Hello?

[CaliDD]

I had the sleeve (along with a minor hiatal hernia repair) on Monday, 1/29. Had to stay two nights in hospital to get vomiting and pain under control. Went home yesterday. Slept okay last night. Weighed myself this morning, and up 10 pounds. I assume the extra weight is IV fluid, gas? Also-- was super itchy last night. Are these things normal. Have not had enough protein today, feel too full. Prioritizing water and walking around house. Would love to hear from you!

[DTOM]

Had my surgery last Wed 1/24. Not an expert yet but rest assured the itchiness is normal. As far as the weight gain I assume water Weight as well however my Dr told me that protein takes priority over anything else. This week it will get easier to get your 64 oz in but don't ignore the protein. Hope that helps

[Aussie Girl]

My surgeon said not to worry about the protein in the first week, he said just concentrate on getting fluids into you. He told me this while I was still in hospital. I could bearly get in water and the nasty watery chicken soup they feed me - yuck!. Once I got home (Day 4) I was keen to have a milk based protein drink with some calories which helped with the headaches and nausea. And then went quickly to making good high protein soups ie chicken and vege with added collagen powder e.g...

[Dutchie]

Getting your fluids in is an absolute priority.
You don't want to end up at some ER for dehydration.
Forget those proteins for now, and sip, sip, sip.

I am flabbergasted to hear of a doctor who said drinking is not a priority.
Dangerous, IMHO.

[CyndiJ]

I too had worries because when I came home I had gained weight as well. Rest assured it will start dropping off. I am a week post op and have now lost 7 lbs.

[Gvn71]

Can't stress enough how important fluids are. Getting enough fluid is key to remaining healthy. The most common complication that puts people back in the hospital is dehydration.

Find liquid protein that works for you. Either in a shake form, or in a pure liquid form. I used Isopure pretty exclusively. I could mix it with water and ice to lessen the aftertaste and it helped with both protein and water intake. It may not taste great (it doesn't), but this is your job until you get to pureed foods.

I put myself on a schedule when I got home from the hospital. I knew I had to drink so many ounces of fluid / protein every 15 minutes to reach my goal for the day. Some days I made my goal, some days I was short a few ounces. But I worked at it everyday. If you don't take in protein, your body will canabalize your muscle mass which will only result in more fatigue and an inability to get moving.

Protein and water, everyday. Set a schedule. Sip all day. Try Isopure Liquid Protein (I liked the fruit punch and apple flavored, grape wasn't bad either.

Hope this helps!

[ghost_ryder]

What everyone else said. the only protein you should be getting is from broth. Week one is all fluids.

The 10#s should be all IV fluids and the itching is generally signalling the wound healing.

Congrats on getting through to the otherside.

[DTOM]

Let me better explain myself... protein shakes got toward your fluid total 64oz. I am taking in 4x 4oz protein shake per day. 2x 4 oz broth per day and an additional 40+ oz of water or other clear liquid. Totalling 64oz. My surgeon gives a checklist worksheet I have to fill out daily and take to him. I lost 15 lbs in the first week. I am getting my fluids and some. All I was trying to say was if you stay clear liquid diet too long you will not have the energy or strength needed to recover properly. Both are extremely important and you have to do both. Protein shakes are part of you liquid intake so don't ignore them. If you can't tolerate them then stay clear liquid longer but if you are avoiding them for room to have more water that does not help. My Dr is not as irresponsible as some have made my post sound. If I fail to get at least a minimum fluid count in he brings us in for IV fluids and strict follow up. Hope this better explains myself.

[ghost_ryder]

Aaron, every practice handles the stages differently. Some are more aggressive than others. The practice i went through was fairly conservative post-op but liberally handled the pre-op diet. We were not on the pre-op liquid diet for most people. Just a no-sugar, low carb diet to shrink the liver. If your doctor gets you on protein shakes in week one then follow that program. I know week one for me, i could not handle anything thicker than water. I was so swollen. I also had an Ileus post-op that blocked up my entire intestinal tract and would have been made worse just having anything thicker than water. I ended up being re-admitted in the hospital week 2 from dehydration because of the Ileus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileus

Just be careful and listen to your body to determine the phases

[Christie13]

The temporary weight gain is normal and so is the itching. As for protein, this week you only need to worry about staying hydrated. Just keep sipping and walking. And as you are able to drink a bit more focus on protein. Also, if you are struggling with drinking try your fluids warm or hot...that helped me a lot.

[CaliDD]

Thanks for the welcome and advice. I'm on day 6. As of today, the extra fluid that appeared after surgery seems to have gone down -- though maybe not all the way. The weight I was the morning I went to surgery is now the weight I am now. Given I've not been eating solid food, I would think I'd be lower. But, again, maybe it's still extra fluid. I'm surprised that I'm still feeling so much pain in the area of the big incisision, and that I'm still feeling *something* where I imagined he did the "minor" hiatal hernia repair. I keep wondering if all the vomiting right after the procedure maybe prolonged my healing process. I cannot imagine that some people just go right back to work. I'm still sleeping a lot. I did go to store today to buy sugar free popsicles and two cans of soups that I could drain. The stock of organic protein powder (whey and collagens) I was prepared for make me feel sick. Stopped watching super bowl commercials because they were making me hungry. That could be that I'm having too much acid (the omeprozale makes me feel nauseaus, so not taking that), or could be I'm really hungry...whatever the case, decided I'd rather be asleep than hungry, so took a nap. The trip to the store really took it out of me anyway. I can't say I'm "regretting" the surgery, but I can say that I was ill prepared for this much pain at day six (and no weight loss yet to show for it!).

[Aussie Girl]

Hang in there....keep going, it will start coming off....

[CaliDD]

Thank you, Aussie Girl. You're at 3 weeks now -- are you totally out of pain now? Still twinges? I am supposed to be taking a 4 hour flight at 3 weeks. Is that a bad idea?