APPROPRIATE FOOD TO EAT AFTER COLON RESECTION SURGERY

I read what everybody said and I find the same answer the doc's don't know a thing I'm having a time trying to find the right foods Had surgery on the 4 Th of this month a & still run to the bathroom all day long with nothing coming but water slim , I'm going to try brown rice well cooked
I'm trying to have a nice day. Thank you all for writing .

My colon resection surgery was performed on 2/28/12 and due to multiple complications, I was kept in hospital and acute rehab for @ 1 month.  Then, I have had home rehab and now outpatient rehab.  I too am struggling with the bouts of diarrhea and figuring out what foods I can eat.  Part of it was a serious case of Clostridium differens (C. diff) infection which required another two rounds of antibiotics and a prescription for vancomycin which would have cost me $500 as the copay.  I just couldn't afford it, so opted to continue the regular antibiotic.  In addition, I was getting immodium, probiotics, and cholestyramine.  The stool sample came up clean and I was able to get rid of the diapers for most of the time.

 

I find that Greek yogurt (plain or honey) helps.  Eating smaller portions, little or no meat, and healthy homemade soups has been helpful.  I have always been an adventurous eater and cook, but now I just don't know what food will appeal to me.  I have lost enough weight so that my clothes fall off and my tailor tells me it is too expensive to alter my business wardrobe.  I am still on medical leave of absence until mid-June, so maybe I can get by without going shopping--

Did you receive any response to this post? I have assumed the same...those who are better have moved on...am I wrong?

Yes, it's me Newbie;) Im so glad to have found this site...wish we would have crossed paths a year and a half ago, but such is the path of life.
I had a colostomy/ileostomy as a result of a slip of the knife during a C-section about 2 years ago. I ended up loosing half my reproductive organs, and I spent 5 days going septic while the Dr.s who cut and covered, scratched their heads doing their best Oscar performance for "Gee We Don't Know Whats Wrong" I spent the first few weeks of my first borns life in ICU, and when I woke up I was sporting medicines latest fashion development in c**p bags. Spent about 3 months in the hospital, several months with in home health care. I wore those embarrassing, life sucking, leaking, flesh eating pieces of plastic for about 6 months before my surgeon would do the take down.
My take down failed about 2 months later, and I ended up with 12 more inches of my intestines evacuated from my premises. But I was spared the life of a bag lady, so Im thankful!
I developed a Hernia as well as my gallbladder failing me at the same time about 4 months later and thus underwent another surgery, which led to another infection and another extended hospital stay.
12 CT scans later, I've said all that to say...I have had constant diarrhea ever since...if it wasn't squirting in a bag, its been squirting in the pot. I know this is graphic but we're all adults here...seemingly with the same "issue" so I'll just say it plainly...I eat...and 2 minutes later I poop...water. It's been like that from the get go.
I've tried it all, every brick laying medication, every diet from BRAT to Vegan, to low fiber, high fiber, you name it, Ive tried. Now the most appealing to the waistline is the Vegan...it pretty much is starvation.
But the butt burn is an ever-present enemy. I go through more rear cream in a week, than my 2 year old has in his life time. I cringe to eat because I know what sting awaits 'briefly' on the other side.
I now have another very painful Hernia which needs to be repaired but Im using every evasive maneuver I've seen on T.V. or elude surgery.
Im not saying all this to invoke pity, but rather to encourage you and say it's all "deal-able". Not IDEAL but 'deal-able'. In the beginning I was overwhelmed with it all, I didn't see the end in sight. Now I deal...I was dealt a hand and I deal with it.
The joy my son brings me each moment outweighs the pain and discomfort. You may not have that gift to embrace but you have something, you were spared for a reason, find that reason and cultivate it. You may be able to in some way ease the pain of another one of us suffering, who knows. But it does get better, easier, deal-able, and you WILL get through it.
   Okay now who  can fix me???????? ;-)
God Bless ya'll

Hi everyone,

I am 2 months out or colon resection and still have alittle pain at the incision site. I was worried because I still had thin and loose stools. This was after I added some fiber rich foods back into my diet. My Doctor recommended a fiber laxative called Konsyl availiable at rite aide and other drug stores. This did wonders to keep my stools bulked up. I now feel a bit more normal. Still have some mucus in stools but no blood. Raw vegatables still alittle hard on my system. Best wishes to all of you.

I am 8 days from my sigmoid colectomy.  Had about 8-10 inches removed due to strictures caused by scar tissue.  Am feeling good and looking to the pain/soreness to subside.  I read a lot in these forums before my surgery and have been reading a lot since the operatrion.  To date I have had no  complications with anything--thank the god!  Tomorrow go to have my staples removed.

For those gathering info BEFORE the procedure let me share what I've experienced and garnered from these forums.  The surgeon is absolutley the most important thing to focus on.  Get recommendations-ask around.  Go to another colo/rectal office and get a second opinion.  When my GI said he was referring me to a surgeon he suggested a local one.  I thanked him and asked one last question before the phone call ended.  I asked "Doc,   To whom would you send your Father if he were having this operation?".  Best question I ever asked (execpt for asking my wife to marry me!!).  Due to that question I was referred to a top notched A-1 surgeon.  Seriously--of all the scary stories you might've read--this is what matters most.  I read somewhere that 80% of complications are due to surgeon error.  Travel to another town (I did) travel to another state--any inconvience that might pose is a lot better than most of the experiences I've read.

For me the worst part of the whole adventure was the catheter.  Let's not even go there (one hint--while on the morphine pump--DO NOT attempt to pull the bloody thing out!!)

Two days after surgery Doc came by to check on me.  We talked a bit and I asked him about diet--proper foods, restrictions, etc. and he gave a beautiful answer--- be careful of spicy foods and more importantly let your body be your guide!!   If tired--take a nap, if hungery--eat!

Spent three days in hospital (absolutely the best hospital I've ever been)  came home this past Saturday and have had no real issues.  Have eaten a variety of foods--pizza, hamburger, ribs!  No 'green apple' quick steps and no bloating or pain from what I've eaten.

Remember--the cutter is the MOST important factor in my opinion.

 

Hopes this helps!

I had diverticulitus with a perforation in May 2010.  After leaving the hospital was on a very restricted diet of soft foods and absolutley no fiber until I had surgery to remove the diseased part of my colon.  A week after surgery a leak developled which meant another surgery and colostomy for 8 months.  Had the reverse surgery, not sure what it is really called, to put everything back together.  It has been just over a year now and I can eat anything I want.  I do have more frequent bowel movements but other than that have had no major problems.  After all the hell I went through can say life is good again. 

Thank you so much for your info.I am 6 months post surgery and really despondent.Always feel I have to stay at home close to a loo. I am going to see a dietician.My surgeon was also not helpful re diet

I had my colon resection surgery on May 2011 (1/2 of colon removed due to several diverticulitis attacks with perforations).  It's been over a year, and still having issues with food.  Have to agree with previous posts that I may have to accept a low residue diet for life.  Not happy about that, but can't have any fruits or veggies or any high fibre foods without pain, gas, and quick trips to the bathroom.  Eat lots of yogurt, white bread, plain Cheerios.  Very bland diet.  Would love to lose weight and eat vegetarian diet....but even one meal and I'm sick.  I, too, was told by surgeon that I could "EAT ANYTHING" about 2 weeks after surgery.  WRONG!!!!!

Last week I went to see the gastroenterologist who performed a gastroendoscopy.  Now being told I have hiatal hernia, GERD and IBS.  Seems like the foods they recommend for one disease, cause problems with another disease. 

Next week I have appt with Colon & Rectal specialist.  I hope this doctor can shed some light on this issue.  To be honest, the low residue diet causes little pain, but makes me constipated...and that causes other issues!

The diet business is really vital and unnerving to anyone operated with a resectioned intestine. I am no exception. But living in Italy, operated there almost one month ago (3 hours), I've been given slightly different advice than I see here. They allow and encourage a small amount of pureed tomato sauce on pasta with a bit of freshly grated parmigiano, plenty of boiled carrots and potatoes, fish, chicken, eggs, white bread. So I make mashed potatoes with a bit of cheese and egg into a baked potato soufflé; eat a couple of T of fresh salad greens and avocado with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. They are boring about fruit, only fresh apple, pear and banana - but I've successfully added cantaloupe. Every day or so I add something new to see how it works out: collard greens were not a good idea (!) but zucchini are roast pumpkin are fine. Good luck and keep sharing suggestions - we all need help but it seems that we also have to play it a bit by ear or, rather, tummy.

Thanks so very much for all the information. It's truly appreciated. I'm so disappointed in the medical community for doing little to prepare me for the diet restrictions post surgery. Even follow up visits were of little use and the general response to the diet issues were 'we'll I guess that's just your new norm'. I'm going to try your recommendations and print the book. Again, thanks so very much!

I just had surgery 12 days ago Im not sure what to eat I dont have much of an appitite but have been trying to eat some ceral  potatoes with a small amount of steak peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.I eat chicken I was having trouble having a bowl movement I took some thing to help me have a bowl movement and since 6/22/2012 and still have been going very loose and often 

Hi everyone.I had my colon resection on december 2011 1/2 colon removed same like yours above.I reading here so many diferent stories.

/I am hungarian/ maybe I am a lucky one? I have no diarrhea sometimes I have constipation,but I carefull with my food.I searching always on internet and learn a lot.I you have diarrhea please do not drink milk sometimes organic plain yogurt oke and mozarella stick cheeze or goat cheeze.Be carefull with grains.2 toast oke.My observations: never eat raw vegetables just well cooked/carotts,zuccini,beets if you tolerate broccoli,peas,greenbeans are oke.Never eat other beans,cabbage like this.Soft cooked pears no sugar and apples good for you.Not from store-you cooking just 6-8 minute.Romain lettuce oke but not every day.Very helpful mashed potatoe or baked potatoe-healing your colon.Eggs just soft cooked healing too.Chicken or turkey oke.Beef and pork not.You have to relaxing your colon never eat high fiber food just take it easy.Good chicken soup with veggies healing too.Oatmeal with banana and maple syrup healing too.never eat DELY stuff-full with bad fat and sugar and corn syrup and preservatives...bla....You cook always fresh food if possible organic please.Sea salt oke but no sugar!!!i hope I help you with my advices.Doctors never tell you the true.Drink 8-10 glass of fresh water pure or destilled with minerals-best for you.What else? You go to the healthy food store and buy PROBIOTICS WITH PREBIOTICS and COLOSTRUM capsules (work just together) nobody told you.B Complex Liquid and E vitamin and Selenium is very helpful.Some good minerals.But please never take coated tablets,caplets. Just capsules or LIQUID best results.If you have diarrhea go to the Walgreens Pharmacy and ask CHARCOAL tablet will help you a lot.Eat 5-6 little meals a day.DAIRY NOT GOOD FOR YOU- wrote before make you sensitivity very hard digest and you not healing always couse you diarrhea.Sometimes not every day yogurt oke or a little cheeze.If you avoid much better for you.Drink unsweetened almond milk just 40 cal and double calcium better for you.Ok. I hope was helpful.I always ask my doctors in my country and specialist and I study research always.regards.Aranka

msmagic9956 wrote:

semicolon2 wrote:

I also have had trouble getting info but have finally found some relief on what to eat when you having these problems after colon resection. Here is what I have learned five months post op.

First, a word of caution on taking Vitamin C tabs. Some colon resection patients cannot tolerate/digest them. They really upset my stomach, even though my pcp recommended I take them to help me absorb the iron supplements for my severe anemia. Once I stopped taking them things went more smoothly. I make sure I get 100 percent dose in fruit juices enriched with it instead of from the pills and depend on that to help me absorb the iron.

I've had a lot of problems with digestion just like the original poster. I am five months post op from colon resection in my sigmoid colon, been through the 30 times per day bowel movements, painful passage, prisoner of bathroom etc. My doctors were also clueless in the beginning and said I would soon be back to normal eating after surgery -- wrong! As long as I tried to eat healthy fruits and vegetables and whole grain bread like I always did, I was in pain and misery. Finally I was to the point of surviving on only Ensure or Boost, and after a while just wanted to throw up from being sick of those. I finally had to drink it through a straw and hold my nose to get it down. And still had the diarrhea. Fortunately I finally got help!

I only got help from two things: appointment with a professional dietitian and a very helpful booklet from the U.S. Government National Institutes of Health called "What to Eat Before, During and After Cancer Treatment." This is available online for free or you can order a print copy for free (I like the print copy booklet because it's durable and can carry it around or leave it for bathroom reading!). There are many lists in there for whatever stage of recovery you are at with your colon and you can flip to the list of foods you need at the time. I finally found relief with the low fiber, low residue list about three months after surgery.

I do take two Metamucil capsules with my breakfast.. to "bulk up " my stools as my doctor put it. It's important to take these with one of your larger meals and at the same time each day. I also take my iron pill for anemia on an empty stomach because it is supposed to be better absorbed that way and is also thought to be helpful in "bulking up" stools for those with diarrhea.

Unfortunately I also have food allergies and intolerances, so I could not eat even all the things listed on the low fiber/low residue diet. For instance, due to the fact I am lactose intolerant and allergic to peanuts and eggs, I couldn't go for many of the dairy products or peanut butter snacks suggested on the diet as low residue sources of protein. This is where the dietitian helped. She had me switch to soy milk and introduced me to the world of altnernative nut butters such as cashew butter, almond butter, macadamia nut butters. These nut butters are not cheap! About $10 per jar at gourmet and health grocery stores, but they were a godsend and worth every penny because finallly something I could eat with protein --- just had to eat them on white bread, graham crackers etc. Almond butter and jelly sandwiches are a mainstay now. White bread took some getting used to -- hadn't eaten it since a kid.

Here are some other things that worked for me: Special K protein bars (by Ensure in pharmacy area, not the same as Special K fiber bars in the cereal section -- big difference!). These are especially good for a quick breakfast. Canned chicken, tuna and salmon. frozen fish filets, Pasta with a non tomato sauce. French toast, turkey lunch meat, high grade turkey bacon, avocado, mild havarti cheese, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes I eat a lot of sandwiches made by mixing and matching some of these items: turkey bacon and avocado, havarti and avocado, grilled cheese, chicken salad made from the canned chicken (a little mayo and a tiny bit of pickle relish, boiled egg if you could tolerate it -- but no celery, onion or apples like you might normally toss in chicken salad). For a quick microwave dish when dining alone, a Kraft mac n cheese cup with some turkey or canned chicken tossed in for protein. My dietitian also recommended Cream of Wheat and said the instance kind of oatmeal was Ok but not regular oatmeal.

Anything high in fat would send me into that dumping syndrome of a million bowel movements -- so nothing fried at all, and not very much cheese except an occasional slice of American and I could always tolerate sliced Havarti. Anything high in sugar was also a dumping trigger. I remember that ice cream shakes and smoothies were recommended -- good grief I think I might have had 40 bms after trying an ice cream shake!

I have now followed the restrictive low fiber and low residue diet for two months and am much better. I only have the multiple bms situation about every third day, and they arent' as painful and as uncomfortable as they were the first three months after surgery. And maybe only 10 or 12 bms every third day over the course of a few hours rather than 30 a day in succession like at first. I've seen my dietitian again, and she said any improvement at all is a hopeful sign that someday my bowel will achieve the retraining necessary for some kind of normal.

I do worry about eating white bread and so much refined food on the low residue/fiber stuff for very long due to it being the opposite of a healthy diet of fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts etc. Right now I calm my fears by taking multi-vitamins -- they just started making gummi vitamins for adults (One A Day brand) and I can digest those without stomach upset. And my dietitian said to aim for gradual improvement and introducing each new food one at a time to see if I can tolerate it. I tried well cooked green beans at a restaurant last week and it went OK. Ordered them again at a restaurant today and they were crunchy ones so I did not touch them.

I hope this info is helpful to someone. This situation for those of us with the problem is indeed depressing at first, but I also after a while decided that if I have to, I can eat like this for a while and it's good to be alive and feeling better.

I really appreciated reading your post semicolon2 THANK YOU for all that information. I'm having troubles with certain foods but not to the degree you've had. Still it helps me a lot to know what I should not eat and what is okay to eat. I am stage 3 w/more than 3 infected lymph nodes removed at resection July 2011. I'm only 49 yrs old and no one in my family has ever had colon cancer. I've had very much success so far since my colostomy removal March 2012. I don't know if I should put the protein powder in my smoothies (made with yogurt) or not. I don't want to end up with too much protein. Thanks again your post was VERY helpful and I am going to mail for the booklet

Best wishes

I also drink almonmd milk 40 cal. Yes, at times I will eat what I should not . I also take lomotil tabs. or Levsin. My dr wanted me to go see a gastro man. Ido not want to go. I do not have my colon. They say he may have new meds to take. Why can not our medical dr. call and ask what new meds they may be using. Well, this is the life . Lucky to be alove.