Dehydration before Surgery.

[mightyminx49]

Hi Everyone,

I want to write this so that everyone who is waiting for surgery would read. I hope to prevent anyone feeling as ill as I did by not drinking enough extra fluids in the ten days before their surgery.

Dehydration is a bad thing to have before surgery and I thought I was well hydrated before mine. I obviously wasnt and was poorly the whole week afterwards. I was re-admitted and tests were carried out just incase I had a leak. All was well but I needed 4 bags of IV fluids before I felt as well as I do now. Jut goes to show that I wasnt hydrated enough before had or after surgey. I drank as much as I could after the surgery but it wasnt enough.

Since coming back out of hospital again I am eating and drinking well and feel great. Almost my old self only my new self too!!!

I implore all pre-oppers to drink the required amounts of milk if on the milk diet and, at least 1-2 litres of extra fluids in the 10 days before your surgery. Anyone on the diabetic diet should also drink extra fluids if they can.

I hope this helps prevent anyone from being re-admitted due to dehydration if it can be prevented by me letting them know that those extra fluids are vitally important. PLEASE HEED ALL ADVICE on the diet sheets. xx

 

[suepat10]

Joan!!!!!

So pleased to hear from you! It occurred to me earlier you hadn't been around for a few days and just said to my partner I was going to send you a message.

Really glad you are feeling better and I will definitely take your advice on board x

 

[penguina]

I am sorry you have been feeling so poorly. I did see your post saying you weren't too well, but didn't realise it was so serious. Glad you are on the mend.

It is hard to keep extra fluids up - I have a bit of a bladder problem and was going to the loo all day today, so would be inclined not to drink too much, but will take heed of your warning.

As well as my 4 pints milk today I have had some juice, three cups of tea and an oxo drink, so I hope that is enough. If I drink anymore I won't get any sleep tonight.

 

[Miss Tickle]

Thanks for the heads up Joan and I'm so pleased you're sorted and feeling better. You've had a very rough time.
I have been drinking about 2.5 litres a day including all my squash, tea and coffee. Do you think its enough? It's only 6 days to my op now and I'm a bit worried now .

 

[poppy10]

Thanks so much for this information; I am currently doing the milk diet and today start day 4 and this has given me the kick up the bum that I need to drink more fluids...this is a great post Joan and I am sure it will be helpful to so many others also.

I hope that you are continuing to make a good recovery.

Poppy x

 

[Karlos]

Great thread and I'm was sorry to read that you'd had a crappy time

This happened to me too. I was dehydrated when they operated and the result was that when they got me back to the HDU my blood pressure dropped to 70 over 30.

They were about to open me up again because they thought I had a leak when the anesthetist came in and asked me when I'd last had a drink. When I told him he said he's empty fill him up with fluid

He was right and it worked, but my advice would always be before any operation make sure you hydrate properly right up to the nil by mouth cut off point

 

[mightyminx49]

Hi all,

Miss Tickle, my message was not meant to scare or worry you, merely advise everyone pre-op that extra fluids right up to the nil by mouth point are vitally important. You seem to be drinking enough but I ask you and anyone else pre-op to consider the following advice.

Were you drinking as much fluid before your diet began?

If yes then add 1 litre of extra fluid.
If no then add 2 litres of extra fluid.

Always heed the advice given on the diet sheet about fluids. It is vitally important that you are well hydrated before and after the surgery to ensure you stay well. If I had been given the same advice before my surgery I may not have had to be re-admitted and need 4 bags of IV fluids before I felt this well. My mouth was often dry before the diet, during the diet and bone dry after surgery and I thought I had drank enough fluids. Sipping water should have been enough to quench my thirst but it wasnt and I often felt sick. I had my first milky meal before I was allowed home and thought that the pain of swallowing and slight nausea was normal after surgery and would get better as the week wore on, with some people it can be. Believe me, by the end of the week I could barely sip water, and food was almost impossible and painful to swallow. And all that was due to dehydration. I didnt know my mouth was dry because I wasnt hydrated enough, I thought it was the after effect of surgery. It took me a whole week to realise something wasnt right.

I would like to think that if one pre-opper read this advice and changed the amount they were drinking and went through surgery well hydrated because of it then my message served its purpose, and I feel vindicated in writing it.

This has been my personal experience and sharing it means that others may not go through what I and probably many others have experinced. I am feeling 100% better than I did well before my surgery. I drink plenty and have no post op pain what so ever 11 days post op. My friends have even said I look so much better than I have in months.

Take care all xxxxx

 

[starr]

aw im so glad you found out why you felt so bad ,and really pleased your back on the mend , as for scarey stuff,knowledge is power, the more you losers tell us wanabes,the easier our journeys , so big thanks from me ,need all the help i can get x and hope it gets easier from now x

 

[mandym1]

Great thread and very useful for pre-oppers I'm sure you will have prevented others going through the same as you. I'm so glad you are better now.

I did drink a lot of fluid leading up to my surgery and woke up with a cathetar. All night the nurse was emptying my bag as it was filling up constantly! I was getting slightly embarrassed until the nurse said there is nothing wrong with your fluids, you have been a good girl!!

 

[mightyminx49]

Mandym1,

Way to go girl!!!! Well done hunnie, I hope many others take heed of pratical advice meant to aid their recovery. xx

 

[Neeta]

Thank you Mightymix and everyone else for a great topic of conversation. I was worried about waking up with a catheter and couldn't quite understand why this would happen, but now I do and as it is all so well worth it, I will be following your advice and drinking plenty plenty more fluids. I already drink 2lt of water at work and then probably another 2lt at home so perhaps it wont be so hard to keep this up before the big day. Thank you. XX

 

[SARAH S]

Joan I'm so glad you are feelig better and this advice is invaluable... I'm already thinking about how I would manage to drink all that milk anyway!!

Fortunately my surgeon favours a low fat diet not the milk diet so I think I'll try that and then keep up my fluid intake now I can understand how important it is.... Thank you for this info

Keep getting better and work your way along the loosers bench

 

[Miss Tickle]

Hi Joan, you haven't scared me love but made me realsie that I didn't have a clue how much fluid is enough. Your advise is invaluable, so thank you. It's such a shame you had to go through such a hard time and I'm glad you feel better now.
I'm being a good drinker today )

 

[mightyminx49]

See!!!!! advice well worth giving if it has made a few pre-oppers look at what they are drinking prior to their 10 day pre-op diet. I would have rather have had a cathater than IV fluids LOL
I hate needles :cry:

Take care all Love and hugs to you all xoxoxoxox

 

[No1spritzer]

Glad your all better Joan and here's to the start of a great weight loss xxx