How do I eat after digestive tract surgery?

@hopeful33250 Yes, in between snacks and meals, I was looking for a little snack, maybe partially due to having a limited diet and needing something ‘flavorful’. It was jelly beans at first, just 1-2 at a time, maybe 8-10/ day, These became too sweet though (tastes keep changing!), and I tried small bites of dark chocolate, this was okay. Just now over the holidays, I got hooked on something else - red/cinnamon and green/spearmint spice drops! Loved these, and still eating some every day, but it only takes 1-2 at a time and I’m good. Although now that the holidays are over, I’ve ordered these off Amazon, they’re not in the stores anymore. The spiced flavor really helps so they are not too sweet. But I know they are pretty much all sugar, maybe I’ll get tired of these soon!

@katieliz Mine was cinnamon and spearmint. I have found that if I have a ruby red grapefruit around 2-3pm it has slowed the surgery craving.
Now I have to make sure I have them every day.

I've had six surgeries for chronic small bowels obstructions since 2002. My intestinal tract shuts down after the surgeries for 3 to 4 weeks. The doctor said that it's my body's reaction to the trauma of the surgery. It's a natural body reaction. I've seen dieticians at three different hospitals. They all say basically the same thing of what to eat or not to eat. They say a soft food diet. No raw vegetables at all. I can have vegetables that have been thoroughly boiled to almost nothing. No nuts. No course cereals. I can have cream of wheat and small amounts oatmeal. No vegetables like cabbage, celery or lettuce or corn. There's more food that I like, but can't have.

I can have soups, mashed potatoes. Well mashed squashes. I love butternut squash. I can't have steak. Even prime rib is out. I can have pudding, jello and all the yogurt I want. I've been eating microwave dinners like Stoffers meatloaf, mac and cheese, rice with chicken, spaghetti and ravioli type of meals.

So It's basically everything I like to eat. I can't have. One doctor said I can have everything that goes in soft, that comes out soft. Gross, but more or less true. Icecream doesn't like me and pastries for some reason doesn't like me. I've been trying to deal with all this for about 5 years.

After my last bowel surgery in 2023. The doctor put me on TPN, or Total Parenteral Nutrition. Intravenous nutrition for 3 months. I won't do that again. I had constant diarrhea. It was bad. I really try hard to stick with a soft food diet. Like I said. There seems to be more food that I shouldn't eat than what I should be eating. I'll try other foods in small amounts. But I don't know what's going to upset my bowels from day to day. My bowels do some pretty strange things almost every day. It makes me crazy and it's depressing and very frustrating.

I hope you find some of this helpful. Best of luck to you.

Hello @hoagie,

I'm sorry to hear of your eating restrictions, but this is a group of folks who are encountering the same thing. Surgery in the digestive tract changes the landscape of your digestive system and then we have to change the way we eat. Most of the foods you've mentioned are the same ones we all avoid.

Have you been able to maintain your weight?

I've had six surgeries for chronic small bowels obstructions since 2002. My intestinal tract shuts down after the surgeries for 3 to 4 weeks. The doctor said that it's my body's reaction to the trauma of the surgery. It's a natural body reaction. I've seen dieticians at three different hospitals. They all say basically the same thing of what to eat or not to eat. They say a soft food diet. No raw vegetables at all. I can have vegetables that have been thoroughly boiled to almost nothing. No nuts. No course cereals. I can have cream of wheat and small amounts oatmeal. No vegetables like cabbage, celery or lettuce or corn. There's more food that I like, but can't have.

I can have soups, mashed potatoes. Well mashed squashes. I love butternut squash. I can't have steak. Even prime rib is out. I can have pudding, jello and all the yogurt I want. I've been eating microwave dinners like Stoffers meatloaf, mac and cheese, rice with chicken, spaghetti and ravioli type of meals.

So It's basically everything I like to eat. I can't have. One doctor said I can have everything that goes in soft, that comes out soft. Gross, but more or less true. Icecream doesn't like me and pastries for some reason doesn't like me. I've been trying to deal with all this for about 5 years.

After my last bowel surgery in 2023. The doctor put me on TPN, or Total Parenteral Nutrition. Intravenous nutrition for 3 months. I won't do that again. I had constant diarrhea. It was bad. I really try hard to stick with a soft food diet. Like I said. There seems to be more food that I shouldn't eat than what I should be eating. I'll try other foods in small amounts. But I don't know what's going to upset my bowels from day to day. My bowels do some pretty strange things almost every day. It makes me crazy and it's depressing and very frustrating.

I hope you find some of this helpful. Best of luck to you.

@hoagie Could you have smoothies with fruit juice, maybe some milk (dairy or non-dairy), maybe add protein powder for muscle strength. If you purée everything really well it would be soft. Fruit always makes my stomach feel better.

@larust8
Smoothies are a good idea. Do you have a favorite recipe?

@larust8
Smoothies are a good idea. Do you have a favorite recipe?