I’ve been looking around the internet for a while now, and it is shocking how many people are sent home without any sort of dietary guidelines for post-surgery. ‘Eat anything you want’ is often said and the patient is left to figure out – often painfully – what foods work and what foods just don’t.
I am not an expert or even a doctor. Heck, I’m not even a week out of surgery. I’m working on instinct right now and trusting my intuition to tell me what my body needs right now. Add in a dose of common sense, and I might have a few things to say to help you calm down about what you eat.
Now for some tips:
*Don’t be afraid to eat. I know how it feels. You’re scared to put anything in your mouth. You don’t have a gallbladder! What that means is different for everyone, so it’s hard not to stress. But try not to because stress interrupts healing. Take a few breaths – deep ones if you can – and relax.
*Start slowly. It’s entirely possible that you’re going to have little to no appetite for a while. But that doesn’t mean stop eating. Your body still needs a lot of energy for healing. Try to eat a little something – even as small as a bit of bread – every few hours. Not only will you get used to smaller meals more often, this will help you avoid possible nausea.
*Avoid what caused attacks before. You know what put you into an attack, and it could be completely different than the next person. Putting/keeping those foods firmly on your don’t list is a good start to your new diet.
*Try a liquid or mostly liquid diet for a while. Take it easy on your digestive system by taking in liquids like fruit and veggies juices, soups and broths, etc. Every now and then I have a meal replacement shake just to make sure I’m getting good nutrition while my diet is more limited than it usually is.
*Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. As you read on my rant, there are people who have double cheesebugers less than a day after surgery and pepperoni pizzas with extra cheese just days after without any problems. Congratulations to them (I guess), but I don’t plan on abusing my confused and still healing body like that.
*Avoid (bad and high) fats, red meats, dairy and spicy things. Okay, so you’ve probably heard that one a million times before, but it bears repeating. Anything that would usually make your digestion work hard is going to be even more of a tough one now that you don’t have bile storage. Does this mean never? Not necessarily, but it would be a very good idea to give your digestive system at least a month of tame foods before going for the jalapenos.
*Test things slowly and one at a time. If you’re going to experiment, try little bits one at a time. Don’t have a steak with spicy barbecue sauce followed by yogurt for dessert. Not only are you likely to mess yourself up, you won’t know if it was the dairy or the barbecue sauce that really did you in.
And, just because I want to, here are some general tips I’ve learned from reading, talking to people and experience:
*Take it easy. You may feel like a million dollars a few weeks after surgery, but there is no heavy lifting or strenous activity for four to six weeks after for a reason. You will feel better before your body is done healing. Do it a favor and don’t stress it out before it is done.
*Listen to your body. Since having the procedure done, I am very thirsty nearly all the time. I don’t know why, but I’m not questioning it – I am drinking the water. Obviously my body needs it.
*Ask questions at check-ups. I was against surgery at first and asked the surgeons (and nurses, and people who have had the procedure, etc) every question I could think of until I was satisfied and calm. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel silly for asking questions. It’s your right.
The key thing to remember is that while you are healing and recovering, so is your body. Your digestive system has to start learning straightaway how things are going to work without your gallbladder.
When I told The Bloke that I’d hit the “I refuse to let myself gain anymore weight back” point, he told me that I needed to sit down for some reflection. I needed to figure out what worked in the past and what didn’t. He wasn’t just talking about diets, either; he meant which bits and pieces worked for me.