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appetite after surgery

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  • appetite after surgery

    do you really not want to eat for along time after surgery?? i cant imagine not wanting to eat for weeks.
    Trudy T60 L70 posterior surgery feb.8th 2007

  • #2
    Hi Trudy....

    It took about 4 weeks for me to get any appetite, and a few months before it was normal.

    --Linda
    Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
    Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

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    • #3
      I agree. It took about two months before I was completely back to a normal eating patern. Just concentrate on recovering and eat whatever you can whether it is one cookie or a bowl of mac and cheese, as long as you can put a little something there to mix with the meds. But it will go back to normal.
      Laura

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      • #4
        in the hospital is there any time where you are able to even make yourself eat regular food or do you just want the liquid diet?im wondering if eating milkshakes or ice cream would be good to replace food if i dont have any appetite.
        Trudy T60 L70 posterior surgery feb.8th 2007

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        • #5
          Gayle,
          I had trouble trying to eat, so in the hospital they started me on "Ensure". It is high in nutrition, more than a milkshake.
          SandyC

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          • #6
            Hi Gayle, It took me MONTHS to get my appetite back. In the hosp. all I ate was a frosty from Wendys I had my husband bring. I wanted nothing to do with food. I remember finally having a hunger pang late in my 4th to early 5th month of recovery and boy was that weird to finally want to eat. I made sure I got good nutrition when I did try to eat as you need it to heal. Plus, it takes a lot of calories to heal. The Ensure drinks were a great supplement for me when I just didn't want anything but knew I needed it. I got the generic ones and they tasted way better then the protein shakes I use to drink. I went from always watching my weight to trying to gain some back. I lost 22 lbs. Strange but true a lot of people don't want to eat for awhile. Before surgery is a good time to put on a little weight to spare, I managed an extra 5 and was glad I did.

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            • #7
              I didnt eat for about 2.5 weeks anything "normal". When I was in the hospital all I wanted was slurpees from 7-11. The kitchen had a call to order system so if I didnt call them to order food they would call my room and bug me. In that case i would get apple sauce, a banana, milk, something light on the stomach. Every once in awhile I would splurge on a cookie (chocolate chip of course). After my second surgery the appetite wasnt as bad so after about a week I wanted KFC chicken strips and ended up getting a kids meal. That was like heaven!!!
              I too was one of those that lost around 20lbs. after my first surgery (over the period of a couple months of not eating completly normal).

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              • #8
                I only lost my appetite for a few weeks, and then started to eat like a horse.

                It takes a lot for me to lose my appetite, and my body needed nutrition to heal.

                But I think it also depends on wether you take a lot of pain meds or for how long. I took mine for only a month, as my doctors didn't want to give more. Narcotics do kill the appetite and give constipation.
                35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
                Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
                Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
                Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
                Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

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                • #9
                  I still do not have a good appetite. I am also still taking pain meds- so that is probably why. I have lost 22 lbs so far (I was glad to loose it as I wasn't able to work-out after I had my daughter- so I still had the "baby" weight to loose). I am now at the weight I was before I got pregnant with my daughter. I now splurge on things like cheesecake. I drink Boost shakes every morning to make sure I am getting a good nutrician still. In the hospital the only thing I really wanted was soup.
                  Angela
                  29 y/o f w/76 degree curve.Surgery done on June 26th, A/P, rods, instumentaion, rib removal- now 18 degrees!!

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                  • #10
                    I was like the others. I had no appetite what so ever. I also lost lots of weight. My Dr. ordered me ensure in the hospital. I could hardly get it down because it feeled me up so fast. My first 5 days in the hosp. I vomited every
                    time I tried to eat. I do not do well with anesthesia. It makes me very sick to my stomach. After that 5 days I ate very little and drank my ensure which was 3 times a day. When I came home my husband would buy me ensure the generic ones and I drank those and tried to eat a little. I think it was probably 2 or 3 months before my appetite came back. Now you would never no it I eat like a hog. I have gained back all my weight plus some extra. Your appetite will return it just takes time.
                    Mattie

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                    • #11
                      its just really strange that everyones appetite just goes away ,i guess from the big surgery.i had heart surgery 8 years ago but dont remember losing my appetite but only for a week.back surgery is probably bigger than heart surgery though.i do agree though on milk shakes and frostys,i will love to eat that :-)
                      Trudy T60 L70 posterior surgery feb.8th 2007

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                      • #12
                        Yes, in the hospital it is hard to eat. I tried to order things on the menu that appealed to me. Mostly at first I wanted to drink. Juice, pop, shakes, anything liquid. Then light things like fruit, yogurt, cereal, etc. At meal time I would get out of bed and sit up in the chair that is higher than normal and tell myself that I really needed the nutrition. Then I would force myself to at least taste everything and eat what I could. It got better each day and each week after I got home. I remember that tomato soup tasted delicious and I didn't want a lot of meat, but a grilled cheese sandwich was great. Because of the constipation, I tried to add fruits and vegetables for fiber and some metamucil. Eventually the appetite comes back and everything tastes delicious.

                        Deb
                        age 47
                        posterior surgery 7/24/06
                        50% correction of T70,L76 curves
                        DON'T WAIT TO GET STRAIGHT!!!

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                        • #13
                          I had an appitite starting on post-op day 5, eating grilled cheese for lunch (sometimes dinner too) cereal and tea for breakfast and after one Ensure, I began drinking Carnation instant breakfasts throughout the day. I also had ice cream a few times in the hospital. I didn't have a huge appitite, but I did eat at all three meals and continued to do so once home. My full appitite returned approx. 4 months later.

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                          • #14
                            I didn't have any appetite either.. which was unusual for me too... In the hospital it would almost make me gag to even think of eating.. Just before i came home i wanted some of those cheesy baked crackers... Goldfish... I guess it was the salt in them that i craved... but even then i could only eat a few at a time...

                            When i got home i would think i wanted something specific to eat, but when i had it... i could only force down a few bites and it never tasted as good as i thought it was going to. That went on for a couple of months i guess...

                            Gradually appetite returned and the pounds did too...

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