Curious-diet first 2 weeks post op?

I will not find out until my class on this coming Tuesday as to my surgeon. Lora, did you do the two weeks of shakes pre op?

I did 11 days pre-op of breakfast protein shake, mid am snack of fruit, lunch protein shake, mid pm snack of veggie, dinner 4 oz protein, 2 c veggie and 1 cup rice or pasta.

Lora R,



How are you feeling? Do you find yourself fatigued easily? When are you planning to return to work?



Ashley

I have been feeling good, just having some sleeping issues.  I am a side sleeper and can't sleep on my sides.  I had surgery on 9/12/13 and hope to return to work on 9/30.  I see the doctor tomorrow.

It does vary widely - and my nutritionist gave much "stricter" guidelines than my surgeon.....Two weeks pre-op I had to follow a low carb diet (less than 30 grams) then the day before surgery clear liquids.  I was on clear liquids in the hospital and for the first week then the second week I was able to move to full liquids.  I met with surgeon yesterday and was cleared to pureed foods...I do that for a week then move to soft foods for a week.  If all continues to go well then I can progress to "regular" foods.  So far I haven't had any issues!!

Faithnotfear: yes,I have had a good experience so far! I am a strict rule follower: stick to the diet, measure everything, get my liquids in,proteins in etc. I had no issues with surgery, no real pain. I wa very tired and fatigued the first 2.5 weeks, I took 3 weeks off from work.

Diet wise I had some difficulty getting the shakes down, but i plugged on.

At 2 weeks I advanced to cottage cheese, apple sauce, scramble eggs,tofu(I don't eat tofu). I can't wait for my appt. on Tuesday to be advanced again! No issues trying any new food.

Good luck!

Thanks to you all for responding! Keep on keeping on!!

Congratulations with your upcoming surgery! I FINALLY got my date the other day... October 21st...hooray!!! I can't offer you "cool tips," but I can tell you what my surgeon's plan is:

Pre-op: no two week liquid diet or anything like that, just have to do clear liquids the day before and take two delicious bottles of magnesium citrate at 2 PM and 7 PM. I can also have clear liquids up to three hours before I am to report to the hospital on the day of surgery. (I find it amusing that my sheet says "Please remember that milk products are not clear liquids.")

Diet progression following surgery:

• Day of surgery: ice chips
• Day after surgery: barium swallow test to recheck for leaks and if everything looks good, then I can have clear liquids (Phase I) for 1-2 meals in the hospital
• Day 2 after surgery: if tolerating liquids well, I advance to phase II blended/pureed for 1-2 meals in the hospital and then for 3 weeks until my first follow-up.

I am supposed to have 60-70 grams of protein per day, ideally from food, not from protein shakes, if possible. If I do have protein shakes they should be 100% whey protein powder; they also recommend No Sugar added Carnation Instant Breakfast (not sure why, but they seem to reallllllyyyy like this...it's all over several of my papers) and dry milk powder.

They recommend eating 4-6 small meals each day (every 3-4 hours), portion size should be 1/4-1/2 cup at each meal, and take 20-30 minutes to eat. As far as drinking goes, I'm supposed to drink 48-64 oz. And, last but not least, supplements...start with liquid/chewables and progress to tablets/capsules as tolerated, but NO GUMMIES. I believe they actually start giving us pain meds in pill form while we're still in the hospital.

As you have noticed, all surgeons have similar, but different, plans; I'm sure there is some reasoning and rationale, but it amuses me that while we have slightly varied anatomy, we are all essentially the same.

I wish you the best in your upcoming life change. I was given several different recipes, recommendations, and meal planners, so feel free to PM me if you would like any of these.

Thx! Are you so excited? It took so long to get here and I have been in the clouds since I got my insurance approval and surgery date.

Yes!!! I am VERY excited. I have thought about this for years and finally have an insurance that covers the surgery. You're right, it has taken a long time to get here...I've been jumping through the hoops since last December. My surgeon works a little differently and won't give you a surgery date until insurance approves you, so I had to wait a few weeks to get in to see him AFTER I had been approved. I could do it a lot sooner, but I had to give work 30 days notice so they could find coverage for me. :sigh: What's another month, right? 

Looking forward to going on this journey with you! Congratulations, again!