food after surgery

I am going Tuesday for my TAH and my DH is helping me get ready. He is going shopping at the grocery store for me today and he was wondering what I would want to eat afterwards.

I told him it would probably be wait and see, but I thought I would ask all you pre op gals what you ate afterwards. How long did you try to stay on a "soft diet"?



Thanks for your help, I'm getting nervous and trying to concentrate on the details I need to take care of!

I was on a liquid diet for about 36 hours after surgery. After that, I could eat anything that did not produce gas. Things like cauliflower and such. I didn't have much of an apetite though. I am over 4 weeks post op, and still do not have a regular apetite. I usually eat once a day and that does it for me. I think mine might be a mental thing, looking at this swelly belly. The swelling is getting better, but still there, so I think mine might be that thing of oh my gosh, I got heavier when I had surgery.

Hello.

I'm 16 days post op. I was back on 'real' food the following day after my op. Mind you, the first thing I ate didn't stay down!
Evertone said eat lots of healthy fruit and veg but to be honest didn't fancy any of it. Coudn't drink coffe, eat spicey food or anything. My taste changed loads for a fortnight.

For the first week my DH went to shop when I fancied something to eat. Couldn't stock up because I didn't know what I'd want. Definitely couldnt eat things that gave me gas eg onions. Really painful.

I stuck to comfort foods, soups, cheese on toast, scrambled eggs etc. Still haven't got my appetite back fully. Just eat little and often at the moment.

Hope this helps.

Good luck

Sue x

Hi sister,
I cannot stress enough to take your eating slow. I had bowel sounds and passed gas the first day so they said I could eat a regular food (chicken sandwich) I skipped over clear liquids and soft bland foods--I got so much gas and that was the most painful part. I had to start all over with clear liquids and then slowly introduce other foods. Stick with jello, pudding, icecream, crackers, noodle soups. Avoid carbinated drinks. Take a stool softener daily. I also took Gas-X and Prilosec otc daily.
Hope that this was helpful
Blessings upon you as you enter the castle

Mafalee

eating is one of my favorite things. I made chicken soup and had it in the fridge for when I got home. I took a stool softener the first 2 days. My doc did recommend eating cream of wheat as a good fiber source. I normally don't eat breakfast, but I had cream of wheat or a bowl of high fiber cereal every day the first week. I ate small portions though, you don't want to overtax your system. I didn't have too much problem with gas after the first 4 or 5 days, and after the first week i was back to eating pretty normally. I have noticed my bowels seem to move a lot more often than they used to.

Foodlady, I'm with ya on the food thing

Thanks for mentioning that your bowels move a lot more often following surgery. I've noticed this too. I have the first one almost immediately when I get up in the mornings, and sometimes one or two more during the day. Before surgery, I had a regular once a day, in the a.m.

After surgery, I ate mostly light foods, (lots of chicken noodle soup) for the first few days, and drank all the liquids I could hold (still do). Gradually started adding back regular foods, and so far, no problems. I'm 16 days post op.

My favorite post-op foods...

Yoplait yogurt, Cream of Wheat, lots and lots of water. After the first couple of days, I was eating regular foods, but I've noticed a marked decrease in my appetite. (Maybe it's just so much harder to get up and around to browse the kitchen for something that sounds good, that I'm not really doing it as much...)

~jess~ TAH 2/12/04

I assume we all are served with liquid foods post surgery. Now, I was SO hungry, I even ate some cream of wheat, which I haven't done since i lived in Scotland, and swore never to do again. I was HUNGRY.

Funny thing, though. I've been home 8 days, and don't really care about food...well the good kind. I'm craving SUGAR. Jelly beans are my friend, and today I'm going to ask DH to help me make Fudgy Brownies. Now, I never crave things like that! I'm just glad I have all the fixings in the house.

I guess the point I'm making is...be prepared for anything. I think it kind of compares to that commercial on TV, where the pregnant wife sends DH out for ice cream late at night. The important thing is to drink lots of fluids, and avoid gassie foods...and drinks.

By the way, even with this sugar thing going on, I've lost 4 lbs. The huge intake of water sort of balances things out, I reckon.

The above is what I'm doing. Your body will let you know what you should do. Listen to it, and enjoy taking afternoon naps. Personally, I may get too used to this.

Cheers Georgy

I took the DH grocery shopping with me so he would know about my diet. I've stocked up on lots of fluids, some pudding, jello and yogurts. I also bought some of my favorite soups and cereals that I know always help to "move the mail."

DH cleaned out one of the big picnic coolers and is going to have it at bedside for me (while I have to avoid the stairs). There will be a nice selection of fluids and light things (in small portions) so I can pick and choose without him having to wait on me. He knows how I am when I don't feel well - - I like to be left alone.