Sunday July 31st 2011 - My diet for the next week pre-op and post-op

1 1/2 hour surgery

I have to be in the hospital by 5am on Wednesday August 3rd. My surgery begins at 7:30am and should conclude around 9am. I will be in recovery for at least an hour while the anesthesia wears off. Then I have to hang around for a while until I am fully hydrated and able to walk around the hospital halls. If everything goes as it should, I will be home in my cozy bed by mid-afternoon. If I am not hydrated or if I have difficulties walking or various other quips then I may have to stay in the hospital overnight. I will do everything I can to write a post on Wednesday and obviously everyday for the first month. Depending on how much relevant news I have I may go back to four posts a week.

The countdown to surgery has it's own restrictive diet with the goal of a clean digestive tract before surgery:

4 days before:
July 30th ~ On Saturday I stayed away from heavy foods like red meat and I probably ate half of what I regularly do. I had a regular home sized cold cut sandwich for a late breakfast. I didn't eat anything until dinner. I had three servings of a cranberry walnut spinach salad with a light vinaigrette dressing and a small portion of spaghetti with olive oil, Greek olives and some kind of a dry crunchy cracker cheese topping. Later I ate baby carrots and three small Swedish lemon cookies. I drank a lot of decaf iced tea and water.

I prefer soy over cow juice

3 days before:
July 31st ~ That would be today. I had a regular sized bowl of granola fiber cereal with soy milk for a late breakfast. I am planning on having a bowl of spinach for a late lunch and then a small portion of lobster/crab raviolis and salad for dinner. I may have a few slices of Tuscan bread with butter. Then that will be it. I will also be pushing as much liquid as possible.  

2 days before:
August 1st ~ I'll only be eating raw vegetables like salad and steamed veggies and lots of fluids.

1 day before:
August 2nd ~ Pure liquid diet. I'll have a Chocolate "Ensure" drink for my three "meals" and then heavy fluids throughout the day.

Day of surgery:
August 3rd ~ I can have liquids up until 3am. After the surgery I will be sucking on ice chips. Pain management after the surgery isn't any different than my normal spleen pain management: Oxycodone 5mg up to four times a day.

August 4th through August 6th ~ First three days after surgery ~ Liquid diet: At breakfast, lunch and dinner consume one cup of milk or a protein drink over the course of one hour. Sip as much water as possible. Plus a minimum of 32 ounces of water.

1/4 cup or 2 oz. of anything here

August 7th through August 31st ~ Three meals a day of no more than 2 ounces consisting of a soft diet including foods like tuna salad, deli thin sliced meat, an egg, cheese, and ground meats.

Foods I will NEVER eat again: Steak, roast beef (unless deli sliced like Arby's), bread including wheat and rice, wheat noodles, caffeine, carbonated drinks, and alcohol.

Simple rules: Always chew your food into a puree. Take your time eating. No liquids 15 minutes before meals and 45 minutes after meals (helps keep you feel full longer). Since your bodies metabolism can't possibly catch up to 2 ounces three times a day, the diet is more of a trial and error consistency and not as much as calorie counting. Of course, foods to avoid at all costs: greasy foods, ice cream, chocolate and candy. Obviously, the better your diet the more effective the results.

Could eat 2oz. of the ground beef

If you eat too much or drink carbonated drinks you will stretch out your stomach and render the operation useless. I had a good friend who stretched her stomach in the first three months to eat a whole bag of popcorn. He also has a problem with fast food. Predictably, he has started getting tooth cavities because he messes up his diet so much that he throws up thus eating away at his tooth enamel.

This surgery is a tool. A second chance. In my case, success is a necessity.