After surgery diet

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angelab84
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 6:28 pm
Facebook Username: Antzela Bassi

After surgery diet

Postby angelab84 » Sun Jun 10, 2018 4:22 pm

Hello everyone.I am new to all of this so maybe you will see some posts from me in the days to come.Thanks in advance and my best wishes to you all,for good health and happiness.
My mother has just had surgery for sigmoid cancer.She has been given intravenous fluids for 6 days.Now starting to drink some water and tomorrow some tea or chamomile.
After that the hospital doctor says she will have some yoghurt,some kind of white pudding and plain soup with rice(no meat or veggies).These seen like no good for my understanding though I am not a doctor.
What kind of a diet does she need now so the bowel movement is right and the recovery is best(best healing)?I remember after my c section the doc said lots of protein(meat)so you can heal soon but after sigmoid surgery what do you do??
She has been constipated her whole life.She always used laxatives to go to the bathroom.
What is safe to eat and best for healing??

erins
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun May 27, 2018 12:41 pm

Re: After surgery diet

Postby erins » Sun Jun 10, 2018 7:35 pm

A few weeks ago I had a sigmoid resection (LAR) and was first given water, then broth, then a ‘low residual’ diet. Your mother might be put on a BRAT diet ( Bread, Rice Apples, Toast https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRAT_diet ) before being given the go ahead for the low residual diet, especially if she’s had issues with constipation in the past. The idea is to give the colon time to heal before making it work, and to make its job as easy as possible by only eating easily digestible food until well-healed.

I’ve only just been given the go ahead to introduce veggies and fruit to my diet, and I still have to avoid fibrous meats. My surgery was laparoscopic, so I’m not sure what additional restrictions an open surgery would have if that’s what your mom had.

Hoping for the best for your mom!
38 yr old female
Rectal bleeding for 1 month—>
5/4/18 colonoscopy found mass in sigmoid colon
5/21/18 LAR
stage 2a, 0/17 lymph, clean margins
T3N0M0 G1
LVI neg, PNI neg, MSS
9/21/18 CEA 0.8
11/16/18 CEA 0.8 & CT clear
12/7/18 iron infusion
2/1/18 iron improved, CEA stable.

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: After surgery diet

Postby Lee » Sun Jun 10, 2018 7:42 pm

angelab84 wrote: . . . What kind of a diet does she need now so the bowel movement is right and the recovery is best(best healing)?I remember after my c section the doc said lots of protein(meat)so you can heal soon but after sigmoid surgery what do you do??
She has been constipated her whole life.She always used laxatives to go to the bathroom.
What is safe to eat and best for healing??


A low fiber diet for a while. Hospital should be able to provide the types of foods she should eat, butt more importantly, foods she should avoid for awhile. If they don't, look up "low fiber diet"on the internet.

From personal experience over 14 yrs ago, avoid cheese, even 2 weeks following surgery. My daughter had a friend sleep over. Pizza was the choice, 2 slices, and i was bent over in pain. 2 weeks later no problem, butt that 1 st month, "low fiber diet" than gradually add other foods and see how she tolerates them.

Good luck,

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

angelab84
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 6:28 pm
Facebook Username: Antzela Bassi

Re: After surgery diet

Postby angelab84 » Mon Jun 11, 2018 4:57 pm

Thank you both for your quick response.
I will take this under consideration and inform my mother because the surgeon told her to drink some milk if she wants to!Luckily she refused(lactose intolerant).The only thing that concerns me is the constipation she has always had and what will happen if it gets worse with that kind of diet.


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