Re: OT no time to meet nutritionist before surgery

[Guest guest]

Hi Jody- My dad had bowel surgery a few years ago, and I remember that they

start very slowly introducing clear liquids by mouth- a few sips at a time, so I

don't think a nutritionist could add much to your diet in the first few days

anyway. I know it would have given you peace of mind to meet the nutritionist

first. Surgery usually puts the bowel " to sleep " at first, so you won't eat

until they can start to hear bowel sounds, and...well.. the gas question- which

tells them that the bowel is waking up. I think most of your fluids will be

through the IV in the beginning.

Clear liquids usually includes clear strained chicken broth, so hopefully you

can prepare this before hand.

I wish you the best,

PJ

>

> So.. I saw my surgeon today to discuss all pre and post surgery details. I

am seeing pain management on Friday morning due to my various issues and

sensitivities. I have opted to get the Epidural before the procedure. It cuts

down a lot of pain for some.

> The surgeon said the surgery will hurt but given the intense bowel

obstructions I have been through he said " it's a different type of pain " but

last week was hell.

>

> Anyway, since I don't have time for an appt for a nutritionist in the

hospital- the surgeon said that " when you are ok to eat, we want you to eat and

your brother can bring your food from home, he continued making a joke that this

is what he would do since hospital food is nothing to rave about " LOL.

>

> Is this a gamble not meeting the nutritionist?

> I just don't have the time and running around is exhausting me- I just had a

bowel obstruction and I am anemic again, so not how I wanted to enter surgery.

>

> Basically I will graduate from no food, to clear liquids, to mush to soft food

and go home.

>

> Marilyn, I have your outline for food somewhere (I have been very

disorganized) do you think this will be enough to give the nutritionist midway

hospitalization?

>

> Jodi

>

[Guest guest]

At 05:46 PM 5/5/2009, you wrote:

Marilyn, I have your outline for

food somewhere (I have been very disorganized) do you think this will be

enough to give the nutritionist midway hospitalization?

That is what I gave the nutritionist -- but if you can manage the sanity

to rework it to what YOU tolerate (my list is fairly high is fat, which

you are staying away from) it would be much better.

Repeating the list of foods....

Here is the list of foods I used:

Clear Liquids

Beef broth (31

calories per cup)

Chicken broth (20

calories per cup)

Fruit juices

(diluted pear, ¼ cup per day, 50 calories, 11 g carb)

Thick liquids

Goat yogurt

(diluted with water if necessary – same as goat milk, 168 calories per

cup)

Tomato juice (½

cup per day, 41 calories per cup, sky high in sodium, would ordinarily

balance with high-potassium lentils.)

Orange juice (up

to 1 cup per day, 113 calories per cup)

Beef broth (31

calories per cup)

Chicken broth (20

calories per cup)

Soft foods

Goat yogurt

(same as goat milk, 168 calories per cup, up to 2 cups per day)

Puréed vegetables

(carrots, winter squash, butternut squash, peeled zucchini, 25-40

calories per 4 ounces)

Puréed pears (1/4

cup per day, 70 calories per serving)

Hard boiled eggs

(roughly 100 calories per egg, unless mixed with avocado pudding)

Ripe bananas (109

calories, must be fully speckled with black, 1 per day maximum – do not

have banana if having pear.)

Avocado pudding

(mashed ripe avocado, fresh lemon juice, salt, white pepper, 283 calories

per serving, roughly one very ripe avocado)

Cow yogurt (well

dripped, approximately 124 calories per half cup. Up to 2 cups per

day.)

Puréed / finely

ground chicken thighs (39 calories per ounce unless mixed with avocado

pudding)

Puréed / finely

ground boiled beef (39 calories per ounce, unless mixed with

avocado pudding or homemade mayonnaise and a dollop of homemade

mustard?)

Depending on your situation, you may wish to modify the fruits and/or

vegetables to suit what you tolerate. The above is based on my personal

tolerances, and I don't do well on much fruit juice or most fruits. My

oncologist said that she didn't need me on a strictly CLEAR liquids after

the surgery, so I can use blueberry, pomegranate, and black cherry

juices, all of which I can handle small amounts of. The finely ground

meats can also be made " soupy " by adding broth to them if the

avocado pudding is too high fat for your issues. For my " regular

foods " once I was home, I used apple-pecan muffins for breakfast,

plain (lightly seasoned) meats and cooked vegetables for lunch and

dinner. I did not add back raw vegetables until after I had gone off the

narcotic pain relievers -- and when I mentioned this to my surgeon, she

though it was an excellent idea because the narcotics can contribute to

constipation, and so, she said, could the bulky raw vegetables.

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund