How do I eat after digestive tract surgery?

@katie98 hope you feel better ! I had part of both large and small intestine removed, 18 inches. I asked the docs how to avoid ileus…they gave me a bit less opioids and told me to try and minimize those and to do lots of short walks and chair sitting while in the hospital—that helped. Began with liquid diet, then very soft diet…a brief departure from that something not to repeat ! Just had to be very conservative and patient about food for awhile, with good results.

Forgive me. You say surgeons removed your small intestine? Twenty to twenty-two feet of the organ absorbing nutrients and fluid? And also you right colon? Did they attach a toe tag? Perhaps you meant they removed part of your small intestine; for without it life does extremely poorly. But it would have gotten rid of the cramping. I had CD-related resection in small intestine, and also removal of last 18” of Terminal Ileum - an important absorption site of Vitamins A,D,K,B12 and another. The resection site itself received typical surgical scarring, plus whatever the CD did to help narrow it. After discharge I starting eating as before. But occasionally I got terrific cramps - that was peristalsis trying to push fibrous food through a part of the intestine too narrow to let it pass. Two forces opposing each other is gonna, I think. So I tried giving up ALL fiber: fruit, veggies (even canned), nuts, sesame seeds, popcorn, mega-burgers, Mexican food, fast food places whose contents frequently are unknown. But that left meat, fish, poultry, cheese, some breads, eggs - all of which break down for me. How on earth can your doctor recommend a return to your former diet, when you still have the “ileus” you do; one trade mark of which is cramping. Please get you medical records and get in to see anyone else. Were you given CD as the sole diagnosis? Truly I am sorry for your pain and suffering. I really do know what it’s like. Be better.

My sympathies to you… vomiting bile f##king sucks. I had a Whipple procedure to remove a tumor in my duodenum 2 years ago and continue to struggled with many foods. While my situation is somewhat different from yours there are some similarities. Some of things that I have found that have helped me eat a more “normal” diet are eating leaner cuts of “softer” meats like fish, chicken, and some pork. My body struggles with things like steak and lamb, but I have found that ground beef and ground lamb are easier for me. Also, if you choose to reintroduce cuts of meat into your diet consider eating cuts with the least amount of fat and connective tissue and try cooking using sous vide for longer time periods (the sous vide cooking process seems to help tenderize the meat). I usually sear the meat in a hot cast iron skillet after the sous vide. I don’t do it often but sometimes I want steak. Fast food is no good and I always regret eating it whenever I slip up and order some. For me, meals of softer meats and vegetables are the way to go.

Something to be sure to pay close attention to is your body’s absorption of nutrients. I was dealing with extreme fatigue and it wasn’t until I started having neuropathy that we figured out I was not absorbing B12. So I now get weekly shots and take a heavy daily dose… we are still figuring things out. But I encourage you to talk to your doctor about getting blood work to check your vitamin, electrolytes, iron, etc. as you try to get back to some type of a normal diet.

Best of luck to you!

@hopeseeker22 hi, I had PARTS of the large and the small gut removed ! …And several months after surgery I was very gradually eating a more varied, although conservative diet…it takes a lot of patience and even discipline and now, almost 1 year later I can eat most foods. But keeping it simple, avoiding highly processed foods, soda, fried food, raw onions, etc…. keeping an eye on sugar and cholesterol as well…rarely had problems, just ‘’listened’’ to my gut…the nutritionist meant well, but was big on getting me to gain weight pronto, advising terrible protein-high calorie drinks…i went with chicken soup instead ! A friend whose mother had been sick provided valuable dietary info which worked well for me. Wish you all renewed health !

@tbraibish, I appreciate you sharing about your dietary changes after your surgery. I have had three surgeries of the duodenal bulb, and I understand how it changes the type of foods you can eat as well as the way food needs to be prepared.

You have worked out a great eating plan. How did you come to use the sous vide cooking method? Did someone recommend that to you?

@hopeful33250 thanks for reaching out. The sous vide approach was a combination of dumb luck at first then a bit of experimentation. A friend got a sous vide and made some steak with it that I decided to enjoy. It didn’t upset my system as much as normally cooked/grilled steak does. So I bought a sous vide and tried it myself and found that extended cook times appear to work for me. I have tried a well trimmed chuck roast with as much fat and connective tissue removed as possible, then cut into bite-sized pieces and sous vide at 135 degrees for 4 hours and it turns out incredibly tender (and more importantly, digestible). This cut would normally take only an hour or so, but it seems that the longer cook time helps break down the meat without overcooking it. I cannot do a cut like ribeye, just way too fatty, but I have had success with well-trimmed chuck, tri-tip, and flank steak. As a side note, I also take pancreatic enzymes, but no amount of Creon will let me eat a ribeye…

Some sous vide accessories are pretty affordable, like the one from InstantPot which I use. Give it a try! I hope you find success with it.

It’s GREAT to read that you’re doing better!!

@tbraibish

I appreciate you sharing this cooking method! I'll look into it.

I had emergency surgery this past September after a Laparoscopic removal of a 6.5 m. cyst on my ovary. I was in severe pain and went back to the hospital for this emergency surgery and had ended up with stomach hernia and part of my small intestine was dead.
I did not speak with a dietician before I left the hospital, but I was told by the surgeon to eat a bland diet to help heal the intestine, which I did.
Previously in August I had to go to the ER for an impaction and constipation. I had believed the cyst was causing havoc on my GI system. So had that surgery on 9/4 to remove the cyst. Then was back in the hospital to have the emergency surgery on 9/7.
After I got out of the hospital, while on the bland diet [no fiber] things were not moving. My stomach was hard and sore where the one incision is located and again, I was constipated. I
was given a cleanse to use by the GI doctor in August and on 9/21 I went back to the ER.
Well, things started to move but after a CT scan, it was found that I had an abscess in the incision site.
I was discharged the next day and my system hasn't been the same. Ducolax and Fleets became my best friends.
I started to do some research on my own, and have limited chocolate, dairy, but have extra fiber to my Kashi Cereal with Fiber One, as well as eating an apple or two a day. I have not had to use a Fleets enema for 4 days now, but everything is slow moving, with tons of gas.
I will be seeing my GI doctor next week, after trying to get an appointment since I got home in September.
As I have IBS-C, I had a regular regiment since 1986; Miralax, stool softeners and Citracel Caplets, but this hasn't worked after the surgery. I no longer can take Miralax as it bloats my stomach and gives me severe pain. I've tried Milk a Magnesia and Senokot, but to no avail.
So looking forward to next week.

Hello @katie98 and welcome to Mayo Connect. You are asking good questions! I am glad that you are eating foods that you can easily digest; that is important. Most of us who have had digestive tract surgery find that small, frequent meals work best.

What foods seem to be the easiest for you to digest?