Need some advice re Dehydration & Low Protein Levels...

[bignik 0]

Hi Guys , post op 1 week ( 2 weeks from first band which had complications and fixed a week later ) .

I seem to be having problems I think with dehydration , skin on face dry , my eyes sore , headaches last couple of days , Ive stuck to my liquid diet to the letter and in my opinion I am constantly drinking plenty Water , I walk around with a bottle of mineral Water all day constantly sipping throughout the day.

Anyway last couple of days Ive been run down , and all the symptoms of dehydration , yesterday I drank a rehydration drink mix I got from Pharmacy and it helped last night , today though as the day progresses I feel headache and a little nauseau setting in again.

Where am I going wrong , any advice ?

Should I just get more of these rehydration mix packs and take them daily for now ?

Do you think its perhaps lack of food ..

I know my Protein levels have been very low since op , but today to try combat that I when to store and purchased a load of Low Carb, High Protein shake Mix .. 96 calories per glass which yields 18g Protein . Ive only been averaging 28g protein per day last two weeks, so think 2 Protein shakes a day will supplement this up to about 60 -70g daily , I believe I should be trying to achieve 80 grams , but as Im sure you will be aware , on liquids only , getting protein levels up is very difficult.

Some help and advice would be very much appreciated.

Regards Nick

Edited April 9, 2009 by bignik

[TheB 0]

You should ideally get at least 60g of Protein a day.

If you are having trouble, supplement your Water with Protein shakes (there are several great threads on here as to which one's people prefer- I use powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury daily to make sure I get enough).

And as always talk to your doctor and let them know whats going on. But yeah, not enough protein can cause all manner of unpleasent things to start happening to your body.

I was on the liquid diet for a week and had no problems at all as long as I was getting enough protein.

[bignik 0]

thanks for posting TheB , I will give the Protein shakes a try over next day or two , and maybe take a rehydration drink once a day hoping that will keep my electrolytes level reasonable and just hang in there I guess , I have an appointment with doc in 2 weeks , I just dont want to pester him if its something Ive failed to recognise or something which can be easily resolved.

I dont think I will have any issues with Protein once Im back on solids as in general I do like my foods and not much I dont like ... fish eggs chicken and other high protein foods I love anyway .. just will have to be in smaller quantities ..... just all new experience isnt it , like riding a bicycle .....

[TheB 0]

No problem bignik!

My doctor recommended the following during the liquid diet after my surgery:

At least 60g Protein per day

At least 60-70 ozs of Water per day

Try to stay under 1000 cals

I made sure to get almost all of my Protein by lunchtime and it really seemed to help curb my hunger and made it easier to get through the rest of the day. I had one morning shake with skim fat free milk (180 cals, 29g protein), one shake for lunch and that left about 600 calories for dinner and Snacks and I had already gotten all of my protein for the day.

Hope this helps and Good luck!!!

:sad:

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Call your surgeon, describe your symptoms and follow his advice.

[TheB 0]

Call your surgeon, describe your symptoms and follow his advice.

Absolutely.

And I wouldn't worry about "pestering" him. Your doctor needs to know whats going on, and I'm sure would rather you tell them and let them know than have something go untreated.

Plus, it's their job.

:sad:

[bignik 0]

well now as the day has passed on , and as well as normal fluids I had a rehydration drink and a couple of Protein shakes , I do feel a little better , Im going to give it another day and just pay that little special attention I think , jot down on notepad what I am drinking incase Im getting wrong and see what tomorrow brings, I think perhaps Im maybe getting a little calorific also ... so had a gatorade also ... and some nice homemade veg Soup ... it can be hard work trying to keep an eye on what yur taking , not too much and of course I think perhaps my problem not enough.

Many thanks for your advice .. if persists tomorrow I will of course give the doctor a call for advise ..

[EmmaWang 0]

Are you allowed with fat free pudding? If so, you should try some fat free sugar free pudding. The pudding itself has around 9 gram of Protein, with the protein in the skim milk, it will make the total protein intake around 20 gram each serving.