Originally published March 31, 2009
8 days and counting.
I’ve been stocking up on foods I can have the first few weeks after surgery.
Ok, this isn’t all I can have… well, the first week it will be the broth (low sodium chicken and beef), sugar free Jell-O, watered down 100% fruit juice and water with some of the True Lemon in it. Oh, not shown is some mint tea that I bought to have too.I also forgot to get some sugar free Popsicles to have for a treat.
The True Lemon is something I just found in the store last week. It’s crystallized lemon in a packet. Each packet is about the same as a wedge of lemon. I’ve been carrying some in my pocket to add to drinking water at work and such. They to taste really good compared to the bottled juice. I even mixed a couple packets in some pasta I made last week and it gave it a nice hint of lemon. The website also says they make crystallized lime and orange juice but the local Cub didn’t carry those. I’d be very interested in trying them. I sent for a sample through the web site, not sure if I’ll get anything other than the lemon though.
I keep forgetting to find out if I am supposed to let the Jell-O chill and set, or if you make it thin and actually drink it.
Once I get in to the second-third week I can start adding things like cream soups, V8 juice, V8 Splash, and milk. I bought some soy milk to have on hand in case I have any issues with the lactose in regular skim milk. The soup will have to be strained of any ‘bits’. I haven’t tried the V8 soups… and not shown is a no-sodium cream of mushroom soup. I’ve never been a tomato soup fan, but maybe I’ll try some. We’ll see. And for a snack or treat, I can start trying the sugar free fudgesicles. The Blue Bunny ones are pretty good, I think I still have one or two in the freezer.
Basically the first week to ten days is “clear” liquids, then you add other liquids through the third week.
The fourth week is when you start on pureed foods. That’s when the yogurt comes in (the one there is for eating now… will have to buy more by this point obviously), and the CoCo Wheats. I’ve never been a big fan of the cream of wheat type cereals, but I got this cause I’m thinking at that point I’ll be looking for something new to have. Plus, I’ve been eating a lot of things (like wheat bread and cottage cheese) that I never really thought I would/wanted to just a few months ago.
This stage of things is going to be interesting. Yogurt, apple sauce, maybe some cottage cheese. Some of the suggestions I’ve heard for getting protiens are salmon (which I don’t like) or tuna with fat-free mayo. Basically taking some tuna salad and putting in the blender. And yea… the thought of this has brought back some flash-backs involving Dan Akroyd.
Another one I’m actually looking forward to trying is refried beans thinned out with fat-free sour cream. Maybe I’ll do some hummus thinned out with… hmm… maybe some tzitki. The idea of puréed chicken is doing absolutely nothing for me at this point. Not that the tuna is sounding all that ideal either.Vegetables… those shouldn’t be a problem. Carrots, squash, cauliflower. Fruits, well banana of course. I also have plenty of canned mandarin oranges and pears. I’ve toyed with the idea of picking up a few jars of baby food. Not sure about that yet.
I think… I’m ready for this. I mean I am… but I mean as far as having what I need to get through that first week after surgery. I made up a batch of beef broth and froze it in 1/2 cup portions. Going to do the same with some chicken broth so I have that ready to go cause I’m sure the first few days I won’t be wanting to deal with such things.
Oh yea, the Carmex is for in the hospital. That first day I can’t have anything to drink. The don’t want any liquid getting in the lungs via the tubes that such that’ll be stuck down my throat. Pneumonia would not be a pleasant thing. So at first all I’ll get is sponge swaps to dab my mouth and keep it from totally drying up. The Carmex then is in case I need something to keep my lips from looking like the ground in Death Valley.
