How do I eat after digestive tract surgery?

Posted by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor @hopeful33250, Jul 9 12:10pm

Perhaps you have had surgery for chronic diverticulitis, cancer of the digestive tract, a Whipple procedure, bariatric surgery, or maybe even gallbladder surgery. Surgeries of the digestive tract typically alter the way our bodies process food as they change our digestive landscape. I discovered this after my second surgery on the upper digestive tract. After this surgery (and nearly a week in the hospital), well-meaning friends brought me food, which I certainly appreciated. However, the food they brought me were salads, fresh fruit and vegetables, cream-based soups, and casseroles. All of which made me feel terrible. It turned out my problems stemmed from what I was eating. So, what should I have been eating instead of these foods? It was a time of trial and error for me. I spent a lot of time finding which foods were “safe” and which foods were “triggers” and would cause digestive difficulties.

After major surgeries of the digestive tract, many hospital systems have a registered hospital dietitian meet with you before discharge and provide instructions on the best way to eat. This was not my experience. I did, however, request a referral to a dietitian several months after surgery.

Let's sit around the table and share our tips on the eating plan that worked best for you after your surgery and talk about the kinds of foods that were (and still are) the easiest to digest. We are all different in our responses to surgery, but we will undoubtedly find common ground.

I look forward to learning together. Share your ideas, recipes or cooking methods that have helped you.
Here are a few questions to get us started:
- If you have had a consultation with a dietitian, what did you learn?
- What foods did and didn't work for you?
- What about the quantity of food at each meal, as well as the timing of meals?
- Have your cooking methods changed?
- Do you still use spices the same way?
- Have you kept a food diary to track any foods that might be triggers for digestive difficulties?

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

Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Aug 9 8:28pm

In reply to @donnabe "Can you start off by posting your answers to the questions. For me that would be..." + (show)

@donnabe,

This discussion group is a place where everyone can post about their experiences of eating after digestive tract surgery. Would you like to share about your experience or ask a question?

donnabe | @donnabe | Aug 9 11:05am

Can you start off by posting your answers to the questions. For me that would be very helpful. Thanks!!!!

jlsgt | @jlsgt | Jul 22 3:20pm

In reply to @thull "I had 5 surgeries in 13 months, due to diverticulitis. Very bad bowel blockage, had a..." + (show)

I'm with Teresa. Wow! You have had quite the journey. I tip my hat to you. I also was on TPN for a month. I know all about that. To have 5 surgeries as you've described in 13 months is unreal. I can imagine what that took to get over. God bless you and best of luck.

thull | @thull | Jul 22 9:14am

In reply to @hopeful33250 "Wow, @thull, what a story of surgeries and recovery. Congratulations on finding an eating and drinking..." + (show)

Jan 2018 was the first, July and August were the second and 3rd. Jan 2019 was the Deloyer’s procedure, then Feb 2019 was the 5th. This one was to correct the area where the colostomy had been closed up. The 4th surgery had pulled it and caused one end of the scar to pop up into kind of a lump which was uncomfortable.

Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jul 22 8:35am

In reply to @thull "I had 5 surgeries in 13 months, due to diverticulitis. Very bad bowel blockage, had a..." + (show)

Wow, @thull, what a story of surgeries and recovery. Congratulations on finding an eating and drinking plan that works for you. How long ago did you have the series of surgeries?

thull | @thull | Jul 22 8:19am

I had 5 surgeries in 13 months, due to diverticulitis. Very bad bowel blockage, had a temporary Colostomy for 6 months. Had it reversed, then adhesions caused a blockage in small bowel. Was in the hospital for 18 days and a third surgery that did not work. Then had to be put on TPN for nourishment. It took about a month for it to finally clear up. Every morning I would lay flat and massage my belly to try and loosen the adhesions.
2 months later the diverticulitis came back so I was admitted to the hospital again for about a week and went home on clear liquids only. Went back to get tested to see if blockage was any better but it was worse. They ended up doing a Deloyer’s procedure which removes all the sigmoid, descending colon and into the transverse and turns it around to run along the ascending colon and reattached to the rectum.
They put me on a low residue diet, which I still stick to. They gave me Boost Breeze at Mayo which is clear, 9 grams of protein and 250 calories. I can order it off Amazon. I have one every morning. Mostly fish and chicken and eggs for protein. I can eat white rice and pasta and potatoes. No skin of the potato.
Cooked carrots and green beans. No raw veggies. Fruits are peeled, like peaches, melons. No nuts. Cheese and crackers are ok too.

Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jul 22 7:56am

In reply to @predictable "So my day starts between 9 and 10 AM with a full glass of water, a..." + (show)

I certainly do not feel sorry for you, Martin! You have accomplished a lot in finding a good eating plan that works for you after your surgery. My diet seems quite boring to most people, but it works for me and that is what is important.

jimdiehl | @jimdiehl | Jul 21 10:27pm

In reply to @hopeful33250 "That is good information about fasting to avoid gastrocolic reflex, @jimdiehl. It is especially interesting that..." + (show)

I suspect the more food - like the fluid is, the more likely you will get the reflex response. But, I have not experimented. We do have two small snack packs on my airplanes: maui monk pretzels at 60 calories and levy gram crackers at 110 calories. I have experienced gastrocolic reflex with each of them. I do know as one having undergone rectal resection and radiation therapy that once my gastrocolic reflex starts, it is often hard to stop it before it proceeds to full diarrhea which is impossible to control with the sphincter muscle alone. A second opinion I received from a gastroenterologist specializing in low anterior resection syndrome said this likely due to malfunction of Recto-Sigmoid Brake, another autonomic response that starts in the vicinity of where the rectum and sigmoid colon meet - which is the surgery site for low anterior resection, likely damaged by surgery and radiation.

I frequently have other flight attendants ask why I do not eat on airplanes or fast for 18 - 24 hours starting the night before an early trip. As you can guess, it is a complicated explanation that I usually try to avoid

jimdiehl | @jimdiehl | Jul 21 10:08pm

In reply to @jlsgt "Martin mentioned that his day starts with a full glass of water. I'm totally on board..." + (show)

Interesting. Both loperamide and dulcolax recommend taking with a full glass of water. May be related to Martin's comment

jlsgt | @jlsgt | Jul 21 4:32pm

Martin mentioned that his day starts with a full glass of water. I'm totally on board with that! I do believe that water is nature's tonic. Great strategy to start the day.