Post op challenges - lack of energy, nausea

[editor14]

Hello everyone,
I wanted to see if some of the struggles I'm having are common with others' experiences.
I had gastric sleeve surgery two weeks ago on July 10th. The first week, consuming only clear liquids, went pretty well. I'm on the second stage of the diet now, which for me is darker liquids, sugar free pudding, broth, cream of wheat, protein shakes, etc.
My major issue right now is a lack of energy. I'm lethargic all the time, and I don't feel like I have the stamina to do the exercise I should be doing to kick-start my weight loss. I'm trying to take in as much protein as I can. My goal has been 45 grams a day, even though my doctor says I should be having 80 (which I think is a little unrealistic). I also feel like I'm getting dehydrated, even though I'm trying my best to consume the recommended amount of liquids every day. Any recommendations for boosting my energy?
My second issue is my medicine is making me nauseous. For the last few days, every time I've taken my morning meds (including a bariatric multivitamin, a blood pressure medicine, Pepcid, and an injection of enoxaparin sodium to prevent clotting- although I only have one more dose of that), I feel nauseous almost instantly. Today I actually threw up about a half hour after taking my medicine. Any tips for timing my meds or doing something different to prevent nausea?
My final issue is my emotions. I've been a WRECK since the surgery! I cry at the drop of a hat! I'm touchy, I lash out, and I get easily frustrated. Is anybody else going through this as well?
Thank you all in advance for any advice you can provide.

 

[dianeseattle]

You are having a complicated array of problems, and it sounds like they are consuming you. Right off the top I would say, get someone to talk to, like a lay therapist, some MSW who understands the basic components of self-esteem, but doesn't need to shrink your head.

You should have passed all the anesthesia in the two weeks of time since your surgery so that's probably not the problem. Are you taking any narcotic pain meds? Those will kick your butt.

But as far as any "shoulds" go, aside from the diet, there really aren't any after the surgery. Stop telling yourself how much you are failing. Just relax and let your body guide your recovery. I didn't exercise or even think about exercise after surgery, though I was trying to exercise before.

That being said, get that protein up! What are you eating that is keeping you from getting 80 grams of protein a day? It's not a hard number to reach. A portion of turkey breast is 36 grams. Milk, eggs, and yogurt are 7 to 14 grams per serving. If you make your cereal and pudding with super milk, you will double the protein content in milk.

The recipe for super milk or magic milk is simple but also kind of hard. Put one quart of nonfat milk in a blender and then pour in 1 packet of Milkman dry milk & blend. Now a cup of milk has 16 grams of protein instead of eight. If you can't find Milkman where you live, or it doesn't matter to you, use regular nonfat dry milk. If it's made with Milkman, it just tastes better.

As far as drinking water goes, you might be thinking about it wrong. It's not like a portion that you sit down and drink all at once or even scheduling a few glasses a day. Get a one-quart pitcher and chill the water in the refrigerator first. If you're not crazy about water you can squeeze a lemon into it. Then get a small glass, like a cordial glass, and put it next to your pitcher of water everywhere you go in the house. If you leave the house, you have to revise how it's served, but the point is just to take little shots at a time. Measuring it in advance helps you keep track of how many ounces of water you've actually taken in. Just keep taking those water shots and don't think about it.

If you are taking Pepcid and you're still feeling nauseated, I would start taking Maalox. My point is, switch brands. Then, take your antacid first. Wait a few minutes, then take your meds. Unless you've been instructed to take these in the morning, why not take them at night? I take my thyroid and a 500 mg dose of calcium right before bed. I have three other times in the day when I take doses of vitamins and minerals and meds. I sort them according to whether or not they need to be taken with food. Being able to recline back onto my pillows and letting the medicine do it stuff is very delightful.

As to emotions, roll with it. Get out your saddest and funniest DVDs and video tapes and watch them. Immerse yourself in them. Just dive in and laugh and cry. The bigger the outburst, the better. You can also go in your bedroom, kneel on your bed and beat the hell out of your pillows while you scream. This is actually a pretty effective way of getting out your stuck emotions. I have done it many times. It's better than taking out your frustrations on a person.

Relax. Loosen up. Let yourself go. There aren't any rules that say you have to be quiet and sedate and obedient and a slave to exercise after surgery. Enjoy your downtime. Take as much time as you need. Let your body repair itself and rejoice over the birth of your new appetite. If there are other people in your life all the time, tell them what's going to happen and if they have a problem with it, tell them to get over it.

You'll be back in the doldrums soon enough. Just take this time to care for yourself, just as you would a newborn baby you just brought home from the hospital. That's what you are.

 

[honeysgirl]

My friend told me that her chewable vitamins made her nauseaus as well.
Dietician told her to try sucking on them like candy instead of chewing them.
If you feel that you are getting dehydrated, do not wait to long to let you doctor know. You may need to go in for IV fluids to get you back in check.
Please let us know what happens.
Best of Luck.

 

[maxandcleosmom]

I feel as though I could have written your post myself except I am 5 weeks post op and still feel so exhausted and nauseous as the day I came home from the hospital. I rarely leave my house because I'm so tired and have been doing everything right. I am constantly sipping water and trying to get in as much protein as possible. Today was the worst day so far and wishing I had not done this surgery. I needed surgery for three hernias and two fistulas and feel like the gastric sleeve surgery was pushed on me. Please, any help at all would be so appreciated. Jeannine

 

[dianeseattle]

Good Lord Jeannine! You had Mega-surgery! That is a lot of stuff going on there. I'm thinking the sleeve was the least invasive thing that happened to you that day, but it does come with after-effects because you can't just go home and eat your usual stuff, and that shift can really mess your life up.

First and foremost, are you in touch with your surgeon? You are your surgeon's problem until you recover from the surgeries. Therefore you should be following up and making sure that s/he has done his/her job.

If you hadn't had so many procedures at once, I would say that you need to to get to get outside several times a day and walk short distances and bask in the sun. But because you had so many procedures, I am concerned that your problems are medical. So call your surgeon and also call your regular doctor.

It is possible that what's going on with you now is completely unrelated to any of those surgeries, but that something has come on, some flu bug or something else contagious, that is making you weak. But because you felt weak from the surgery, the first thing you think is, "This is a result of surgery."

If you are getting enough protein, drinking enough water, making sure that your diet is good, and taking your supplements everyday, you should be feeling stronger than you are right now. Get some medical help and please let us know how you're doing as your symptoms change

 

[maxandcleosmom]

Good Lord Jeannine! You had Mega-surgery! That is a lot of stuff going on there. I'm thinking the sleeve was the least invasive thing that happened to you that day, but it does come with after-effects because you can't just go home and eat your usual stuff, and that shift can really mess your life up.

First and foremost, are you in touch with your surgeon? You are your surgeon's problem until you recover from the surgeries. Therefore you should be following up and making sure that s/he has done his/her job.

If you hadn't had so many procedures at once, I would say that you need to to get to get outside several times a day and walk short distances and bask in the sun. But because you had so many procedures, I am concerned that your problems are medical. So call your surgeon and also call your regular doctor.

It is possible that what's going on with you now is completely unrelated to any of those surgeries, but that something has come on, some flu bug or something else contagious, that is making you weak. But because you felt weak from the surgery, the first thing you think is, "This is a result of surgery."

If you are getting enough protein, drinking enough water, making sure that your diet is good, and taking your supplements everyday, you should be feeling stronger than you are right now. Get some medical help and please let us know how you're doing as your symptoms change

Thank you so much! I will call his office first thing Monday morning.