Diet taboos after hysterectomy

Gas-producing foods before post-operative flatulence, foods to which you are clearly allergic, highly irritating/high-fat and high-sugar foods that may induce gastrointestinal discomfort within 1 month after surgery, and other so-called "don't touch hairy foods" and "will affect hormones" mostly have no scientific basis, so there is no need to be overly anxious.

Last week, I met an aunt in the outpatient clinic who came for a follow-up examination four days after the operation. As soon as she sat down, she held her stomach and complained that it hurt. She said she didn't even dare to breathe hard. When I asked, I found out that the girl was filial. She gave milk, steamed sweet potatoes, and soy milk to Donton just after the operation, saying it was for nutritional supplements. As a result, the gas was not completely exhausted. After eating, my stomach swelled like an inflated ball, and the wound on the vaginal stump was causing pain. I checked and found no other problems. I stopped eating these gas-producing foods, and after two days of drinking porridge, I recovered. In the first three days after surgery, whether it is open surgery or minimally invasive laparoscopy, the anesthesia will temporarily "paralyze" your intestinal peristalsis. In addition, the surgical operation will inevitably touch the surrounding intestines. At this time, the digestive capacity of the intestine is already weak. If you forcefully stuff a bunch of gas-producing things, the pain of flatulence is really no better than the pain of a wound. In severe cases, it may affect wound healing.

Can the "fat food" everyone is most concerned about be eaten? In fact, doctors in different fields have different opinions on this: There is no concept of "hair growth" in Western medicine. As long as you are not allergic to shrimp, crab, beef, eggs, etc. before, and your intestinal function has recovered after surgery (that is, you can have normal gas and bowel movements without bloating), eating these can supplement high-quality protein and help the wound grow faster. ； However, traditional Chinese medicine does recommend that if you usually have a weak spleen and stomach, eating cold food or seafood will cause diarrhea. During the post-operative stage of Qi and blood deficiency, you should try to eat less cold food to avoid increasing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, both opinions are correct. The core still depends on your own body reaction.

I have met many patients from Sichuan and Hunan who asked me if they could eat two bites of twice-cooked pork a week after the operation. They always drank white porridge and their mouths turned pale. In fact, there is really no need to cut it all. If you usually don’t like spicy food, your wound has recovered well after the surgery, and you don’t have constipation or gastrointestinal discomfort. It’s totally fine to take a few bites of mildly spicy food as an appetizer. On the contrary, you can eat more food to replenish your nutrition. ； But if you usually can't handle spicy food at all, but you get stomachache and diarrhea after eating, then of course don't act blindly after the operation. When you have diarrhea, the abdominal pressure will increase, and you will be the only one who hurts when you pull the wound.

There was a patient who did not dare to eat soy products for three months after surgery. He said that he heard that soybeans contain estrogen and that eating it will cause cancer. I couldn’t laugh or cry after hearing this: If you only have the uterus removed and the ovaries are still left, you can secrete hormones normally, and you don’t need to worry about the negligible phytoestrogens in food. If the ovaries are also removed, the doctor will prescribe hormone supplements based on your situation. The estrogen supplemented by drinking soy milk is not enough for your body’s needs, so there is really no need to stop eating due to choking.

I usually tell patients who are discharged from the hospital that there is no need to specifically search for "postoperative dietary taboos". Those that list dozens of things that cannot be eaten are mostly made up. Just remember one principle: take it step by step, and the most important thing is to be comfortable. In the first two days after passing gas, eat something easy to digest, such as porridge and rotten noodles. Then slowly add eggs, lean meats, and vegetables. If you feel no discomfort, eat normally. If you experience bloating, diarrhea, or stomachache after eating something, just don't touch it next time. It's more accurate than any list made by experts. I have seen too many patients who are too particular about "taboos" after surgery. They don't dare to eat or touch anything. They lost more than ten kilograms in one month after being discharged. During the follow-up examination, their albumin was low and the wounds grew slowly. I really can't do this.