Post-op Food...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been banded (lap band) since Aug 2007 and I'm having lots of reflux and esophageal dilation, so I'm pretty sure I am going to a sleeve in the next month or so. I'm curious about the nutritional plans your docs put you on. Would anyone be willing to share with me? I'm looking for things like this: clear liquids day 1-3, full liquids day 4-10, etc. I remember with my band, I went from clear liquids to full liquids to soft foods to protein over the course of time to reintroduce foods back in to my tummy! I also remember feeling hungry all the time after surgery because of the nutritional limitations... is this pretty much the same thing?

Thanks so much for all your help

I did a two week pre op full liquid diet - 4-5 shakes per day, broth, jello, etc. Then post surgery I was on clear liquids for one week, full liquids for two weeks, and mushies for another week. But check with what your surgeon says! I almost never feel hungry.

Hi Subrina. All plans are different, but my plan is as follows:

• 2 weeks prior to surgery, liquids that you can see through that are sugar and fat free: popsicles, broths, jellos, also allowed 5 shakes per day made of half scoop protein powder, cup of almond milk and a pack of Carnation Breakfast Essentials in the blue box
• Days 1-7 after surgery: same as presurgery diet except 2 shakes instead of 5, and use a full scoop protein powder (optional Carnation)
• Days 8-14: full liquids. Creamed soups that have been strained or blended smooth, cream of wheat, sugar free fat free yogurt, puddings. Low fat or no fat cottage cheese, no sugar added applesauce, sf ff fudgesicles and hot chocolate. Can also have everything on list from week 1. Food should run off spoon.
• Days 15-21:  pureed. Food can sit on spoon but must be consistency of baby food, moist and no hard pieces. Tuna or chicken salad with fat free mayo, crockpot meets and veggies (low carb veggies), scrambled eggs moiste with soft cheese, pureed fruit, plus whatever you want from prior weeks
• Days 22-28 soft foods: ground low fat meats, no hard to digest pieces.
• 6 small 1/2 c - 3/4 c meals per day, 64oz or more water, 60-80g protein dialy

Hope this helps you.

Thank you so much! This really helps me out! 

Every surgeon is different, of course, but my plan was full liquids for 2 weeks, pureed foods for 2 weeks, soft solids for 2 weeks and then my forever diet.  I only had clear liquids while in the hospital!

Links to all of my diet stages are in my blog, the link is in my signature!

As everyone says, every doctor is different but here's mine!

Day before surgery was a light breakfast, full liquids for lunch (creamy soups), and for dinner was clear liquids. Nothing after midnight.

My surgery was late in the day so I ended up staying an extra day in the hospital. I didn't get up to my room until almost 7pm with earlier delays on other people surgeries then consequently mine.

Day after surgery was liquids.

2 days after surgery was pureed diet. (My doctor starts everyone on pureed once they see they can tolerate the liquid diet.)

I'll be on pureed until 8 weeks then I start soft food. My doctor's office considers anything that can be EASILY cut with a plastic knife to be pureed and not necessary to be ran through a blender. Most meats need to actually be pureed. Ground meats and fish do not have to be pureed so I eat a lot of those or cheese.

I do not feel hungry at all. I do find myself thinking wow I would've normally had 2 or 3 bites of that during preparation as I'm preparing food for my family. I have almost a clarity as to where a lot of my calories came from before. Even though I wasn't sitting down and eating tons of food at multiple meals, I was consuming a lot of calories throughout my day. Every time one of my kids (2 and 7) wanted a snack, I'd have a bite or two myself.

Hi there. My plan was as follows:

Before surgery I had to eat low carb -- protein and veggies. The day before surgery was soup and water.

After surgery through day 10 I was on full liquids -- water, soup, SF pudding, SF jello, SF popsicles

After the 10 days it was open season. I just had to chew, chew, chew and chew again to grind my food into pulp. So of course I started soft with eggs and tuna. I made chicken in the crock pot. My team wants us to go to "real" food quickly when compared to some other plans I've read. They wanted our mouths/teeth to do the work our stomach couldn't do fully, which was grind that food to a pulp.

When I did have that hungry feeling I had to call the surgeon. OK, after a couple of weeks I called the surgeon after thinking this would go away. I didn't think it was reflux b/c it didn't burn my throat. It just made my stomach hurt and feel totally empty, even while I was eating. I found out it was too much acid and he wrote a script. It has been good since I started the meds.

Just to show you how much the recommendations vary, my foods changed while I was in the hospital (my DS was open, so that was 4 days):

• I was on clear liquids until I farted
• I was on full liquids for a day
• I was on soft food my last day at the hospital until I went home.
• When home, I was encouraged to try one new thing at a time, soft in consistency at first, but use my own judgement on when to progress.