Post Op RNY liquid diet

I am in phase 2 of my post op diet.. but I am slightly confused... and a little upset with myself.. thinking as a NURSE i should KNOW this stuff.. but I have looked thru EVERY manual and book they gave me, and cannot seem to find a straight forward answer.. I understand the clear liquids and full liquids.. BUT, what is making me query, is if I am supposed to DRINK a protein shake... that is 8 ozs, which takes me an hour... seriously, measuring it out in a liquid med cup, and timing it every 15 minutes til gone type of deal.... but the "book" said, you should LIMIT your meal times to 30 minutes, and the whole slow bit.. but if I limit it to 30 min, I wont finish the shake.. and I feel INCREDIBLY weak. I have had a few so far.. and I am PETRIFIED thinking I am going to be a HUGE fail at this...because I am GRAZING on my protein shake.. BUT the Surgeon wants me to have 60 grams a day.. which is 2 -8 oz shakes... HOW the HELL am I supposed to get that in.. ?? 

I cannot offer true medical advice, but I can say that for me - a shake is not technically a meal since it isn't going to stay in your stomach. I am pretty sure that is the reasoning behind the 30 minute limit for a meal. For now - so early out - I would just focus on staying well hydrated and getting in the protein. I would not stress about the time limit until you start eating actual food. I feel like you may be overthinking it. 

Good luck and welcome to the other side!

With my surgeon's plan, protein shakes -- even if they were in lieu of a meal -- were considered liquids not food, so the timing of eating meals didn't apply.  Grazing is unplanned, mindless eating, not taking a long time to finish a protein shake when you are early out from surgery.

Take a deep breath and relax.  Many "rules" are just guidelines and very from surgeon to surgeon.  My surgeon said meals should only be 20 minutes rather than 30, for example.  My surgeon also did not have us measure out ounces of liquid and wait a certain number of minutes before taking the next ounce of fluid.  We were just instructed to take small sips at first, increasing the amount of fluid as tolerated and to wait "a minute or so" between drinks.  You cannot physically damage anything by drinking too much too fast.  It may be uncomfortable if you you pu**** too much too soon, but once the pouch heals and is no longer tender, the worst that can happen is that if you drink too much too quickly, it will back up into your esophagus just a bit (which feels very odd, but doesn't hurt).

Most people can easily drink 8 ounces in less than an hour, though, even just a couple of weeks out of surgery.

Lora

Thank you both so much for your responses. I do tend to OVER think.. and I was wondering about the protein being a "fluid" vs a meal... I am just afraid of FAILING!! Especially after waiting so long.. But I appreciate the responses.. I am going to cont. with the protein, and hope that I get more energy to be able to function, and then "some"...

Protein shakes do double duty. They count as liquids and toward your protein intake. The reason for limiting meal times is that about 30 minutes after a "real" meal of dense protein and maybe a little veg, your pouch will start to empty. So if you keep eating for more than 30 minutes, you might be able to keep eating as the pouch empties and not get to a real stopping point.

Since liquids run right through the pouch and don't stick around to keep you feeling full, they don't count toward that 30 minute limit. Don't think of a protein shake as a meal, think of it as a liquid instead. It's ok to take longer than 30 minutes to drink a shake. Remember to push your fluids and keep up protein, and the weakness should start to go away soon.

Edited to add: Lora was posting right as I was!

When they say to limit meals to 30 minutes, I think that means food.  I don't see any reason to limit the amount of time you drink your shake.  But if you only want to drink a shake for 30 minutes, and you can only drink four ounces in 30 minutes, then have four "meals" a day, in which you drink four ounces of a shake for 30 minutes for each "meal."

Thanks for the tip.. because the sweetness of the Protein shake.. is a little hard to take... I even have a method to keep it cooler while I drink it so slow.. I have a small gel cold pack, and freeze it.. then I stick my container on top.. it is easier to drink when cold ... however I think I may divide my protein into smaller amounts, so i dont have to drink so much at once. It is not the volume so much as the SUGAR.... no the protein does not HAVE alot of sugar or carbs... but I am sensitive to sugar right now.. LOL Thanks for the ideas!

I agree with everyone else about protein drinks not being counted as meals. My first 4 weeks post op, I was told not to really pay attention to those types of rules anyway. The most important thing is to get in all of your fluids and as much protein as you can. After that, you can start with the guidelines i.e. stop drinking before and after meals at least 30 minutes etc. Good luck to you!

i am day 9 post op, my surgeon has his patients drinking 3-4 4oz shakes a day, give yourself the full 30 if needed. much more do able.