64 oz of fluids

I am in day 6 post OP and I can't seem to get my 64 ounces of fluid in. It scared me too. I don't want to get dehydrated. Ideas

How close are you getting?  What are you counting as fluids?  Do you count your protein shakes?  Are you eating jello and counting that or perhaps sugar free popsicles?

Also the question comes up ... why not?  Is it painful to drink a lot ... perhaps you need to try warmer liquids.  They seem to go down easier early on post op.  

How are you doing on protein?  The more protein you take in the more liquids you need to balance that on your kidneys.  If you aren't getting in that much protein then it may not be as much of an issue.

Fluids early on are more important than the protein. 

Give us some more ideas of what your daily intakes are in protein and other things such as liquids.  We may be able to give better suggestions with that information.

 

I get 60 to 75 grams of protein with protein shakes. Each one is 11 ounces. And so that's at least 22 ounces of fluids. I do eat one or two popsicles, sugar free. The reason why it's hard is because my insides seen sore. After I consume my 3 ounces of protein shake at the top if the hour I just want to rest my insides. I do drink fluids at room temperature.

I forgot to mention that I agree with the previous response that you should drink some Power Aid Zero.  The electrolytes will be helpful.  

The fact that you are getting in a good amount of protein but not quite to 80 grams would seem to me that you have a little leeway with the amount of liquid intake.  

You mentioned that you drink fluids at room temperature.  When you do that do things seem better?  Are your protein shakes also room temperature?  Perhaps you could try drinking some teas.  In other words try something even warmer to see if that helps.  Of course it wouldn't help much with your protein shakes.

I am curious ... are you lactose intolerant?  If you weren't then perhaps you have become so.  Your response seems to indicate a possible issue with your protein shake.  Tell me about what you are using (brand name) and whether or not it is 100% Whey Protein Isolate?  Are you drinking pre-made protein shakes or mixing a powder with something?  If you are mixing things are you using milk?

I have so many thoughts going through my mind as you can tell.  I go through all the possibilities that I can think of and am trying to get to the bottom of things.  

If you continue having issues then my best recommendation is that you should speak with your surgeon.  If drinking stuff is causing pain then you really should speak with your surgeon.

Premium protein from Costco, ready made. And no issues with milk before hand. Room temperature does seen to help. It's not really pain im feeling, just uncomfortable. I do have something like isopure but it's too sweet right now. I loved it during my preop diet. Hopefully I'll like it again soon.

Right now since you are having issues with fluids but other than the popsicles the only thing you mention is the Premier Protein from Costco as the only thing you are drinking I will stick with thoughts on that and not on how insufficient that protein drink is.

Besides that is it more about fluids than protein at first.  

Even people that are not lactose intolerant will become so post op.  Since the only thing you seem to be drinking is this protein rtd thing I might suspect that this could be the issue.  The particular protein drink that you are using has a lot of milk in it.  My thoughts are that you may be digesting this milk and it is not being broken down well.  This would lead to you being a bit gassy and there would be some gas pressure in your stomach making you feel uncomfortable.

To test that theory the only thing you could do would be to try a different protein drink.  One that is 100% Whey Protein Isolate which is usually either lactose free or 99% lactose free (which is close enough).  The best and cheapest way to test this out would be to go to Walmart and get some Body Fortress Brand Whey Protein Isolate.  

Here is the most important thing ... Walmart sells two different Body Fortress products.  One is about $16 and is not the Isolate but instead a concentrate and will not say anything on the package about being lactose free as it isn't.  The other Body Fortress product sells for about $22 and says Whey Protein Isolate on the front and also that it is lactose free.  The other way to tell the difference is that the Whey Protein Isolate only seems to be available in one flavor called Vanilla Cream.  I have noticed locally that not all Walmarts carry the Whey Protein Isolate and you can order it online from their website and have it shipped for free to the store for pick up.  The other thing to remember is that you would want to mix this with an unsweetened almond milk or a lactose free milk such as Lactaid.  Personally I would go for the unsweetened almond milk (you can get that at Walmart for $2.88 on the Blue Diamond brand) as a test.  

If you can mix up this protein mix without any uncomfortable feelings after, then I would think this could mean that you did indeed become lactose intolerant.  Although that wouldn't be the only possible conclusion.  An alternate conclusion is that the Body Fortress being a higher quality protein isn't causing you the same issues as that awful stuff you are drinking.  When I say awful I mean in the context of not being a very good source of protein.

Now a lot of people also tend to buy some sugar free syrups to mix into the protein shakes for varieties of flavors.  Another way to go is to get some Hershey's Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa and some Splenda to sweeten the cocoa and mix that into the protein shake.  This can give you a nice chocolate flavoring.  Also 1 tbsp of the cocoa is only 10 calories as well as 1 gram of protein, it has 3 grams of carbs but 2 grams of fiber ( only 1 net carb ).  

These are again my thoughts on what may be happening.  If you continue to have issues with the protein drink that you are drinking I would definitely talk with your nutritionist and or surgeon.  

Also I want to repeat that you should try drinking something like Power Aid Zero ... by the way Walmart has their own brand of sports drinks that is similar to the Power Aid Zero (Zero meaning 0 calories).  

I remember being concerned early out as well, those small sips throughout the day, I knew I was doing my best to try and get my water in. My doctor told me the minimum amount of fluid was 32 oz. That was doable that early on, 64 was not. I wasn't making excuses from sun up to sun down I was sipping something.

If you're sipping all day and not getting it in there is not much more I would think you can do. If you're not doing that, start. It will be throughout the day.

Call your doctor if you're concerned to see if they have suggestions that may be helpful.

I struggled getting fluids in as well and when I spoke to the nutritionist she suggested having a Gatorade drink everyday. I am now able to get in the fluids but still having difficulty with the timing of food and liquids. I had surgery on May 30 and just this past week I am able to get in fluids without any problems.

Sip something every 15 minutes from the time you get up till you go to bed. This should allow you to get 64 oz of fluid in.

Thanks everyone. So popsicles count as part of my fluids.