So 8 days post op and my period started today and my god. It's so uncomfortable Id class as painful! I haven't had one this bad for ages!
Has anyone else found their first post op period was agonising or is it just me? Part of me wonders if its the poking about with the core muscles and belly button that's making it hurt so bad.
So those of you who are waiting on diagnosis/surgery, are post op and avoiding certain foods, or have had to adjust your diet permenantly: which foods do you really miss?
I'll go first:
Currently 5 days post op. Foods I miss are:
Steak and Chips
Salad (avoiding raw veggies for now)
Ice Cream
Pizza with normal cheese (I ate with either minimal amounts of low fat cheese or no cheese at all)
Scrambled eggs (with butter and chived)
Homemade Tiramisu
Eton Mess (made versions without cream but they did not hiy the spot!)
Lamb
Generally being able to cook with olive oil/ghee/butter without having to worry about triggering an attack
Homemade Chicken Curry (I have a ton of green chillies in the freeze ready to go when I am able to eat curry again)
Samosas
Jerk Chicken
So had surgery yesterday... My god the gas pain is no joke!
The surgical sites are tender, but not so bad. Worst part was the drain: I didnt realise just how uncomfortable it was until it was gone. Had to stay in overnight (not a bad thing as I got the good drugs for the gas pain) but finally home now, and watching rubbish horror movies!
Very thirsty so drinking plenty of water. Trying to be Positive about recovery.
Any tips for a smooth recovery would be welcome! Some things i am trying to do:
Keep upright to help ease gas pain
Walk regularly
Take deep breaths
Drink plenty of water
Eat light foods for the first day or so (broth, crackers, bananas, white rice, toast etc)
Try not to lift anything heavy
Drink chamomile tea
So I have my op schedule for 11th Aug and I want to try and prepare as much as possible (I had to have emergency surgery on my spine last year and didnt have time to prepare ao want to avoid that again!)
I am trying to improve my gut health (so taking pre/probiotics etc.) and trying to eat a relatively health diet aka low fat to help prevent attacks etc).
Is there anything you did that you think helped you? Or is there anything you wish you did before surgery that woukd have helped?
What did you eat the first few days and weeks after surgery? Any foods youd reccomend? I tend to eat a lot of salads and fruit and I've read raw veggies are not advised for a while post surgery.
How did you cope with bloating/diarrhea/reflux/indigestion if you get/had it?
Not too worried about pain management (I've done natural labour, 3b tear repair following that labour, had a csection and spinal surgery so I am pretty comfortable managing pain, have a decent pain threshold, know how uncomfortable abdominal surgery can be and know how to move with a healing surgical site), but any specific tips are appreciated!