One week Pre Op - Feeling weak!

I thought the weakness part of the liquid pre op diet was over but the past 24 hrs I've felt real tired, weak and HUNGRY. Not sure if this has to do with menses that is about a week away (I start two days before surgery...ugh!) or if my body is protesting. I'm having to struggle to get the protein down but the broth and popsicles go down fine.. anyone else have this problem?

Brandi

Make sure that you are getting enough hydration. Lack of hydration can make you feel light headed. You also mentioned that you are having trouble getting in all of the protein. If so, you may not be getting in the amount of calories that your surgeon wants you to get in. I fyou continue to have trouble, you probably should contact your surgeon's office and let them know of the trouble you are having.

Generally, most programs have patients consuming somewhere from 800 to 1000 calories a day preop and post op. The reason for this is that studies have shown that patients that get in about this much caloric content are able to keep their bodies from going into a metabolic state that  burns more efficiently. You want to avoid this because it can cause your bodies set point to drop and it makes it harder to maintain your weight once you get to maintenance.

The RDs with my program suggest the following to ensure that we get in as much as possible and it worked well for me, I hope it helps you. Use 4 2 ounce medicine cups; 2 ounces of protein in the first cup, 2 ounces of low cal liquid in each of the other cups. Take the protein at the top of the hour, each one of the low cal liquids at 15, 30 and 45 after the hour. Continue this every waking hour. With this method you don't have to slug down too much at any one time.

Wishing you all the best,

I drink 4 16.9 oz bottles of water a day, not including popsicles... I do get a little dehydrated at work though bc I can't ge****er breaks as often as I like. So, I end up making up for the water when I get home or in the mornings. My dr recommended 4-5 protein shakes a day. I have been doing only three because that's about all I can stomach. Could this be a reason I'm not feeling well? I use skim milk in 2 out of 3 of them.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Brandi,

The fact that you are only getting in 3 out of 4 or 5 protein shakes is likely to be the reason that you aren't feeling well. Your body needs the nutrients, protein and calories that those protein shakes provide. I understand that you don't like them, but this is one of those times where you need to put on your big girl pants and swallow them down any way so that you do get the nutrients, protein and calories your body needs. Remember that as bad as it may seem, you only have to endure this for a relatively short period of time for a major payoff. 

You really need to talk with your surgeon and/or your surgeon's dietician about the problems you are having with the shakes. They may be able to point you to something that will work better for you. There are different types of protein shakes and you may find that there are some that you like/tolerate better than others. If you have a GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, or  something similar near you, you can likely go in and get some single serving samples of some different types, flavors, manufacturers. My husband much preferred IsoPure to many of the others, a friend of mine really likes Jay Robb, another really likes UnJury (which is only available online). I'm trying to say that there are a number of options available and you may just have to keep trying until you find one that is at least 'palatable'. To be honest, I have never found one that I liked, much less loved, but you'll need to find something that you can tolerate through the pre-op and immediate post op phases of your journey. After that you may well be able to ramp up to consuming 80 to 12 grams of protein with what you eat... I am able to do that and rarely use protein shakes. 

I wish you all the best and hope that you will contact your surgeon's office and work with them to make sure you are getting in all of the protein, nutrients and calories necessary to support your WLS journey.

 you should probably be getting 60-80 gms of protein. do these shakes have vitamins in them? are you taking vitamins?  you could be low on iron or vit b-12 or other b vits.  I started feeling lethargic, so I increased my iron intake. I feel a little better now, but I plan on getting checked at my next visit.