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5 days since surgery

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 12/6/2010 11:17 PM (GMT 0)
I had the NF 5 days ago. I tried a cup of coffee today because coffee used to make me sick due to the reflux. After I drank it I felt horrible and dry heaved 4 times and after I eat sometimes I feel sick. Is this normal for the surgery. Is their some sorta break in for it?
Posted 12/7/2010 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Five days is too soon to be sampling coffee. Everything is still swollen and irritated inside. Naturally you're going to have some issues.
First, are you on the liquid diet or soft foods diet? Liquid is the best until the swelling goes down (about day 14).
Also you need to restrict yourself to no more than a 1/2 cup of food a meal. You can eat every two hours, but no more than 1/2 cups of food at a time.
Around 4 weeks you can sample a little coffee. You may be allergic to coffee and not be able to drink it. Make sure it's lukewarm. Too hot can cause spasms this early.
Posted 12/7/2010 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
ohhh. That makes sense. I talked to my doc this morning and he said I could eat soft foods and work my way back to normal. He dint say anything about coffee so I figured it was ok. Thanks.
Posted 12/7/2010 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
Dear Biggins,
Welcome to our Healing Well Wrapped Club! yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah Different doctors have different eating protocols. You'll hear several people here, including Joy, who had good luck staying with liquids until the two week mark when the swelling of the wrap begins to subside.

My surgeon had a different protocol. Liquids in the hospital, soft foods at home, and at Day 5, I was turned loose on any food that can be chewed to a complete liquid. I took small bites and chewed them to liquid form. Personally, I enjoy eating, and I was happy to be my own food processor/blender! I had absolutely no problems, as long as I stuck to the "chew to liquid" rule.

As Joy said, keep your meals small and often. You'll find you fill up very quickly, because the stomach interprets the swelling as fullness. Your swallowing will get worse before it gets better, so don't be surprised if you get some spasms or more swallowing issues as you move towards that two week mark. Each day is an adventure when you're recovering, but from my perspective, the results are well worth it!

Your upper GI tract has been through a lot, so don't get too frisky adding in challenging foods or drinks. Stay away from carbonation, and no straws. Both introduce too much air into your stomach.

Congratulations on your surgery! If you can relax and "go with the flow" you'll do much better. Surrender to your recovery, and follow where it takes you. If you can do that, your experience will be much more positive.

Stick around, and we'll do our best to provide support and answer questions based on our own experience.
Take care,
Denise
Posted 12/9/2010 1:03 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks! I still feel sick almost every time I eat. how long should I expect that to stay?
Posted 12/9/2010 2:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Biggins,
Oh, my...at five days, you've got quite a long way to go before you're truly enjoying food the way you did prior to surgery. I don't think surgeons really prepare their patients properly for recovery.

At Day 5, I saw my surgeon, and he informed me that my wrap would become progressively more swollen each day and peak at two weeks. Your swallowing will become more difficult before it gets better, but it will get better!

Each day is an adventure in the first few weeks--especially the first two. If you can relax into your recovery and surrender to whatever path it takes, you will have a much better experience. It's the people who rail against how long it takes and how inconvenient it is that struggle the most.

Be sure to take small bites, and don't eat much at each sitting. Better to eat a very small amount every so often all day long, rather than overfill your stomach. Most have a feeling of fullness after a small amount of food, so it self regulates, but I've heard of a few here who don't have that experience, so they have to regulate the amount of foods they eat themselves.

Your upper GI tract has been completely revised, so it makes sense that your stomach isn't happy. It will take time to heal and adjust. Your outsides heal much faster than your insides. I have heard it said that you could think of it like this--your insides have been mixed up with an egg beater. They'll take time to heal.

Things will get better...hang in there.
Denise
Posted 12/9/2010 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Biggins, and Welcome!!!

I'm a "newbie" too! I just had my Nissen surgery 8 days ago, so we're really close on our recoveries!

I have not had trouble with coffee, (and was told that I could have it) but I have had to make sure that it was more lukewarm (and I drink my coffee with a lot of cream, so it's not quite so strong.) I've also learned that I cannot drink anything that is too cold either. Oh boy, no!! I get a terrible pressure in my throat and it feels like it swells up for several minutes. So everything that I drink is lukewarm.

If you're getting sick with what you are eating, go back to very bland stuff...maybe you're trying something much too spicy or something and your stomach is not ready for it yet. I started off with plain chicken broth and have worked my way up to spicier soup broths. (I like my vanilla pudding and my yogurts--as long as they are room temperature.) Warm foods definitely work better for me than cold foods.

I've not been sick at all since my surgery, and like Joy and Denise have pointed out that's good to do, I stick with only about 1/2 cup to a cup of anything at a time. That's about all I can or want to handle at one time.

I hope that you are able to find some liquids that you can handle without getting sick. (At 5 days, I'd definitely just be trying liquids and pudding consistencies. Take it easy and take it slow.)

I am just a few short days ahead of you in recovery and I am feeling great!!!! I am definitely happy that I had the surgery and I've not had any heartburn or acid reflux at all so far since my surgery!! I hope that in just a few short days you can post that you are doing great as well!!

The friends here in this forum will be GREAT help to you!! My only suggestion is that you slow down and not rush your foods as well as any drinks that caused you problems before your surgery. Give yourself plenty of time to heal and get used to things again.

All my best!!
LeAnne :)
Posted 12/9/2010 12:17 PM (GMT 0)
Good morning all,

I would go easy with the food and drink. My instructions were, first 2 weeks liquids only, 6-8 week after I was on a soft food diet. The best advice that was given from this website was to take small bites and chew, chew, chew.....and DON'T drink while you are eating!! No big gulps either as that would throw my esophagus into a spasm.

I was depressed for the first couple of months because of the impact this surgery made in my daily life, I actually would cry and be so mad at myself for having it done. But the great support I received here helped me through it.

So give yourself time and lots of it. Don't expect to be back to "normal" for eating for a long time as I still have issues if I "forget" the chew thing and small bites and portions.

Good luck.
Posted 12/9/2010 6:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Biggins! I had my surgery over a month ago and the very idea of coffee STILL makes me feel scared.
There is no way I would try to drink it.
I can tell by smelling and looking at food what I can and can't have at this point... and you'll get better at that as time marches on...but as a rule until you can do it that way (I'm a high functioning autistic person so my brain works a bit differently so I can't swear you'll be able to do that) try to stick to the GERD diet and stick with soft, non sticky foods and things that are not acidic.
I'm able to eat plenty of food... but the trick is amount ( limit each meal to 1 cup of measured food), bite size (never bigger than a fingertip), and chewing all food to a liquid. If you'll do that you'll find your tummy will be much happier.

At just over a month I'm over the gas and nearly past the worst of the after dinner nausea - but food choices also have a lot to do with that I think.

Good luck and hang in there!

Cat
Posted 12/11/2010 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all the help!
Posted 12/14/2010 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Biggins,
You are so welcome! Stick around and let us know how you're progressing. If you have any questions, ask away! We'll do our best to support you and share what we have learned.
Take care,
Denise
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