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  • Food/Diet After the Surgery?

    Is there any specific diet after the surgery? Any prohibitted foods? What were you craving? Any suggestions?
    I am stronger than scoliosis, and won't let it rule my life!
    45 years old - diagnosed at age 7
    A/P surgery on March 5/7, 2013 - UCSF

  • #2
    Hi Irina,

    It depends! Everyone is different. I don't tolerate anesthesia or narcotics well--I suffered a lot with nausea. Oxycodone or oxycontin, commonly given after surgery, take away some people's appetite. They definitely did for me. Others, no problem I guess.

    I would plan to stock the house with your favorite foods that you crave when you are not feeling well. I lived for weeks on Cream of Wheat, toast, cream of tomato soup, and scrambled eggs with cheese. You will need plenty of protein, and plenty of liquids. Yogurt is good for your digestion, too.

    Don't forget to stock up on things to keep your bowels moving. Daily Miralax, Colace and Senokot was the magic combo for me (all available at any drug store). A bottle of Magnesium Citrate is "the bomb" for tough cases of constipation, which so many of us have suffered through in the early post-op days. You can get it at any drug store for about $2.oo.

    Once your appetite is on track, don't forget to eat plenty of high-fiber foods to keep things moving through your system.

    Good luck!
    Last edited by leahdragonfly; 01-11-2013, 03:45 PM.
    Gayle, age 50
    Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
    Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
    Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1


    mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
    2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
    2017 curves stable/skeletely mature

    also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable

    Comment


    • #3
      Post surgery diet

      The only thing I really focused on was getting plenty of protein and calcium to help the fusion.
      50 years old!!!!!
      Wore Milwaulkee Brace 1976-77
      Original curve 36 degrees ( measured in the 70s)
      Advanced to 61 degrees 01/2011
      Surgery 07/11/2011
      Fused T1-L2 (curve now in the 20s!)

      Comment


      • #4
        TiEd has a smoothie with protein that he recommends...
        there are lots of ways to make healthy smoothies...
        with frozen yogurt, lowfat ice cream, protein powder, juice, etc...
        am sure you can find recipes here on forum by doing a search..

        jess

        Comment


        • #5
          Most say eat a balanced meal...(Don’t you love it, it explains so much)

          Like Gail says, many of us lose our appetite on meds and I lost 40# in 40 days. My body was burning energy like a 25000 acre forest fire! I had to force myself to eat, and it became a chore that was on my notebook, since I was keeping careful notes of everything I did. Med intake, diet, BM’s, walks, trips, pain levels, sleep times, hot bath times, water intake, etc. You do and will forget these things easily.

          There are good foods and there are bad foods. If you Google bad foods, you will see that you should stay out of the “center” of the supermarket. That’s where most processed foods are. (The danger zone!) Sausage is laughable, and deserves its own joke book, ground meats have high amounts of animal fats in them. Fats are hard to digest. Dairy is also hard, I switched to soy milk, it has no fat and lasts a long time. Get your calcium through veggies. Stay away from milk and cheese. Forget any soda. Quit NOW and switch to water with a splash of lemon. Quit caffeine now, you don’t want to go through caffeine withdrawl in the hospital. Start walking now, Start deep breathing now!
          Quit processed sugar.
          http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives...l-calcium.html

          Ileus is common with anterior patients.....Its where the plumbing stops and we bloat up. Eating easily digestible foods and things such as organic yogurt are good things. The yogurt supply’s bacteria for your intestines. Digestive health becomes a VERY important issue, it is probably more important than worrying about your spine.

          If your going to worry..........worry about diet, and walking.

          Both Diet and walking should be done in small amounts, but multiple times per day. Slamming a whole pizza, and walking a mile is not a good idea. Eat small amounts multiple times per day, and walk often, every hour.

          I like soup...... Soup is good food. I don’t know how I would have made it without the soup. (smiley face)

          Whole foods makes great soups! You can sent the hubby over to pick these up and they also have the ORGANIC yogurt. You can microwave soup in a bowl, and eat 2 tablespoons very easily. I like the veggie and bean soups, watch out for spicy soups........

          Think I will go over today.....this is making me hungry!

          PS. Read about fats......Ice cream scores high. Man-o-man! Set it on your porch outside for a day or a month, then look at it.
          A little science experiment.....Lets do radical diet change. LOL

          Irene, you are on track. I congratulate you. You have the needed mindset to make this work.

          Ed
          49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
          Pre surgery curves T70,L70
          ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
          Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

          Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

          My x-rays
          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

          Comment


          • #6
            Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions.

            Ed, why soy milk is better than a regular milk? Easier to digest? Also, quitting caffeine - I never drink soda, but I do have a cup of coffee every morning. Can't do without it or I'll fall asleep behind a steering wheel (my commute is 1.0 - 1.5 hours each way). Is one cup of coffee now bad? Can I have a cup of coffee a day after the surgery or it will negatively affect fusion?

            Another, not food related question. I will be wearing a brace and here is my dilemma. At the beginning, I think, I'll be in a bed most of the time, making short walks every hour or so. You don't wear the brace in the bed, but have to wear it when you're out of the bed. So, how do you handle it - put this brace on and off every time you get in and off the bed? This sounds like a full job already :-)
            I am stronger than scoliosis, and won't let it rule my life!
            45 years old - diagnosed at age 7
            A/P surgery on March 5/7, 2013 - UCSF

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Irina View Post
              Also, quitting caffeine - I never drink soda, but I do have a cup of coffee every morning. Can't do without it or I'll fall asleep behind a steering wheel (my commute is 1.0 - 1.5 hours each way). Is one cup of coffee now bad? Can I have a cup of coffee a day after the surgery or it will negatively affect fusion?
              I continued to have a cup of coffee daily after my surgery. I have not heard anything about it affecting fusion. Maybe it inhibits calcium absorbtion. I drink it anyway ; )
              50 years old!!!!!
              Wore Milwaulkee Brace 1976-77
              Original curve 36 degrees ( measured in the 70s)
              Advanced to 61 degrees 01/2011
              Surgery 07/11/2011
              Fused T1-L2 (curve now in the 20s!)

              Comment


              • #8
                Milk is about fat and other things(see last link) and coffee is about caffeine. I drank a lot of coffee and was one of the hardest things I had to quit. I replaced it with water. Coffee drinkers become dependent on this caffeine, and your not going to get it in the hospital especially if you are NPO.
                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nil_per_os

                If you fall asleep in the car, your not getting enough sleep. I threw out my alarm clock 20 years ago. Go to bed earlier, and wake up using the same sleep cycle in the morning. I will not go to work tired....Do not be dependent of caffeine....Walk and breathe through through your withdrawl’s.

                They WILL get you up at the hospital. If you have a lot of hoses like me, you just stand. After more hoses are pulled, they can follow you with the devices...Falling is just against the rules.....not good. The brace acts as a safety device should you fall.

                After you get home, you use your brace for protection. I knew I wouldn’t fall in the house since I didn’t have leg or balance issues. The brace is made before and I had a HUGE ileus so it hardly fit. The nurses that came to my house would help me with the brace if I wanted, its not hard to get on.....It was always put on when I left the house for walks. I NEVER fell.

                I was used to wearing a full brace from years ago. Brace wearers have this advantage.....we are used to it. As time passes and you have adapted some you will be ok. I think all full fusion patients should wear a full brace so they know what it feels like. (less the heat, and surface rub points)

                That link I attached is a great site. Go ahead and read through it. Print out the pyramid and tape it to your fridge. Notice that milk and cheese is at the top. Eggs, once a week! Talk about maximum cholesterol....WOW!!!!!
                http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/cat--about.html


                More about dairy products......man-o-man! DON’T READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives...tful-food.html

                Now, you understand....(smiley face)
                Ed
                49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
                Pre surgery curves T70,L70
                ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
                Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

                Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
                http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

                My x-rays
                http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

                http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

                Comment


                • #9
                  perhaps you can add almond milk to things to have on hand...
                  i drink it sometimes...
                  soy milk can have an impact on a woman's estrogen levels, or
                  so i have been told.

                  jess...& Sparky

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by jrnyc View Post
                    perhaps you can add almond milk to things to have on hand...
                    i drink it sometimes...
                    soy milk can have an impact on a woman's estrogen levels, or
                    so i have been told.

                    jess...& Sparky
                    Thanks, Jess - that's good to know.
                    I am stronger than scoliosis, and won't let it rule my life!
                    45 years old - diagnosed at age 7
                    A/P surgery on March 5/7, 2013 - UCSF

                    Comment

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