What about fluids???????

Hi again, can anyone tell me why fluids seem sooooo difficult to ingest after surgery and why many of you tolerate flavoured (koolaid or cristal lite) as opposed to fresh water. Should I expect a sudden aversion to simple water or is it hard for our new anatomy to handle????

waiting for a surgery date,

thx!

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but my issue with fluids is two-fold.  

1. My thirst mechanism seemed to vanish!  I really never want to drink.  I only do it because I force myself.  I really never actually feel thirsty (at this point).

2. My tummy gets full fast, and I can feel every sip go down to my stomach.  Alot of things make me nauseated.  Some because of the taste or how they feel going down....others make me sick just looking at them.  I really don't have a problem with plain water....however I seem to be able to taste things in it that I couldn't before.  And I don't really care for that.  I find somethings just taste too sweet/sour/etc.  I also have a hard time with cold things (food or beverage).  It's like it hits my stomach and my stomach revolts and the sudden shock.  Therefore I stick to only hot or room temp things.  I'm pretty much heating up cups of hot decaf tea all day.  And about 1/2 way through the cup...I microwave it again because I only like it piping hot.

But like I said, this is just ME.  Everyone seems to have their own quirks.

ETA: Also if I take more than a tiny sip at a time, I get terrible chest pain followed by several very painful burps that feel stuck.  It's horrible!  So I have to make an effort to only take teeny sips  (another advantage of drinking things super hot, instantly makes you sip).

Wow, so with the quantity we need to drink we're pretty much sipping all day long. Does it get better with time?

Fluids have been a struggle for me.  About a week or so ago (I'm about 10-11 weeks out from my DS), I found it easier to drink.  And today, I can claim a small victory - I got in 64 oz of liquid!!!  Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.  I have been thirsty all along, bu****er just didn't sit well.  I liked water before, but it just wouldn't go down as well as some other things.  Hot things were definitely better in the beginning for me.  I'm now able to tolerate cold things better - and actually crave cold stuff.  I was always a big drinker - and could drink a lot at one time - so it was different getting used to smaller sips.  I didn't enjoy that - I'm too impatient!!!  But again, it's easier now and I can take bigger sips.  EVERYTHING gets better - it's just a matter of being patient and kind to yourself.  And I frequently had to go back and remember the words my doctor's staff kept telling me at the beginning - you don't know that it gets better and easier, but we do - so just trust us :)

I don't have to sip anymore. I have no trouble drinking volume. As long as I don't drink & eat together, I'm fine. (that makes me puke) I drink one protein coffee, one 12 ounce diet coke, one G2, and the rest Crystal Light during a day.

I do, however, have trouble with straigh****er. I don't know why, but it makes me puke. Every single time I try it.

Everyone is so different though. Most people can drink & eat just fine, and lots of people tolerant plain water.

You've gotten great responses here. One thing that helped me to drink water was to add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to my water and sweeten with Splenda or Truvia. Something about adding that little bit of acid helped reduce the pain. I think plain water is a shock to newly reduced sleeves for some reason. This tip was given by an RNYr on the lightweight board and it seems to be helpful for DS, VSG and RNY folks.

--gina

thank-you

The experience is very individual.  For me, all flavors changed and some just seemed absolutely putrid.  It was very frustrating as I tried all kinds of flavors and temperatures to determine how I was going to get in 64oz each day.  

I drank nothing but plain old water pre op and always drank at least 64 oz of it every day for years. Post op was shocking because still plain water just seems "too heavy" for me. I drink Crystal Light all day maybe adding a diet Ginger Ale or carbonated flavored water here and there, but not every day. Coffee is yummy, too! You will figure it out as you go along!

Erin

Interesting reading other people's experiences.  I can't stand any flavor in my water.  I drink jus****er, and it tastes better than before the surgery.

I have found that I really enjoy herbal teas now - maybe because it is hot.  I used to love coffee - but don't really love it that much now.

My tastes changed after the surgery.  I am 5 weeks out, and can see where my sense of smell has changed/heightened also.

Sipping was a huge adjustment for me.  I still take a big swig, then swallow a bit - wait a little - then swallow a bit, repeat.  It hurts to swallow a glug of something.  But I used to empty a glass in 5 swallows.  Now it takes me all morning to sip it.  It will get back to normal as my stomach stretches, which will help with the vitamin taking also.