post-op liquids for THREE weeks

littlefroggy · August 29, 2008

I am supposed to be on liquids for three weeks. This was day 10. The last few days I have been very sick with diarrhea and today started to feel very sick, weak and dehydrated.

I called the dr's office and the dietician said a lot of people react to the artificial sweeteners in the drinks and having such a concentrated amount can cause the diarrhea. She suggested that I drink only soy milk, Water and chicken broth. Something about the sound of that was just horrible. Two weeks seemed unbearable. She said even if I had soy milk 10x a day it would be fine (that's about 1500 calories.) She said make sure the diarrhea cleared up and call tomorrow.

I went to the store to go get more soy milk and ended up getting some of the hot chicken Soup. I got all the stuff out, only the broth, and ate it. I feel SO much better. I got home and had some Tomato Soup that I had in the cupboard. I understand I should follow doctors orders... but I don't think I can do 2 weeks of nothing but soy milk!! Maybe she didn't intend for that to be the whole two weeks (she said check in tomorrow) but every Protein Drink I try makes me sick. I have a bad aversion (intolerance or allergy?) to dairy and it makes me feel terrible. The only drink I have found that doesn't make me 1) have diarrhea or :biggrin: break out is a vegan drink that tastes like chalk and cardboard mixed in a blender. (BTW, I have opted for the skin over the stomach before, but now not only have diarrhea but very itchy, red, broken out skin!)

I just had to make a confession. It seems a lot of people are on mushies at this point in their program. I don't think soup that's been strained should be too bad for me... likewise, I think I should be able to have an all-natural juice. I know there are sugar and calories in that, but soy milk has like 14-17 grams of sugar in it so what's the difference?? It also only has about 4 grams of Protein, and an odwalla juice has 3 grams of protein...

Anyway, maybe I am justifying something I shouldn't? Maybe I should do the soy milk for the rest of this diet? I don't know. I just know I feel a lot better with some chicken soup in my body.

Barbiek · August 29, 2008

Sorry you are feeling so bad. I had to do Clear Liquids for 2 days, then regular liquids (soups, protien drinks, Jello, pudding, yogurt,) for 2 weeks, then on to the mushy stage. 3 weeks of liquid just sounds too long. You may want to call your doctor. Hope you feel better soon!

snowbird · August 29, 2008

Three weeks isn't that long for liquids. It's what my surgeon requires. Remember the dietician is just guessing about what is causing the diarrhea, so I would experiment with other liquids. Strained Soup where you have removed all solids IS a liquid, so I don't see the problem with that. Try mixing some fruit in the blender into your Protein Shake mix. I also added some instant mashed potato flakes to my broth to give it more body. It was still a liquid, though. Remember that there is an end to this, even if it is still a couple weeks away, and you can do it. Keep your eyes on the prize.

HeatherO · August 29, 2008

I agree with snowbird.

Strained Soup is definitely a liquid as long as it is not super thick. I had strained Soups during the liquid phase as well, and if they seemed a little thick, I added a little chicken broth to thin them even further. My doctor was fine with doing this . . . although you should definitely get your doctor's opinion as well since they are all different.

I dont think I could do the soy milk all the time either.

cmmcguire66 · August 29, 2008

I had a similar problem about 4 days post-op, and the dr's office told me it may be whey Protein. Some people can tolerate it better than others, and since that is what I was practically living on, it was probably to blame. Most people can tolerate soy Protein, but I find it tastes worse than the other stuff.

If you are in the liquids stage, you should be able to have just about any broth from regular Soup, Jello, popsicles, etc. I would open up a can of progresso veg. beef soup, heat till really hot, and strain out the broth. I didn't even use a fine mesh strainer. Also, if you heat ricotta cheese in the mocrowave, it becomes a liquid. They put me on "full liquids" a few days early, and ricotta was my savior.

Good luck!

srknepler · August 29, 2008

As a self proclaimed diarrhea expert...LOL (what a thing to be expert at, right?) I can confirm that her suggesions will likely work.

You might add some chewable Fiber tablets to your daily routine for a few days (or some benefiber to your broth). (you should ask your doc before you do this, I am not a doctor!!)

I find the best broth to be the new Rachael Ray stock-in-a-box. It has a wonderful rich flavor. I've had to drink broth most of the summer as a result of my out of control IBS, so I've tried every brand that I can find!

I hope that you are feeling better soon!