Post op diet phases

[Shannon Hokie-N-TN]

Just curious, but how long was it recommended that you follow phase 1 diet plan full liquids post op? My surgeon recommends 4 weeks of phase 1 which I am fine doing. I am just curious of what other DS's have been educated to do as far as diet goes. I am also curious about other surgeons recommendations on caffeine. While I do not want to saturate myself with caffeine all day long I would be lying if I did not say I would absolutely love to have just a little bit of coffee .

 

[southernlady]

Just curious, but how long was it recommended that you follow phase 1 diet plan full liquids post op? My surgeon recommends 4 weeks of phase 1 which I am fine doing. I am just curious of what other DS's have been educated to do as far as diet goes. I am also curious about other surgeons recommendations on caffeine. While I do not want to saturate myself with caffeine all day long I would be lying if I did not say I would absolutely love to have just a little bit of coffee .

Boyce DS'er myself.

Okay, I added soft foods early at about 2 weeks out, I got tired of the liquid in/liquid out part).

I didn't have any caffeine until I was past the 8 week mark and then I started slowly.

Remember, the recommended way to eat with them is low/no fat and no red meat for 6 months. THEY give you RNY advice. I started red meat about a month out, chewing very well. Learn to smile and nod.

 

[Happy DSr]

surgeons are different in their recommendations. I did not have a liquid phase. I ate soft foods for the first couple of weeks (cottage cheese, yogurt, cream soups, , then started to add in moist foods as I tolerated - like tuna salad, chicken salad (dark meat). My focus was to ensure minimum 64 ounces of liquid (including soups and broths) and to reach 30 grams of food protein (not shakes) by day 30. Then 60 by day 60, and 90 by day 90.

Sorry, I can't comment on caffeine. I stayed away from Diet Coke for a year to avoid the carbonation filling my tummy up

 

[southernlady]

Sorry, I can't comment on caffeine. I stayed away from Diet Coke for a year to avoid the carbonation filling my tummy up

It wasn't cola I needed. My caffeine fix was and still is coffee and ice tea.

Carbonation did a number on me early on too...and it still fills me up.

 

[southernlady]

It's odd tho that the SAME surgeon does only 2 weeks of liquids for the VSG'ers and RNY'ers. It's ONLY the DS'ers they make do 4 weeks of liquids.

 

[Munchkin]

I was on regular food as tolerated when I left the hospital. I had 1 'soft' meal while I was in the hospital. No restrictions on caffeine or diet soda, I was told all no calorie liquids are fine. But this was a long time ago and post op food restrictions have become much more draconian over the years.

JMHO but I think there are 2 reasons for this. First the extreme 'diet' may help give you very successful short term loss that will motivate you for the long term slog down the scale. Second, I think the docs do this because the patients EXPECT/WANT food restrictions.

One real exception...if your surgeon uses a val-trac ring on your intestinal anastomosis, soft foods are required for 3 weeks postop!

 

[Shannon Hokie-N-TN]

It's odd tho that the SAME surgeon does only 2 weeks of liquids for the VSG'ers and RNY'ers. It's ONLY the DS'ers they make do 4 weeks of liquids.

Boyce DS'er myself.

Okay, I added soft foods early at about 2 weeks out, I got tired of the liquid in/liquid out part).

I didn't have any caffeine until I was past the 8 week mark and then I started slowly.

Remember, the recommended way to eat with them is low/no fat and no red meat for 6 months. THEY give you RNY advice. I started red meat about a month out, chewing very well. Learn to smile and nod.

@southernlady you were the first person I though of when I posted this question lol! I am so glad you responded. I try my best to be a compliant patient but I am so sick of liquids!!

 

[southernlady]

One real exception...if your surgeon uses a val-trac ring on your intestinal anastomosis, soft foods are required for 3 weeks postop!

Boyce doesn't do a val-trac ring. I read my op report very carefully.

It's just they have it in their head that DS'ers have to have 4 weeks of liquid, even tho sleevers only do 2 weeks. Okay, so maybe it's the guts...but then RNY'ers only do 2 weeks as well.

It's almost like they want to punish DS'ers for being big enough to NEED a DS which is asinine. Esp for lightweights who want it cause it's the BEST surgery for many of us.

 

[KathrynK]

I had been told by another DSer that the logic was that the stomach would heal small, protecting restriction for as long as possible. Another reason is that you will be very prone to dehydration, and you won't have much room. I spent as long as possible in the first months trying to eat small amounts at more meals, following this logic. Mostly liquid, but about half was food,but nothing solid. Along the same idea of healing small, I never ate foods that expanded (pasta, bread, rice, carbonation,etc) the first year, but those rules have loosened up now. Ask the surgeon for his reasoning, maybe he has another one. Coffee was not restricted, but soda, diet or not, has no nutritional value and I still try to pack as much nutrition in each bite or sip.

 

[Shannon Hokie-N-TN]

@KathrynK I truly hope that is his reasoning behind the recommendation but the nurse in me feels like there could be other reasons as well. My surgeon has and promotes his own bariatric protein foods, as well as vitamins that he created and developed. In the area I live in there really are not a lot of places to purchase such things unless you shop online and I do. However, it does make me wonder if there are other reasons besides it being what is best for my healing. I have no desire what so ever to have soda or carbonated beverages, only coffee lol. I really have no food cravings to be honest, only coffee. I also know that progressing diet phases will give me other sources to get my protein even in very small doses/meals. Liquids will always be important because of dehydration risk. I was just curious what other surgeons recommended for their DS patients.

 

[southernlady]

I had been told by another DSer that the logic was that the stomach would heal small, protecting restriction for as long as possible. Another reason is that you will be very prone to dehydration, and you won't have much room. I spent as long as possible in the first months trying to eat small amounts at more meals, following this logic. Mostly liquid, but about half was food,but nothing solid. Along the same idea of healing small, I never ate foods that expanded (pasta, bread, rice, carbonation,etc) the first year, but those rules have loosened up now. Ask the surgeon for his reasoning, maybe he has another one. Coffee was not restricted, but soda, diet or not, has no nutritional value and I still try to pack as much nutrition in each bite or sip.

Pomp has a completely different outlook than @Shannon Hokie-N-TN's surgeon. I know this because I had her surgeon, my husband used Pomp 5 weeks earlier. I WISH I could have used Pomp. My husband was given soft foods while still in the hospital.

As Shannon mentioned, our surgeon sells his own vitamins AND diet food...he wants to be sure to keep that income stream up.

 

[KathrynK]

Pomp is the best and his staff is first rate too. He is completely trustworthy, a great doctor and a wonderful person. Odd that your surgeon is selling products. Most healthcare professionals are being squeezed by the insurers, so they are trying to collect money in different ways. I am dealing with out-of-network bills in the thousands of dollars, so I am going to be much more insistent about asking "how much is this going to cost me?" before allowing procedures. Now I have to ask if they recommend something if they have a financial interest in the product. I get Medicare next month. I expect things to be even harder after that, but I would gladly pay for Pomp's annual visit if he doesn't take Medicare.

 

[southernlady]

Pomp is the best and his staff is first rate too. He is completely trustworthy, a great doctor and a wonderful person. Odd that your surgeon is selling products. Most healthcare professionals are being squeezed by the insurers, so they are trying to collect money in different ways. I am dealing with out-of-network bills in the thousands of dollars, so I am going to be much more insistent about asking "how much is this going to cost me?" before allowing procedures. Now I have to ask if they recommend something if they have a financial interest in the product. I get Medicare next month. I expect things to be even harder after that, but I would gladly pay for Pomp's annual visit if he doesn't take Medicare.

Actually he does take Medicare...at least last time we checked. He accepted mine but mine decided I needed to stay in TN...took quite awhile to find a surgeon willing to do the DS on a lightweight on Medicare IN TN. But I did.