Not loving my sleeve right now!!!

[miztriplett]

Hi guys!!!!

I just had my surgery on Tuesday and was released from the hospital Friday morning. I have one incision that is just so painful that it makes no sense at all. The doctors are saying that it hurts because its the largest one and its the one that they pulled my stomach out of. All I know is that it is painful as the dickens.

Also, I CANNOT tell when I am full. I am still on liquids right now. I will move to full liquids later on today and start with cream soups and Carnation but it is really a struggle for me to get this liquid in. I am on the same bottle of water as yesterday and its only halfway down. I am getting pain in my stomach now like a growling pain like hunger. I thought that I wasnt supposed to feel hunger anymore!!! I am also worried that my stomach is maybe still really big. I can drink an ounce at at time with no problem.

I am really NOT loving my sleeve right now. Does anyone have any tips or advice to get me through this time?

[Booth89e]

You are still in the initial healing stages and everyday is going to bring a whole new set of changes. We all heal in different ways and tempos and people are going to share how they recovered but the fact is you will experience your own path and expect it to change over the next ten days. Just follow the directions your doctor gave you and keep forcing the water down because dehydration sucks.

Good luck and drink your vicodin

[kitsonk]

I'm sorry you are struggling. I highly doubt that they left you with a big stomach, though you may feel differently. Like Booth says, take your time and keep with it.

Are you confusing the "growling pain" with trapped gas? My stomach used to gurgle before when I was hungry, but the gas pain is totally different, though it may sound the same.

I think we all define "being hungry" different, and for me, feeling compelled to eat everything that was put in front of me is gone. I am also struggling to get enough liquids in me, it is truly a labour. I have had a few twinges lately of the "I should eat something" but usually a few sips of something with calories in it (still on liquids myself) and it goes.

So be calm, and give yourself some time. This hasn't been easy and only 4 days after is too quick to get too frustrated at the situation. You are doing good!

[Juliemm0115]

I felt this same way at 4 days out! I was worried I could drink too much which meant my sleeve was way too big! As of now almost 5 weeks out I honestly can only eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of soft food! I did not have a lot of pain with my incisions, but many have! I feel this 1st week out or so is rough! Please hang in there! Enjoy your Cream of Chicken soup(or whatever kind) You will enjoy it!!

[Scotty]

If you are not getting at least 500 - 750 ml of fluid per day, this is a problem. I would assume that you are as usually they will not let you leave hospital if you are not.
In the first 2 weeks all you need to make sure of is that you are getting that water / clear fluids.
After 2 weeks, everything should start settling down to a more comfortable level, you can assess your self then, now is a bit to early.
Since you were complaining about incision pain; with any pain, especially with bariatric surgery, the most important thing is your temperature, make sure you are in "normal" range and if pain does not decrease over a few days, and temp starts to rise, that is the time to take action, until then just monitor your pain, give it a rating out of 10, and make a note of this each day.

Remember internal stitches take longer to heal (about 6 weeks) and yes incisions hurt, some more than others, but they do get better.

Your stomach growling is a GREAT sign as this means that it is working, passing gas is another good indicator, this does NOT mean that you are hungry, you have now started the head game, this takes a very long time, I am 15 months post surgery and I still have moments!

"Also, I CANNOT tell when I am full" start tying to think "Am I hungry or thirsty" this is part of the mind game, changing the way you think, it happens, just takes way way longer than any surgery, your new stomach will "pull you up" and straighten your thoughts, you will also learn this in a month or so! lol.

Until then, sloooooow down! It does not work overnight.

That is my advise, sorry I do not have a very good bedside manor, but you can be assured I am telling you the correct information for this stage.

[Penny]

Hang in there! It's tough at first while you're healing. My doctor showed me a trick for getting down the fluids and remaining hydrated. You drink 1 oz. of fluid every three minutes. Set a timer or you'll forget. You'll be able to get down 8 oz with no problem.

[Scotty]

PS, yes you will feel hunger, just like you did before, just not as intense.
Some gastric Bypass patients loose the hunger feeling for a while but returns around the 12 month mark.

[Scotty]

PS, yes you will feel hunger, just like you did before, just not as intense.
Some gastric Bypass patients loose the hunger feeling for a while but returns around the 12 month mark.

[miztriplett]

I have finally finished that bottle of water and I have started on a bottle of Gatorade. I also had some cream of mushroom soup.

I know that I am getting enough fluids in because every time that I turn around I have to go to the bathroom.

I am just scared that maybe I am not doing something right and dont want to streech my sleeve right out of surgery.

Thanks for letting me vent guys!!!

[lshepler]

Dear Mitztriplett,
I remember having the same feeling you had. I didn't really know when to say when, even though I was on clear liquids, plus protein shakes. The one day that did it for me was when I drank my 8 ounce protein shake within about 15 minutes. I thought I should be able to do that, but oh no. I got so sick, I spent the next 20-30 minutes in the bathroom, weak in the arms and legs, like I was going to puke, with diarhhea, and it was so awful. I realized then that I had read in my post op paperwork never to drink more than about 4 ounces in 15 minutes or you could vomit. I really challenged my sleeve that morning.
Somehow, the sensation of knowing when I have to stop has become increasingly clear as time has gone on. I can eat half a cup of cottage cheese, or fish, or salmon, etc and it will be a very full feeling for hours. But it was not clear at first...it's difficult to know with the liquids, but they pretty much just go right through you.
Hope this helps a bit!
Lisa

[Scotty]

You can not stretch your new stomach on fluids

[Scotty]

Sorry clear fluids

[lunarose]

Hi, My surgeon said that if you use the bathroom less then fur times a day you are not getting enough fluids. Liquids especially clear no protein drinks pretty much pass on through your stomach and into your intestines so you can drink a lot more of them then say a protein shake. Nerves have been cut and will take time to heal so you won't feel full early on so you need to measure early on. You will get your own cues from your body when you are full. For me it was hiccups. And a word of warning if you over eat it will come up and that is never pleasant. Also as you start on full liquids you won't be able to drink as much so you will need to readjust your portion thinking and again it will be the same when you hit soft foods and onto regular foods. There will be some foods that you can eat more of then other foods.

[kitsonk]

Well, I think too we have to re-evaluate when we feel full. Most of us would probably eat until we feel "stuffed" and that is exactly part of the problem of why we needed the surgery. The key is listening to that other voice that says "you know what, I have had enough, I don't need anything more" which either I used to drown out or I never heard. For me, that voice is front and centre now when I eat, and it is surprising how often and quickly I hear it, to the point where if I didn't pay attention to what I was eating, I wouldn't eat enough to stay healthy.

So you have to leave behind that "I am full" voice and hope you don't hear it, because if you do, you are probably doing something wrong. As you are probably guessing by now, everything your body told you before has changed, and you are doing well! Keep with it!

[Booth89e]

Although, this latest version of gastric surgery is getting closer to full proof, chronic overeaters are like welfare abusers. If there is a weakness in the system, then they will find a way to exploit it.

With the lap band, over eating would eventually flip th the band lower, making more room to eat, unfill the band, or eat foods that passed right through like ice cream. The bypass wold fail by constant overeating and it would eventually stretch the "thumb" stomach back to "football" stomach.

The sleeve was to prevent these problems by being almost immovable and not stretch. Well give it up to those that will endure the suffering to beat this surgery and now what is occuring is the stretching of the esophagus.

That is right, people are forcing food down so much and so often where the sleeve succeeded the esophagus is now beng turned into a "stomach" because apparently, they cannot even conjure the least amount of self control

So when you have to jump through hoops for 6 months with your insurance it is due to reasons like this. People who are not psychologically ready nor maybe never will be ruin it for those that understand this is a tool and not a magic bullet.

Good luck