I always try to have a good diet and follow the surgeon’s instructions. My Preop at the hospital was very thorough they told me what to eat which was liquids only for 48 hours before the surgery and they gave me a shower anti bacterial soap to Wash with and instructions. I also drink a six pack of ensure shakes , whichever you prefer , the regular, is fine any flavor you like a week prior to the surgery. This helps to give your tissues the required nutrients they will need to heal after the surgery , stitches and such. Also try to take another six pack of ensure , post operation if the doctor says it’s ok. As long as you don’t have serious other medical conditions. I was really surprised how regular my diet was in the hospital stay. They gave me regular beef broth, no noodles , decaf coffee and tea with every meal and my 20 ounce protein drink punch flavor with 30 grams of protein. It was great. I was eating 6 hours after my surgery albeit not a whole lot your stomach will automatically tell you that’s enough and you will feel satisfied and full. Water, protein drinks decaf coffee and tea with stevia you can have all of that you want. I was walking 8 hours after the surgery. They give you your IV meter as a support to wheel around while you are walking the hallways. The best thing was I thought this was going to be a bloody surgery, discharge and stuff afterwards, well not at all, I was up in the bathroom using the facilities number one and two with no issues at all. It helps if you have been regular prior to the surgery, hopefully you have been working on that with Metamucil or Mirilax etc. Preop they will ask you what medications you are taking , be specific and complete. They will give you your normal meds for blood, pressure, cholesterol, diabetes etc. I forgot to include Ambien for sleeping and I really needed it to sleep because the hospital is noisy even at night. Also request pain reliever before you need it, if you wait until you have pain, it will take the nurse about an hour to call your doctor for every dose you need , so it’s good to be proactive on that. Everything you need or request, they have to call your doctor to have it approved, yes it is that controlled. I would have only stayed one day in the hospital but , the pain got worse after the surgery pain killer wore off so on the afternoon of the 2nd day . So I decided to stay another night so I could get some intravenous painkiller in my IV. I was fine the next morning and went home . It’s amazing what 12 hours does to you feeling better. My wife picked me up I went home took a shower and got in bed and started taking my prescribed post op meds . I was driving 3 days later, although I would get tired after 2 hours of activity and had to get back in bed, climbing stairs to the upper floor was no issue.
Preop
- Thread starter John D
- Start date
Isn't it nice that things go much smoother than expected ? Same with me .... I thought I'd have drains coming out of the incisions and all bandaged up . nope. All incisions are 1" slits glued shut. I only needed one dose of pain meds . Walking was a piece of cake. I think the surgery was the easy part .... now comes the hard work - breaking a lifetime of bad habits ! Good luck to you, John - you sound like you'll be a success!
Thanks , breaking old habits is hard. I was shocked how poor my eating habits were. I have to learn better habits now, no choice. Your stomach is the size of an egg about two tablespoons, no accompanying drink to go with that, if you eat more than that you will be in the bathroom voiding your stomach, which is no fun. Stick with shakes liquids and soup, you will be much happier. I don’t miss any food , voiding my stomach motivates me not to exceed my diet or crave food. I can eat at restaurants mostly soup again, chips and salsa are good but only in limited quantities. I find i enjoy and get the full flavor of food even if it is only one or two bites, that’s all I need!!
Marie Favorini
Member
Sounds like you have totally changed your diet! Do you still eat three meals a day or do you do smaller snacks throughout the day? May I ask how much weight you have lost so far? (Only if you feel like sharing, of course.)
I am trying to get a sense of what to expect in the weeks post-surgery.
I am trying to get a sense of what to expect in the weeks post-surgery.
3 meals a day , if you over ate you might feel like skipping a meal just drink a shake or some Jello, sugar free Jello satisfies and it settles your stomach. Eating les is best you will feel happier. You should have a planned weight loss which is usually your prescribed weight on the weight charts more or less ,your doctor will know best. For me I started at 227 lbs I am down to 187 after 4 weeks, that’s 40 lbs , About another 32 lbs will get me to target goal. Also I am off insulin and my blood pressure is in the normal range now. It’s good , you will feel shaky for two weeks but that’s mostly the anesthetic and post op medications.
Marie Favorini
Member
Thanks, John. That was incredibly helpful. Congratulations on your weight loss! Any other thoughts or tips you have for the immediate pre and post surgery time periods would be welcomed!