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Eating after Nissen

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Posted 2/14/2009 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
I was wondering how long it normally takes to go back to eating normally after having a nissen done?

I just had a lap nissen done feb. 3rd and the liquid diet is killing me. I've craving everything I cannot eat. I'm a huge carb eater and it's killing me not eating bread.

 

Posted 2/15/2009 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Fashionista, and welcome. You're barely 2 weeks post op and it takes time to get through the recovery process; it's important to follow the directions your Dr. gave for several reasons, all having to do with the fragility of the tissues after the surgery.

You should be able to start introducing soft mushy foods; yogurt, mashed potatoes, noodles, etc. These should be started in smaller quantities and progressed as tolerated. Bread seems to be a problem for a lot of people, it doesn't break up well and gets stuck in the esophagus, so you may want to be careful about that one.

Recovery seems to be dependent upon your age (in a very unofficial survey). It seems the younger you are, the quicker you can introduce and tolerate foods and bounce back; most people find that they feel pretty good by week 5 or week 6.

90% of your healing will occur in the first 8 weeks, the remaining 10% can take a year, so following the instructions given gives you a much better chance at a full recovery.
Janice
Posted 2/16/2009 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Fashionista,

Welcome to the board and congrats on having your surgery. I know that the diet thing is hard, but you really need to stick to the liquid diet in the early stages of your healing. It's done for a reason and with the internal swelling and recent trauma to your esophagus/stomach, you need to let things heal before you try and take on more substantial foods, especially bread.

Try mashed potatoes ( carbs right ? ) and leave the bread thing for awhile. For me, I needed at least 4-5 weeks before trying alot of 'normal ' foods, and I still have problems with some. Check out my postings on the Nissen Post-Op thread and see alot of good advice from folks on this board.

Before you know it you'll be back eating what you like. Just give things a chance to heal.

Good luck and speedy recovery !

Chris
Posted 2/23/2009 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I recently had the lap Nissen surgery on 01.28.2009. As far as diet goes, I have found that breads are hell. They get hung up very easy. If you are gonna do breads, you gotta take SMALL bites and chew very thoroughly. Toasting breads helps, too. Mashed potatoes were a staple of my diet from week 1 to week to post-op, that was the way to go for the carbs.

I am almost 4 weeks post-op, and I've progressed to eating just about anything. I just make sure that I eat very small meals, and CHEW, CHEW, CHEW. Things still occasionally get stuck, I sometimes accidentally swallow before I'm done chewing and then there's a roadblock at my LES, pain and hiccups for the next couple minutes. A reminder to slow down and take smaller bites!

I'd really like to have an alcoholic beverage but I'm not sure if it's safe to do so yet. Does anyone know? I asked my doctor at my 2 week follow up if it was ok to do citrus and tomato based things and he said yes, that would be ok, but I forgot to ask about alcohol or coffee.

-D

Post Edited (Substance_D) : 2/24/2009 11:58:01 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 2/23/2009 3:32 AM (GMT 0)
Substance_D - I'm a few days short of 5 weeks post op for my redo. I would say if you want to try an alcoholic drink just don't do something like beer or anything with carbonation. Maybe a small glass of wine or something like that would be ok but just listen to your body. Are you having any nausea at this point ?

I had a glass of Sunny D today and it went down fine and tasted so good to enjoy orange juice again ! I also have had coffee with no problems, Thank God
I agree with the bread issues and I also eat mashed taters with gravy to make them creamy-er and go down easier.

Take care, Teala

Post Edited (picklepuss) : 2/23/2009 8:51:12 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 2/23/2009 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
No, I haven't had nausea at all since I've had the surgery. I've been lucky in that regard. I didn't even buy any of the Zofran the doc prescribed me because Eckerd wanted to charge me $160 bucks for the script. But I think I'm gonna figure out a way to get some soon just to have on hand in case of an emergency.

And yes, it has been absolutely wonderful to drink orange juice again. I haven't enjoyed OJ in years because of the reflux.

-D
Posted 2/24/2009 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all the sharing about eating after surgery. It's nice to know that there's a possibility of not being nauseated. Lucky you! From what I hear, you will want that medication for any amount of money if you get a stomach bug! Maybe you can get a script for a smaller number of tablets. That way they'll be on hand, but if you don't use them before they expire, you won't have wasted so much money. Good luck with your continued recovery!
Posted 2/24/2009 4:25 AM (GMT 0)
Substance_D - Boy you are one of the lucky ones I would say to not have that dreaded nausea feeling. Have you tried to get the generic brand of the Zofran ? It is A LOT cheaper and yes you should be able to get half of a prescription filled to also cut down on the costs like dencha said.

There is also Phenergan pills or suppositories that work rather well. Not as quickly or good as the Zofran but if you get sick and start to have the feeling that you have to vomit you certainly should have something on hand. I have a lot of nausea and my meds are with me where ever I go. I think just so you have some on hand you should speak to your doctor and ask for another prescription, that's my option anyhow.

I fixed my family a big dinner tonight of broiled chicken, stuffing, mashed potato's, gravy and corn. While they all enjoyed it I got to pick at everything with a few bites here and there of each item but it came down to me eating the good old taters and gravy ; )

I sample things but usually go back to the mushy stuff because I feel safe eating that.

Take care, Teala

Posted 2/24/2009 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, I guess I was pretty lucky not being nauseated. The only nausea I really had was from the percocets the first few days. I was however very bloated for the first few weeks, and I still experience a lot of gas.
Posted 2/24/2009 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
substance_d - Get your self some Gas X and see if that can give you some relief. Before I had this second surgery I was taking Phazyme pills which worked great for me. If you can take pills then you could try that. I take Mylanta now for the gas and bloating because I have it on hand and it's liquid so I can take it ok. I have not had any problems with burping after either surgery so I do release some gas/air that way. Are you able to burp ? I also hiccup A LOT.

Teala

Posted 2/25/2009 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
Yes I am able to burp. My bloating problem has improved a bit, and is not quite as bad as it was a couple weeks ago, but it is still annoying sometimes.
Posted 2/25/2009 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
I ate something too fast  the other day and it got stuck and now my acid is bothering me. At my post-op my doc took me off nexium and is having me take perscription pepcid twice a day to help get me off acid reducing meds. Since my acid is bothering me the pepcid doesn't seem to be working. Is this normal or should I call my doctor?
Posted 2/25/2009 7:34 PM (GMT 0)

fashionista - I'm sorry your still experiencing acid after your surgery. How long are you post op ? I haven't had any acid problems so I really can't advise other then I would say yes you should speak with your doctor. Have they done tests to determine the reason of the acid problem or is it from a failed surgery ?

Hope you get to feeling better. Take care, Teala

Posted 2/25/2009 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 3 weeks post-op. During my post op with my doctor I told him I was only taking nexium once a day (he told me to try it once a day after surgery) but some days my acid would be worse and I would take it twice those days. He just said that he wanted to try and get me off the nexium and now I'm taking pepcid 2 pills once a day for 1 week then 1 pill once a day for the following week. I guess after that I'm not suppose to take anything.
The burning has been going on for a couple days now so I'm going to call them before their office closes.
Posted 2/26/2009 10:25 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor's nurse called me today and wants me to try taking Nexium again once a day and twice if it gets worse.

I really hope my surgery isn't a failure. I don't want to have to go through this again. Plus my husband is getting laid off and we will only have insurance through March. I cannot afford Nexium without insurance. cry

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