all that water...I can easily drink over 100 oz of
water without frequent trips to the potty...If I have an appointment or
will be in the car...I take my water and sip on the way...Then find the
rest room and go on my way! And I'm good for a while. If you split the
day in half and try to drink 32 oz by lunch...and the other 32 oz before
and after dinner, you won't be up all night peeing. I stop drinking an
hour before bed and I'm good til morning...You have to form a habit...Once
you start, there is nothing you crave more than water...Nothing tastes as
refreshing...I crave water now...I also put a water filter on my tap and
one on the fridge for nice tasting, double filtered drinking water...I hate
all the wasted plastic in bottled water....even though I recycle...It seems
such a waste...But if that is what it takes...do it...Or get one of those
filter pitchers to make your water sweeter and better tasting.
Your hair nails and skin will LOVE you for it. So will your liver and
kidneys! You stay full in between meals too! It has more than several
benefits...DO IT! and stop making excuses! LOL
— .Anita R.
June 30, 2008
Instead of thinking of fluid in ounces, think of it in bottles. 4 bottles
a day is all you need. I freeze my bottles about a third full of water.
Then I add water and sometimes something else like the Chrystal Lite for
bottles. Usually I save the additve for later in the day when i get tired
of plain water. It's kind of a treat. Good luck and as NIKE says,
"Just Do It"
Laura
— waterlover
June 30, 2008
Thanks for posting that question. I too have a problem with fluids and
thought I was the only one! I drank a lot before surgery but now (with my
blood sugars more normal) I could go years and not miss fluid (a bit
overboard, but you catch my drift)! THANKS for all the great suggestions!
— jct001
June 30, 2008
Hi! I had my surgery on June 19 and am having a hard time too. I can drink
...but then feel full. I cannot tolerate the sweet taste of the sugar free
stuff anymore...so I drink broth , boullion, etc. But the protein shakes is
what I am choking down. Takes me all day to get them in. Just keep trying
and every day you will get more in.
— gpcmist
July 1, 2008
I have a problem with my fluids too. I average about 45-50 ozs. a day. My
wls nurse and I was talking about this last week. I mentioned to her the
problem that I have. I too am seldom hungry or thristy. She asked if I was
eating 3 meals or 6 smaller ones. I told her 3 and she told me to drink
fluid for 3 smaller meals in between my food. I am working on that.
Sometimes it is easier than others. I mentioned it to my doctors PA and she
told me to stop waiting a half hour before a meal. She said that I could
drink up to 5 minites before a meal and that would take care of adding
another hour and a half for me to drink. I told her that it sometimes seems
like I need to either drink or eat. What a choice to feel like you have to
make. Hope that things get easier for you. I had my surgery almost 8 months
ago.
— Brenda R.
July 1, 2008
I am sorry if I seem to be brutal but you just have to do it even if you
aren't thirsty or don't want to drink. None of this "I don't feel
thirsty" or " I just cannot get it down" is going to fly.
It has to be mind over matter as with all the things associated with WLS.
I have struggled with getting enough fluid too and ended up with a kidney
stone. Not fun! Worse than any pain I had after my open RNY surgery. I
have never been a "drinker" except for soda but I have just had
to push myself. I am 6 months out from my RNY and as with so many of the
rules that come along with a healthy and successful weight loss and
maintenance, we just HAVE TO DO IT even when we don't want to. (like
eating frequently, avoiding bad carbs and sugar, chewing your food until it
is pulverized, eating slow, getting in all the protein, etc). The rules
can all be broken but it comes down to how successful you want to be in the
short term while you are losing the weight and in the long term when you
will have to fight every day for the rest of your life to keep the weight
off. Where so many WLS patients fail is that they never quite make the
rules a habit in the very beginning and then they start making their own
rules which is a recipe for disaster. I know of so many people who lost
the weight or most of it and then started making their own rules and gained
all of their weight back plus more. Remember that the rules are made so
that you can be successful and healthy. Like I tell my children, ya gotta
do it even when you don't want to. You just have to push yourself. The
WLS is only a tool and and much of our success will come from our own
mental strength and discipline. So just drink, drink, drink!!! Take a
water bottle with you wherever you go and when you are at home always have
a glass or bottle with you. Water has to be the friend that you never let
leave your side. Mind over matter babe. You CAN do it and you must!
— ChelleBelle
July 1, 2008
DRINK!! No kidding, your body with manifest some horrible side effects if
you keep depriving it of essential fluids. Dehydration, constipation,
kidney stones, all will put you in the hospital. I do not mean to be
harsh... but you must suck it up and do it even when you don't want to. It
is no longer about what you want... it is about what you need. YOUR BODY
NEEDS FLUIDS. Try eating very dry toast or crackers to produce a thirst.
I know these have calories and carbs but they are better than dealing with
the complications of dehydration. Please drink!
— texast
July 1, 2008
What an excellent question! All the answers are spot-on. Michelle, you
are not brutal in your response. Not at all. I'm 3 1/2 years post RNY.
Before my surgery, I LOVED drinking water. After my surgery, it seemed
like my throat said to water, "No way!" I simply could not drink
plain water: my muscles in my throat would close down and I couldn't drink
plain water. My taste for tea and coffee (decaf) also rebelled and tea and
decaf coffee tasted worse than horrible. Yet, MINIMUM DAILY LIQUID
CONSUMPTION is 64 oz. and preferably, especially so if you (meaning any one
of us) works out and exercises, we should each consume 96 oz. daily. So,
what did I do? I doctored my water with lemon juice (not so good), Crystal
Lite (very good), and added Zip Fiz available at Costco (excellent) because
it is a good B12 source. I'd start out first thing in the morning filling
my containers with water doctored with Crystal Lite and Zip Fiz and drink,
drink, drink, all day long. I find that recently, I now can drink regular
water and my throat doesn't rebel any more at drinking water. Decaf
coffee? I brew a whole pot in the morning, and drink 1 sip and throw away
the full pot of brewed coffee. Stupid to make a whole pot of coffee to
drink 1 sip? Probably. To this day, I never feel like I want to drink
any liquids, I just know I must. If I forgo my liquids, I get dizzy and
light-headed and weak. You simply have to do it. I have never had an
issue with wanting to go all the time. What I do know is the simple fact
that my body feels ever so much better because when I go, I void so
completely eliminating a lot of toxins from my system, and the resource
which makes this all happen is ... water, how ever you doctor it up, or
keep plain. Hope all these answers help you. By the way, a long time ago
I shifted from Crystal Lite (with its few calories and big expense) to the
cheaper stuff available at Wall Mart: tastes better, has no calories, and
is about 1/2 the cost of Crystal Lite. So, add something flavorable to
your water and have a real go at it. Here's to all of our successes.
— Christine Gibson
July 1, 2008
Just me again. Actually, I've shifted away completely from Crystal Lite or
the Wall Mart stuff and solely use Zip Fiz in my water. And, on occasion,
I now thoroughly enjoy ... just plain water. It's it wonderful and also so
amazing how our bodies keep changing and all for the better? Have a
wonderful and blessed 4th of July,, lifting those glasses of water HIGH!
— Christine Gibson
July 2, 2008
thanks to everyone that posted an answer to my question. i am a nurse and i
KNOW i NEED to be drinking more... that is why i asked the question..to see
if anyone had suggestions that i may not have tried yet. it's hard to
explain to others, but it's like an anorexic person doesn't want food-i
don't want liquid. it's not that i don't like it, i just don't feel thirsty
and when i keep forcing myself to drink i feel sick. i have tried all the
sugarfree things to add to water, i have tried different containers, sugar
free popsicles, broths, etc. but nothing seems to really work or trigger
that thirst mechanism. it's very irritating and aggravating, but i'll just
keep trying and doing my best. thanks again everyone for your suggestions!
Holly
— RNlvnCARSON
July 3, 2008
I had my surgery 8 weeks ago and have finally worked up to 32oz a day. Of
course the only way I have been able to do this is by using a straw, yes I
know we are not supposed to use them. But drinking without one I get a lot
of pain in my stomach because I have never been able to drink without
swallowing air and having to belch. With the straw I can take bigger
drinks and after the initial start can control the flow and keep the air
out of the straw. Also drinking plain water gives me a horrible stomach
ache it feels like I have swallowed lead pellets! I have found Powerade
Zero to be a good source to keep me hydrated, full of potassium, sodium,
electrolytes and niacin. I think this is what is keeping me from becoming
dehydrated.
— Melanie C.
July 3, 2008
Hi Holly: OK, so we still haven't helped you. I am so sorry. I truly do
not know what else to say, except, you ARE in my prayers. It must be that
something is blocking YOUR MIND AND BODY from allowing you to drink without
making you nauseus (or however you spell that word!). This sounds like you
may have someone in your life who is more comfortable with you being
morbidly obese, or perhaps it is you, yourself, who has something in your
background which you do not want to deal with, and being morbidly obese is
your way of dealing with the situation? If you cannot drink, then you keep
the toxins in you and you maintain your current weight? This is far beyond
my expertise. I definitely will keep you and your situation in my prayers
that you quickly reach a good resolution to this situation and become
enabled to freely drink water or any other liquids enabling you to improve
your health. If you wish to write me directly, you can reach me at
[email protected]. I've finally retired after almost 35 years
from my chosen profession but have not yet retired all my professional
designations, that is why it is AskChristineGibson.com in place of
something else. I just have not figured out yet what I should use for my
new e-mail address. So, do not be offended by the
"AskChristineGibson.com" designation. Write me if you would like
at [email protected].
— Christine Gibson
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