Upcoming hysterectomy 3/15: Hospital food?

What is the best food to eat in the hospital after surgery to regain strength but not get nauseous? I really don’t want to get sick! Of course not counting water!

Ok, my hospital actually has amazing food - and once they noticed I could keep my meals down I could ask for anything I wanted. They literally have room service in the hospital I was in.

I chose oatmeal as my first after surgery meal. They made it bland, so it wasn't too spiced, but let me put some sugar in it. It was still bland though, due to anesthesia (which is something that may happen for you - it's very common for it mess with taste and smell post surgery).

However, I've only had anesthesia mess with me once in my life post surgery with food not being kept down, and it's because my dad gave me a cheeseburger (I was 7!). Don't eat greasy food (and you should be fine).

I ordered chicken noodle soup and a banana from the cafeteria the evening after surgery, after my nausea was gone. I was truly hungry and wanted to eat, but the residual CO2 gas in my body resulted in me feeling STUFFED after just a couple bites of soup. Plus my mouth was so dry from anesthesia that i couldn't even taste the soup. The first food I was able to eat was a small gluten free blueberry muffin for breakfast next day.

I say eat what you want, within reason, of course. Stay away from the heavy, greasy stuff.

After surgery, you’ll more more than likely won’t be given solid food, but more than likely broth, jello, etc.

I had only one meal for a 23 hours stay, my only concern was that i’m Vegetarian

First night was broth and jello, next am oatmeal....lunch and dinner from then on was regular. Supper one night was turkey, dressing, gravy and mashed potato.....very yummy....in fact next morning had BM.
Wasn’t really that hungry most of stay, few meals didnt feel like eating at all and my nurse made me toast with peanut butter....

Apparently I was really bad. You’d think I’d be smarter.

Out of surgery I ordered a small side salad and a hummus sandwich on pita with onions-olives-no tomatoes (my sister laughed at this). I was waiting for that and threw up my cracker. Then for dinner I ordered mashed potatoes with gravy (I thought this was bland) and macaroni and cheese.... then about an hour later that all came up. Then they gave me a lot of medicine to make me sleep and not throw up. Apparently I texted one of my coworkers who was working, asked what the cafeteria breakfast special was (breakfast pizza). I called up, ordered 2 of them and a pancake and chicken sausage...(. I don’t remember any of this, but when all the food came dietary played me the message back and because I work there they thought it was hilarious. Apparently I said “it’s Kim and I love you!”). Then at 0300 I got pain meds, called one of my friends who was working near the med room and had them bring yogurt (“to keep everything down”). I then projectile vomited this on one of my coworkers. So literally... I am horrible at this.

Jello and soup. Apparently I told my sister tomato soup was too spicy. Good luck!

I had a late check-in for surgery and spent one night in the hospital supposedly on a liquid diet. Supper was not liquids like I'd been restricted to pre-surgery. It was some kind of soup & packaged applesauce and a carton of milk or yogurt or something like that. I had zero appetite but ate a little green jello and barfed. After that, it was sipping ginger ale and the nurse brought me some soda crackers. Breakfast was cream of wheat and lots of dairy - not exactly constipation-friendly - and decaf coffee, the heck?? A friend brought me a tall latte and I could not have cared less about the hospital lunch menu since I was laser focused on passing the pee test to get out of there

When I was brought to my room just after 2:00, I was served a bowl of Jello, along with leftover cream of beef soup from the lunch menu. I told the nurse that I'm allergic to dairy products, so she promptly took it away, and then my blood pressure plummeted, so I wasn't given any more food for the remainder of my stay, because they were more focused on my fluid intake; between that and the after-effects of the nausea and pain medications, my stomach was pretty screwed up, so I was thankful for the crystallized ginger and gluten-free crackers I'd packed in my overnight bag. When I arrived home, my first meal was an energy bar, after which I gradually returned to my normal diet. Two days later, I threw up everything I'd eaten since that energy bar - apparently poor stomach motility and narcotic painkillers aren't a good combination, so I stuck with bland, easily digestible foods for the next few days; adequate protein will be essential to your recovery, and top picks for this include scrambled or poached eggs, plain chicken breast, and white fish. My first bowel movement was on day 6, and after that, my stomach gradually returned to normal, thanks to regular walks, and regular cups of peppermint tea. Here's hoping that your stomach won't become as screwed-up as mine was, so you can eat what you need for your recovery. Best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery!

My surgery was so late that I didn't eat anything until the next morning, and as I noted it was oatmeal. Very bland oatmeal.

I didn't get out of recovery until almost 10 pm, so my night was spent trying to control pain. I didn't have any nausea issues. I rarely throw up though and have only had issues with that once and greasy food was to blame. No greasy, heavy foods until you are told you can!

At my request, they treated me heavily for nausea before and after surgery and so it wasn't an issue for me. I didn't have any dietary restrictions at all (we checked before I ordered my dinner. My surgery was at 7:30AM and I ate dinner about 6PM) But since I was mindful of the fact that a BM might not happen for several days I took it easy on my food choices. The first night was chicken noodle soup and chocolate pudding. Scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, and more soup and pudding the next evening. I LOVED the pudding - it was really hitting the spot for me while I was in the hospital.