audrey54

I was also very worried about getting enough liquids. I tend to be a bit OCD but my method worked for me. I sat in my chair with a pad and pencil and my iPhone timer. I set the timer for fifteen minutes and when it went off I sipped an ounce of water from the one ounce cups of water from the hospital and reset the timer. When I finished the water I wrote it down. That gave me 4 oz of water every hour. Doing this for 12 hours gave me my required 48 oz. This might seem extreme but it relieved my anxiety about getting dehydrated. After a few days I was able to handle more than one ounce every 15 minutes so I felt more comfortable to stop tracking for dehydration.

I found pajama bottoms helpful when I was sitting around and walking the hospital halls. You might also want to bring some Chapstick because your lips may be parched before you can drink.

Have you tried Unjury chicken soup flavor? That went down much better for me the first week than the milk-based products.

I was a little obsessive compulsive with my drinking but it worked for me. I sat with the one ounce medicine cups and drank one to two ounces every 15 minutes. I actually used the timer on my phone. But that's all I did all day. Sounds like you have other obligations. Also I wrote down every time I drank. My goal was forty eight oz per day. Before my surgery I had a terrible experience with dehydration electrolyte imbalance and kidney failure so I was terrified of getting dehydrated. Good luck to you I hope things get better.

Our pre-op requirement was only 2 weeks at 1000 calories. I live in the U.S. And my surgery went fine. But I agree you should probably speak with the Drs office. Good luck!

Have you tried the Unjury chicken soup flavor? I found that much easier to tolerate than the milk based protein drinks.

Pre-surgery I took a diuretic for high blood pressure. Drs at discharge told me I could stop diuretic. But then I got swollen hands and feet and started gaining weight. I started back on my diuretic and now everything's back to normal. So if you stopped a diuretic that might be a problem creating fluid retention.

Marcy, I like to cover all bases, and I have experience with dehydration and resulting kidney failure. One of my symptoms was being out of breath just standing up. Your husband may want to get a blood test to check for dehydration and electrolyte levels. This could be life-threatening. Sorry to sound like an alarmist but the emergency room staff told me if I had waited another 8 hours I would probably been in a coma.

That's my goal, from morbidly obese to overweight!

I had a problem with the milky protein shakes and found that Unjury chicken soup is delicious and much easier to digest. I heard that people can develop lactose intolerance after the surgery.

Thank you for posting this. It gives me another reason to know how important it is to drink all day long!

I'm only three weeks out and I was advised to eat between 500 to 600 calories. I do this by eating 2 eggs for breakfast, 2 oz chicken for lunch, and 2 oz salmon for dinner. For a snack I have 5.3 oz vanilla Greek yogurt. I also get I 8 oz of Unjury chicken soup which has 21 grams protein. I end my day with 74 grams protein and 570 calories. I hope this helps.

I heard that Prozac actually works better when you have less fat because it will attach itself to fat cells thereby decreasing its effectiveness. That would mean you would need less after weight loss. I'm not sure if this is the same with all anti-depressants though.

My issue with carbs is they make me hungrier so I end up eating more overall. I'm only 3 weeks post-op, but I plan to go low carb and then experiment with the fats. I'm thinking that a certain amount of fat will keep me feeling full longer.

Hi sba. In speaking with others who have had the surgery at different hospitals, I am amazed at how different the pre- and post-surgery protocols are. Even in my hospital, the nurse said my doctor was a little different from the others in the same practice. My doc said clear liquids for the first week post-op, while the other docs said full liquids the first week. But I agree with you that your docs seem ultra-conservative. I never heard of liquids for 4 weeks. Good luck. I'm sure you'll do well.