Not hungry - worried about getting nutrition

[Vala 0]

Hey guys

It is two days since surgery. I am feeling pretty darn good considering. There really is not much pain at all (and I am not taking any pain meds now) but I am not hungry. Yesterday I had some Water, tea and a popsicle and then felt very nauseated last night. Hubby made me eat some chicken broth and that helped me feel a little better.

Now I am having the liquid in liquid out thing. I tried some beef broth for Breakfast and got about a quarter cup down. Since then I have felt fairly uncomfortable, like I have to burp or something but nothing will happen. I have no desire to try and "eat" more broth for lunch but I did manage to get 8 oz of Water down. Sweet things are really disgusting to me so Jello and popsicles are off the menu for now.

Should I force myself to eat some more broth? I am worried about not being hungry at all. I feel fine otherwise with the exception of the bloated gassy feeling. Hubby is worried that I am not getting enough nutrition and wants me to try to take in more broth. I am on liquids for 2 weeks. I guess not getting a lot of nutrition during that time is not a big deal?

Part of me is paranoid that I screwed my band up before I went home. I kept trying to tell the nurse that I was nauseated but she would not give me anything. I gagged/retched pretty hard twice. I have read how bad it is to vomit before being healed up so I am a little bit worried about that.

[sil 0]

hi vala my doctor told me to do ensure drinks.i was nit hungry after surgery i was on 1/4cup for Breakfast, lunch, dinner. each has 2.2grams protien. 62.5 calories. each for a total of 7grams of protien an 188calories a day.i lost 19lbs within two weeks.i was also on children Vitamins with Iron an viactiv chews. twice a day. i had my choice of

ensure

boost

slimfast

glucerna

no sugar added carnation instant breakfast made with skim milk. hope this help.wishing you a speedy recovery.sil

[SunnyRachel 7]

Congratulations on your surgery. I am glad you are already off the pain meds!

I thought maybe I would share a little bit from the patient handbook I received at surgery. Maybe it can give you some ideas of how to approach things right now.

"Liquids should be sipped, not gulped. It is best to have the liquids at room temperature. A minimum of 32 ounces (4 cups) per day is required to prevent dehydration. Drinking more than this amount is helpful and recommended. Aim for 64 ounces per day. Consume at least 60 grams of Protein per day."

For the first couple of days it advised, "Do not drink more than 1 oz. (30 cc) at one time. Begin by drinking 1-2 oz. every 15-30 minutes." After day three or so, "Drink approximately 4-6 ounces in a 30-minute period."

Staying hydrated is key, especially if you are expelling it quickly. Little sips, and hopefully it gets better for you to want to take in more. I felt this way too...didn't really want to have anything, but tried in little shots throughout the day.

It took me a few days to learn how to burp again, and also a few days to fully resolve the gas from the air in my belly.

I hope you continue having a smooth recovery! Take it easy, especially your mind. It's hard to relax, but relaxing does make it easier for the time to pass.

**hugs**

[froggin4colorado 0]

I suggest you follow your body's advice. If you aren't that hungry yet, then don't force yourself to eat. Your body is healing and isn't wanting food yet. Keep in mind, we have lots of fat to live off of while waiting for hunger to return. Just remember to sip your Water, you do want to keep hydrated.

[YngGram 73]

I'm not there yet but, was told to expect this. Sip, sip, sip. No sugar added Carnation Instant Breakfast Drink made with skim milk. The nutreints are there, go slow.

[FrogStar24 0]

You're doing fine.

I didn't want to drink anything after my surgery either. It was really a pain to force myself to drink liquids and get down my Protein Shakes.

The biggest problem I had from not drinking was dehydration. They say anesthesia really dries you out, so you should keep drinking. The problem, of course, is sipping. You can't quench thirst when you a) don't want to drink and can't drink gulps at a time. I don't think you're depriving yourself of nutrition when you're only a couple of days out and don't want to drink.

I'm not sure about your liquid diet, but I'm sure it's similar to what mine was - so make sure you get your Protein shakes in. Protein helps your body heal, and will also give you some of the "nutrition" you think you're not getting. Also, I had to start on Vitamins right after surgery, so that will obviously help with anything you're missing.

You just had surgery and you don't feel well, but you'll get the hang of it. Most everyone here had the same problems at first. I totally had the problem you were talking about where I really wanted to burp but physically couldn't seem to! Not having problems with that anymore, haha :eek:

Good luck with everything, and be easy on yourself. When your stomach starts healing more, you will start feeling hungry again, but you'll know it when it happens. Try your best, but don't force anything.

[Vala 0]

Here is the kicker.

I am looking at what I got from the nutritionist.

I am in stage 1 of my post op diet which lasts two weeks. It is a clear liquid diet. No shakes or anything like that are allowed. This means no Protein shakes for me. In stage 2, I can start having shakes as well as pureed foods. It tells me to start taking Vitamins in stage 2. Do I fudge and start some shakes a week early?

The only source I have available of anything that resembles nutrition is broth. I have heard that Protein helps healing and I thought about ordering beneprotein to add to help boost that intake. I also thought about running down to GNC and getting some liquid vitamins.

I really don't want to deprive my body of what it needs to be healthy for a full two weeks. That seems counter productive.

Oh, and I really have the sipping thing down. I am hanging out on the couch reading and I sip every 5-10 pages.:tt2:

[FrogStar24 0]

I have two differing views.

First off - I'd say listen to your doctor and what they asked you to do.

However - if your body isn't feeling right, you should listen to it. If you're not hungry anyway, then don't worry about forcing shakes and Vitamins, but if you are then you should start taking in more.

My doctor beat it into my head that I should take vitamins the second I get home from the hospital. I never took them before banding - just started them like a month or so before surgery.

An example of when I did NOT listen to my doctor - I was having a problem getting in all my Water. My dr said wait 2 hours after a meal to drink. Problem was, I was hungry again by the time I could drink. I went on here and a dozen or so people told me that they were told half an hour after meals, so I started going with that. I figured if enough other people heard the same thing, then somewhere it was acceptable, and it worked a lot better for me too.

Use your gut. If you're hungry and not feeling right, maybe you should start vitamins and Protein Shakes. My surgeon STRESSED the importance of Protein in healing after surgery. I'm not a doctor, but that seemed like a crucial part of post-surgery procedure. I'd recommend soy milk because it won't be as thick as real milk if you're worried about it going down, but also just take small sips. Your band isn't tightened after surgery, your stomach is just swollen from surgery, so more will go down than you think - at least with liquids.

Anyways- hopefully some of that made sense, but if not - I'd say trust yourself. I did this exact stuff after my surgery and haven't had complications from that. 2 weeks with no substance other than Clear Liquids does not sound healthy. I was told clear liquids in addition to 3 protein shakes a day. If nothing else, a chewable Vitamin can only help, I don't see how nutrients would hurt you. Hope that gives you a frame of reference.

Good luck!!