How did you manage on a soft diet? I'm "hangry"

Posted by megant @megant, Mar 7 12:11pm

I am almost 3 weeks out from hiatal hernia surgery. I am so hungry. Protein shakes make me gag. I've lost 17 pounds. I am sick of juice, ensure, applesauce etc. I am crabby and miserable. I want to rip everyone's head off. I am so fatigued. Food feels stuck constantly. I'm pissed off in general. I just want pizza and a Dr. Pepper.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

Laurie, Volunteer Mentor | @roch | Mar 7 12:54pm

@megant

Welcome to Mayo Connect. I understand what you're going through. I had surgery 1st week in Jan and then, due to complications, had additional surgery mid Jan. I spent 55 days on a liquid diet. I started craving everything. My nutritionist's advice was to make sure to get enough protein and fluids. Like you, I am not a fan of most ptoetin shake. I dilute with water or add skim milk or Farway filtered milk to add protein and thin out shakes. I also take liquid Greek yogurt.

You might want to check out these two discussions that are on a similar topic:
How to eat after digestive tract surgery:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-do-i-eat-after-digestive-tract-surgery/
Liquid diet suggestions:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/bariatric-liquid-diet-suggestions/
Check with your care team to see what allowed to eat and if they have suggestions.
Do you know when you can start adding additional types of foods?

nycmusic | @nycmusic | Mar 11 11:14am

Maybe pour the protein drink over ice…as to diet, get a touch creative…mashed potatoes taste very good with some Parmesan cheese…there are many ways to make yogurt more fun (at first I added canned pears with the liquid they came in washed off)…couscous with soft cooked carrots… soups provide a lot of variation…olive oil a very nice condiment to many things..maybe use a good powdered garlic gently, …. helped me enjoy what I could have without stressing over what I could not…really sticking within simple guidelines, and adding a little creativity helped healing, getting me to more fun foods sooner.