Question:
What were your food restrictions post-op?

I am trying to get a feel for what people were told they could eat post-op. How long were you on liquids, pureed food, and soft solids? How long did you have to wait before eating 'regular' food again?    — Anonymous A. (posted on October 7, 2002)

October 7, 2002
I was supposed to wait two weeks for regular food but I was eating some at about 7 days. Actually one of the first things I liked was Ritz crackers with swiss cheese.
   — Linda A.

October 7, 2002
Let me see. I was on "clear liquids" for the first 10 days. Then I went on "full liquids" for 2 weeks. Then on to "pureed foods" for 2 weeks. Then, slowly onto "real food". Good luck to you... Kevin
   — meilankev

October 7, 2002
I had surgery on 8-15 and was on liquids until I left the hospital on 8-20. For the first 2-3 wks I was on prureed/soft foods. After that, I was cleared to eat whatever my new litte tummy could handle. I am almost 8wks post-op now and eating just about everyhting except CHICKEN! I cannot stomach chicken. Doing great with Meat & Seafood, but, no chicken. Good Luck, email me privatley if you want more specifics.
   — heathercross

October 7, 2002
10 days of liquids, then I was told if I could chew to the consistency of baby food before swallowing, I could eat what I wanted, sort of. 60 grams of protein a day, I eat mostly American cheese, eggs, skim milk, chicken and turkey lunch meat. Good luck.
   — Dana S.

October 7, 2002
I had surgery on 8/15. For the first two weeks, I was on full liquids, although I could have cottage cheese, too. My next phase lasted two weeks as well and I could have cold/hot cereals, soft, thoroughly cooked veggies, pasta as long as it was overcooked, low-fat cheese and canned fruit in it's own juice. The next phase added steamed/baked fish, fake crablegs, steamed shrimp and eggs. Now I'm in the next to the last of their phases and I can pretty much have anything except beef, soft bread/rolls, cauliflower, broccoli and celery and of course, carbonated beverages.
   — Cathy S.

October 7, 2002
I was on liquids for 24 hours. We then were required to eat a soft solid before leaving the hospital. Up until 6 weeks the only restrictions were meats, salads and items with a casing (peas, corn). Everyone does great on this plan. There have been no problems with eating so soon after the surgery. I believe that most docs try to lean towards the 'over-precautionary' side. But from what I understand, my surgeon does some kind of reinforced stitch at the stoma site that a lot of surgeons don't do because of the difficulty of doing it by LAP method. This could be the reasoning behind doing liquids for a longer period of time. Always follow your docs instructions.
   — Cheri M.

October 8, 2002
All of that depends on all the variables: your dr recommendations for after surgery, type of surgery, how small your stomach is after surgery. 3 yrs ago, I was on 'real' soft food before I left the hospital at 5 days, now my dr has you on 3-4 wks liquids, because the stomachs are so much smaller with many not toleraging that well. When you think about real foods, walk the store and look at what texture the real food is and then read the ingredients. Many good first foods are fresh fish,I would put an onion slice in a skillet, then add some water or milk with a boullion cube, put the fish on top, garlic powder, pepper, lemon pepper, basil, whatever you like, put lid on and steam. It is wonderful and you can't beat a piece of salmon or tuna that is about an inch thick, grilled or poached, baked, mashed potatoes, carrots, plain yougert with fresh fruit, bananas, cottage cheese, squashes, eggs, cream of wheat, soups, the list is endless, just skip the poultry or the beef for several months. My first dinners were ritz cracker, tuna salad with melted cheese (6 of them zapped in the microwave).
   — Elizabeth K.