Decaf or not?

[Fars 13]

My prog allowed Decaf 3 weeks post op but many warn against it due to impact on nutrient absorption healing and acidity
What’s your experience?

[kristieshannon 1,574]

Like most other post op guidelines, it varies from program to program. I had regular caffeinated coffee in the hospital on day 1 and have had it every day since. I’m about 5 years out now. My labs have always looked great and I’ve met my goals.

[Fars 13]

Relieved to hear that. Any tips for meeting nutritional guidelines - I am

not very good at cooking. So my post op soft food day looks like Protein Water chicken mince (2-3oz) hummus or some Greek yogurt and a bite or canned peach so far

[catwoman7 11,017]

it's been a while for me, but I think we were allowed Decaf at about three weeks post-op and regular coffee at about six months out. The acid in some coffee does bother my stomach - I can handle coffee that's only mildly acidic but some is so acidic that I just can't do it. That may be why in my case (and yours) they wanted us to wait three weeks even for decaf.

[Fars 13]

For my prog it’s the general guidelines rather than individual I guess. I have a Nespresso and k cup machine - the only Decaf option in Nespresso is level 6-8 intensity haven’t found any palatable k cups any suggestions?

[ms.sss 15,037]

5 hours ago, Fars said:

My prog allowed Decaf 3 weeks post op but many warn against it due to impact on nutrient absorption healing and acidity
What’s your experience?

they served me coffee in the hospital, ha. that was almost 6 years ago...been drinking it almost daily this whole time.

[Fars 13]

WOW! Black?

[Arabesque 6,745]

My plan was no caffeine but I could have herbal or green tea from day one. I only drank green tea anyway so I didn’t even ask when I could have caffeine again - ha!

Caffeine is supposed to reduce the absorption of Iron by about 60% (can be more or less depending upon your iron source) if you drink a caffeinated drink while eating or taking your iron supplement. Some studies advise waiting 30 minutes before drinking your caffeinated drink others say two hours. And yes, it can aggravate your tummy. It’s one of the drinks to avoid if you have reflux/GERD or an excess of acid (which we do for a while after surgery). Reflux is one of the reasons why I gave up caffeine years ago. That & not sleeping well.

As always check with your team for their recommendations.

[ms.sss 15,037]

16 hours ago, Fars said:

WOW! Black?

well, i drink it black, but they did also include sugar packets, artificial sweetener packets, and milk/cream on my tray.

[summerseeker 1,941]

I had a latte in hospital too. I drink loads of regular coffee a day. All my bloods have come back OK every time. If drinking coffee was an issue with my surgeon, I don't know what I would have done. Lied probably

[Fars 13]

I tried a Decaf with milk - few sips day 25 post op and felt a little burp so left it off but relieved to hear the positive experiences

i guess I will let my body tell me how to go

[BeanitoDiego 148]

I drank instant black Decaf for 3 months both pre-op and post-op. I'm 9 months post-op and have been back on regular coffee for about 6 months. A change in my preference is that I now drink it with half & half and Protein Powder added. Two or three servings every morning, no matter where or how I find myself 😁

During that 6 month caffeine-free period, I also drank warm herbal teas, and room temperature decaf black teas. I still enjoy the herbals in the evenings occasionally. And I'm back to regular black teas with cream, one of my favorites!