I'm getting pretty weak -

I have had a rough week starting Tuesday night.  To put it politely, my plumbing was clogged - all the way through so that even if I took a sip, it was gurgling in my throat Nothing was budging-- so after a long painful night working from both ends and multiple conversations with my surgeon, I finally got things moving.  Wednesday I was weak and nauseous, but I chalked it up to the night before.  Then, Wednesday afternoon- the drains came completely unclogged and I had the opposite problem through today even.  It is getting better, as it is not all liquid anymore-- but I am extremely nauseous and I'm not able to keep much down.

I'm trying different fluids, but with the metal taste in my mouth, I haven't been able to keep much down of those either - I keep gagging and retching from the taste and nausea.  The nurse said not to worry about the protein, but the fluids for sure- that was yesterday.  

I know I'm not supposed to, but in desperation I ate a couple crackers and that did sooth my nausea for awhile - I don't want to eat the carbs though - and I was careful to make them into mush/liquid before I swallowed them.  

I need some advice, vets-- I am very weak and can hardly eat or drink anything.  I have a follow up on Tuesday next-- but what can I do to get through the next 3 days or so?

(by the way, my nurse said I could have strawberry seeds, so again in desperation, I made an old favorite protein shake- frozen strawberries, almond milk, pomegranite juice-- drank half of that and again feel crummy -- im wondering if I could be dumping from that one)  

Any suggestions?  I am really having trouble with the puree stage here-- nothing is appetizing - I've tried chicken breast puree with broth and it tasted like chicken fat and I retched.  I tried the spaghetti sauce with ricotta cheese- and although it tastes ok, the texture makes me retch.  I'm really not trying to be picky, but seems like I'm pretty sensitive to taste, texture and smells.

Any advice would be appreciated-- I can barely get out of bed to shower and then I'm exhausted again!  The thing is that I was doing better on just not eating anything- clear liquids!  Can I go back to that?  (I've searched around my area for the Premier Protein shakes and they are not available so I have to either order online or wait until I can get to a bigger city to find them).

Sorry I can't help you with most of your questions. But if you're looking for Premier Protein shakes, they can be found at Costco. Do you have one in your area?

No, unfortunately I am in a rural area- limited access to the big stores.  I do have a Sam's club membership but store is 2 hours away (kind of like everything is) so I just have to wait to get some... I think I may just order online as I don't know when I will be able to get out to go that far.  Thanks though!

I order Premier Protein shakes off Amazon, if you are a Prime member depending what vendor you buy from on there, shipping should be free.

Sounds like you are dehydrated.  If you can't keep liquids down, you need to go to the ER for IV fluids.  Like, tonight.  You cannot wait until Tuesday if you are not getting fluids in.  If you can keep fluids down, drink up, even if the metal taste is unpleasant.  That taste is ketosis, by the way - you are burning fat, which is what you want.  It will go away when you start eating more carbs, and your weight loss will slow down then, too.

Thank you-- I have been able to choke down some fluids, so I think I am not quite to the IV point yet-- I will force more down to avoid that... thanks for the advice.  Is my weak feeling just from not eating do you think?  

And in order to prevent dumping- what do I look at on the labels, is it total carbs or grams of sugar?  And is there a guideline of how much I should be keeping under?

It's probably mostly from not getting enough fluids.  If you can get a protein drink in, or even a glass of skim milk or soy milk, that would help, too, probably.  If it's hard to drink a lot, try ice chips or sugar free popsicles.  Warm drinks might be easier than cold, too.  You could try some peppermint tea or ginger tea - you can find peppermint tea at any grocery store and ginger tea at some groceries.  Those help with nausea.

Try to stick to 10 grams of sugar or less per serving.

Thanks- you rock-- I really like milk, so I am going to try some of that... I hadn't tried that in a couple days- good call--

I made an old favorite protein shake- frozen strawberries, almond milk, pomegranite juice-- drank half of that and again feel crummy -- im wondering if I could be dumping from that one)  

Here is the thing...if you are wondering if you are dumping...you are not dumping. Plain and simple.

There is NOTHING that would have caused me to have a carb shake two weeks out. I would not have one now...but I am not reading where you even put protein powder in that shake, it was just liquid carb. 

And protein you can live withou****er you cannot. I would be getting some water STAT and if you are actually dehydrated you need to go to the ER for an IV to get yourself to a place where you are hydrated and your electrolytes are in balance.

I was not able to eat for the 40+ hours of labor I had in the hospital with my son OR the next 18 hours due to some issues with my post-op anesthesia and was on a hydration drip only due to a mix-up with doctors orders. I was not getting nutrition, just hydration. I went four days without a morsel of food, just IV hydration because the order of nothing by mouth was not lifted when it should have been and I was beside myself not knowing if we were going to have a funeral for our son or not. I was recovering from an emergency c-section and having to walk a lot back and forth to the NICU to nurse my son and be there as all the specialists were examining him pretty much night and day. 

Even after all that, I did not feel weak. I was tired, but not weak. 

That indicates to me that you may be dehydrated because that was the one thing I absolutely was not. 

Please seek care at an ER unless the time zone you are in has a regular doctor open (PCP or surgeon). 

Good luck to you!

Thanks for the advice-- sorry to hear about your rough time when you had your son!  Oops-- yes, I did put protein powder in my shake-- just forgot to write it down.  All of those other ingredients are carbs?  (sorry, I'm really dumb when it comes to that stuff... trying to learn more).  

So if I am nauseous, feel flushed and hot, and sometimes sweat and am clammy - that is not dumping?  Maybe I'm not-- I'm so new I was just guessing that this is what it feels like.  There really is so much to figure out when you are a new post op... but every day I learn a little more. 

My husband is wondering if I am dehydrated too-- and he is here helping me try different fluids to try to forego an ER trip.  So far today, I've only had about 20 oz -- someone suggested milk, so that is my next thing to try!