swelling and swallowing!

[Megan_SF 2]

I had surgery on the 5th of january....and i'm wondering about the swelling....when does it go down? i am having trouble getting all my liquids because drinking is so uncomfortable! is this because of swelling? when does it become more comfortable?

i am consuming between 200-400 calories a day and starting to feel so weak!!!!

will it be easier by the time i get to full liquids? what about mushies?

i just need some substance to go on!!! i'm so hungry...and so uncomfortable!

[Malaika 50]

Megan - I can't recall exactly how long it takes for the swelling to go down; however, it does and drinking should get easier. You might find that it's easier and less painful to drink warm liquids - even if it's warm Water -- I still cannot drink anything super cold first thing in the morning - I stick with everything warm. Also, when I take medication before going to bed, I take it with warm water too. Did you have a hiatal hernia repaired during your surgery? If so, it may take you a little longer for the swelling to go down. Experiment with warm liquids, broths, etc. and see if they are easier for you to tolerate - you can add unflavored Protein Powder to them for increased Protein and energy.

[Megan_SF 2]

Megan - I can't recall exactly how long it takes for the swelling to go down; however, it does and drinking should get easier. You might find that it's easier and less painful to drink warm liquids - even if it's warm Water -- I still cannot drink anything super cold first thing in the morning - I stick with everything warm. Also, when I take medication before going to bed, I take it with warm Water too. Did you have a hiatal hernia repaired during your surgery? If so, it may take you a little longer for the swelling to go down. Experiment with warm liquids, broths, etc. and see if they are easier for you to tolerate - you can add unflavored Protein powder to them for increased Protein and energy.

no hernia repair....just a normal surgery! i find drinking with a spoon helps, but it's so slow and i can't do that at work really....so my liquid intake is SO low! is that ok at first? what about protein? i just can't get enough protein or water in right now!

[Malaika 50]

You have to get in your Protein and your fluids - if you don't you will get dehydrated and that is not a good thing.

Try sucking on SF popsicles - crystal light are really good ones. I also constantly suck on ice cubes when I am not drinking - they melt in my mouth and trickle down my throat, so I don't have the pain. You can also try drinking warm SF Jello that hasn't set-up yet.

If you have unflavored protein, mix it in everything you put in your mouth if possible - that will help get your protein up - I didn't worry about getting in all of my protein while I was on liquids or mushies; I did the best I could and got in as much fluids as I could - that was the main goal - to stay hydrated. Just keep liquid right by you at work if possible and sip, sip, sip ... I promise, it will get better!!!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

There are a lot of people who could not get their Protein in until they moved on to mushy/soft foods. do the best you can. They say it can take 6 weeks to be healed. Try to take a sip every 10-20 minutes even if it's one swallow.

Kellogs has K2O Protein Water that has a little bit of protein so you can get Water and some protein. It comes in different flavors.