Struggling post-op

[dspedosk 1]

I had my gastric sleeve surgery on 5/28/24 and everything went smoothly. I was discharged the next day on a stage 2 diet (protein) and did many walks around the hospital. No pain, no nausea, and no vomiting. However, since I have been home, I have fallen off my bed four times because there is no comfortable sleeping position. I am a side sleeper normally and, on my back, I just cannot breathe I have some sleep apnea. If I do not take the liquid Tylenol I am in such pain. My elderly mom is helping me out, but it's been rough. I am not meeting my Protein goals and or Water intake goals. I do the best I can. I am sometimes starving and sometimes not hungry at all. My taste buds are all off Protein Shakes and Vitamins and things that I loved that I purchased before surgery are gross. I might be in love with this broth Soup today and tomorrow the same broth soup is the worst I ever had in my life. I cannot tolerate or smell my bariatric vitamins and I am concerned. Is this all normal? has this happened to anyone? I spoke to my surgeon's office, and they were not concerned they were just like do your best! As long as you are not vomiting or have a fever you are good. huh? I feel malnourished.

[Arabesque 7,335]

Give your surgeon a call. You really shouldn’t be experiencing a lot or any pain (besides a little discomfort or lingering surgical gas pain) at this point especially after it was initially managed.

Some people find sleeping in a recliner helpful or prop themselves up on extra pillows or a wedge. I presume you are still using your CPAP machine.

It can be hard to meet those Protein & fluid goals in the beginning. And yes you’ll have days when it is easier than others. As long as you are making an effort & can see an improvement over a couple of weeks you’ll be okay. Oh & yes those shakes can be hideous after surgery, The temporary change to your taste buds doesn’t help. I found them very grainy so texturally blah! I diluted them (added another 50% water) & fir ed myself to have one for Breakfast. Tried the bone broths but they seemed so salty (glad you enjoy them). Thank gracious for cream Soups & consommés.

All the best.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,637]

I had so much pain after my sleeve. I was miserable for the first 2 weeks. I couldn't meet my Fluid intake because I couldn't tolerate cold liquids at all. I was living on my pain meds and later tylenol. So I completely feel you on this. If your surgeon already knows how you're doing and says you're fine, then there's not a lot you can do. You can call them back and tell them the same stuff again (emphasize that it was initially managed but now it's not) but I'm guessing they'll tell you the same things they said last time.

sleeping propped up or in a recliner was my saving grace. I, too, am a side sleeper so finding a comfortable position the first 2 weeks was really tough. Also, I was falling asleep all the time in the beginning, so that made it worse. That's normal (sleeping a ton in the beginning) so don't worry about that.

The only thing that's not negotiable (in my eyes) is the Multivitamin. You absolutely HAVE to have it. If you can't tolerate the one you have, find a liquid one or chewable one in a flavor you might like better. While not preferred, maybe even gummies (they have yummy flavors, and that might help in the beginning). A capsule might also help since they have no flavor at all. Tablets can be rough in the beginning due to size and flavor.

If the premade shakes are too much for you at times, try an unflavored Protein Shake powder. Add it to milk (I personally do almond milk) and then add a non sugar sweetener to taste (I use Monk Fruit sweetener because I hate Stevia). Protein and fluids are the absolute MOST important things right now (next to the multivitamin). It's ok to not hit the goals in the beginning, but you want to get as close as you can. Instead of regular broth, try different flavors of Bone Broth (richer taste and higher protein amounts). Try different shake flavors. Taste buds absolutely change after the surgery, so it's normal to not like the flavors you loved pre surgery (that's why you shouldn't stock up before the surgery). I also got a lot of the sugar free Water flavoring powders in different flavors (you can get them at any grocery store) which gave me variety when getting in my fluids (I still use them now because I despise plain water).

[JennyBeez 287]

I slept in a recliner for a little over 2 weeks, and then got a wedge pillow for my bed to transition. I also slept with a pillow next to me for a while to discourage rolling in my most-common direction. XD

Like others have said, your taste buds can be really all over the place after the surgery. I found a brand on Amazon called ProtiDiet -- their chicken Protein Soup was a godsend in my early weeks. I still like it now tbh. My team allowed sugarfree puddings during my liquid stage, and stirring some unflavoured Protein Powder into the pudding (after it was already set! wait until it sets!) got me through some rougher moments.

See if you can find smaller samples of Protein Shakes (premade or powdered) until you find one you can keep down. After my surgery, anything with stevia caused me to vomit, and erythritol made me nauseous but not nearly as bad. Even now, I can really only handle sucralose/splenda and aspartame sweeteners (or Monk Fruit in low doses). You might be reacting to the sweetening agent in your Protein Shake.

Also, most care programs I've seen seem to prefer whey protein to all others (for good reasons!), but some people develop lactose intolerance Post-OP -- so something else to maybe look into? I'm lactose intolerant and had trouble with whey at first but my body got used to it after about a week. We're buds now.