What Can I Eat Afterwards?

I thought that this maybe should go in the Post-Op board but I can't post there yet...

I'm just wondering what my diet should be like after the surgery? My Dr didnt say anything about it and they are so tired of me calling in and asking the million other questions I keep thinking of...

Just from my experience..... Drink lots of water. Juice will help get your bowels moving. Avoid gassy foods like milk, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, beans, etc. which they love to bring to you in the hospital. My nurse said not to drink any super cold drinks with ice either because they cause more gas. Hot tea, coffee, and hot broths are good. You may not have much of an appetite anyway for a while. I craved salad. Just the thought of fast food made me nauteous. Generally bland food will agree with your tummy better at first. I vomited. Believe me you don't want to do that after eating chips and salsa! Hope this was a help!

I was allowed regular diet before discharge (in hosp. overnight)
Good luck

I had no problems with eating afterwards, well except for the hospital food. I was put on a liquid diet while there. Everything was either too salty or too sweet, so by the next morning I was starving. Then comes the cream of wheat and lemon yogurt for breakfast. By the time the dr came in, I was begging for real food. She gave me the ok, so I sent dh to cafeteria in search of a tuna on wheat and some mac and cheese. I ate almost half of that, nurse charted it, so when they brought my lunch, she wasn't too upset when I didn't touch much of it.

I didn't think anything could be worse then what they brought for breakfast. But the main dish for lunch consisted of a green, beefy slop. Told the nurse that I didn't even want to know what that was yesterday before they liquified it.

For dinner that night, dh got take out Chinese.

I just stocked up on jello, crackers, pretzels,oatmeal, yogurt, and soup.. I heard that after surgery you may experience gas pains so I stocked up on these items just in case. If anybody else has any ideas please post. Thanks.

The sisters are correct. After surgery, barring no complication, you can eat whatever you feel like. Make sure you have plenty of fresh fruit and fiber - for the bowels.

Hospital food is bad; try to bring some snacks in case you get hungry between meals.

Good luck on your surgery and a speedy recovery.

Oh, I almost forgot... I read yesterday on the boards that chewing gum after surgery will help with the gas.

anne, pack yourself a comfy pair of house slippers for walking. That really helps with the gas. Honestly, I don't think I would've had problems with gas if I would've skipped my dosage of Metformin the first night. That combined with the lunch and dinner they served me, thought I was going to die. I didn't get relief until dh got me the sandwich. lol

I stocked up on jello, yogurt, juice, ginger ale, bottled water, and soups for next week.

From all the gas and constipation problems I read about, I can't imagine I will want much solid food until my digestive tract gets back to somewhat normal!

After my release, I didn't have any problems with gas or bm. I was affraid of that too, so before leaving the hospital, I talked with dr about a 'plan of action' to avoid it. I took the max dosage of Simethicone a day (1 every 6 hours) and max dosage of Stool Softener (2 caplets before bed). First few bm were a little discomforting, so I added another stool softener caplet with my morning meds. Plus I drank 2 cups of apple juice a day. This worked for me. At 3 weeks now, I no longer need neither.

Make sure you talk to your dr about your concerns for gas and constipation before your surgery, or at least before you leave.