Staying Lactose free right after surgery?

Jacks39

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Dec 4, 2017
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Location
San Mateo
My surgery is next week!!
Dr. Rabkin’s guide to post op eating seems pretty different than other docs I’ve seen here. I go home from hospital on chopped/soft foods BUT he wants me to avoid all dairy/ lactose including protein shakes unless they are lactose free. Yucky. I can’t imagine how I’ll get enough protein without some dairy. Should I try the dairy anyway if it appeals to me, or follow doctors orders? I was kinda counting on the Premiere Protien shakes to get my goals met early on....
 
Going home on soft foods isn’t common these days but it does happen. I know my hubby was on soft foods right out of the hospital 7 years ago.

I don’t understand his wanting you to avoid lactose, maybe he’s thinking it’s a way to avoid being lactose intolerant going forward? But honestly being lactose intolerant is a crap shoot. Most are AT FIRST, some never are (my husband), and some stay that way.

But lactose intolerance can also develop as you age.
 
wait and see how you feel, I guess - but I don't see any reason to avoid dairy unless you are lactose intolerant. :dontknow:
 
Have you asked Dr. Rabkin why he has that recommendation in his post-op guide? Before deciding not to follow it (if you make that decision), you should talk to your surgeon about it first.
 
Dairy is an easy way to get in soft protein. BUT - many of us become lactose intolerant - or more intolerant - after surgery. However, since the only real negative is getting gassy shits after ingesting lactose, just try it at home. If it gives you an issue, you have further choices - try lactose free versions of what didn't work, take lactase enzyme pills when you eat them, or just don't eat them.

I was somewhat lactose intolerant before surgery, and still am. I can do about 4 oz of milk, but 6 oz or more and I'm gonna get a bit uncomfortable. And sometimes, it's just worth it! Hard cheeses don't bother me, but cottage cheese and ricotta is somewhere in the middle.
 
I wasn't lactose intolerant pre DS but good god almighty, I sure was afterwards. Worst mistake I made was making a protein shake with full fat milk and not water the day I got home. I honestly had the gas and bloat from hell.

Lactose pills helped some but milk remained off the table for years (so did ice cream). I stopped using the pills about 4 years ago and just dealt with it. In 2015, I was on the hunt for local butter and ran across a place that sold raw milk. http://bariatricfacts.org/threads/raw-milk.2441/ Before we sold the house and stared living on the road in an RV, I was successfully drinking over 8 oz of milk every day. When I am in a raw milk friendly area, I get some.

I keep saying I'm not lactose intolerant, I'm pasteurized intolerant.
 
Have you asked Dr. Rabkin why he has that recommendation in his post-op guide? Before deciding not to follow it (if you make that decision), you should talk to your surgeon about it first.
It’s on my list of questions for my pre op appt. on Monday. But I’d thought I’d throw it out to the group
 
I love cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, but hate eggs and milk. I don’t even put milk in my coffee. I do like the premiere protein shakes and they are one of the few that don’t make me nauseous, so I hope I can tolerate them post op.

I’ll try to update on his response after I see him next week for those that are curious. I’m wondering if he believes avoiding dairy early on might prevent lactose intolerance?
 
I think it's a combination of lactose intolerance, and the fact that lactose is a simple sugar, and is fully absorbed. I doubt he thinks it will "prevent" lactose intolerance in the future - if he thinks that, I'd like to know what evidence he has for that belief.

My point was that the way to find out if you're lactose intolerant or not is to try it, when you can deal with the possible consequences later. NOT the morning of a plane flight or job interview. And even if it bothers you now, don't be afraid to try again later - things change.
 
After surgery, I just ate whatever I felt like eating - which honestly wasn't much. Nothing was appealing, regardless if it had dairy or not.

YMMV, but I just experimented with appropriately liquid/mushy/soft foods and worked out which ones I could stand and which I couldn't. Tuna with cottage cheese was one of the better things that worked for me.
 

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