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Discharge from the Hospital
All patients are discharged to their homes on the modified full liquid diet which has a 1,000 calorie maximum daily restriction. Prior to discharge, all patients are counseled by the dietitian who reviews all of the food groups in the diet and emphasizes the need to take small bites and swallow slowly.
Dietary Instructions
| DO |
DON'T |
| sip liquids |
gulp liquids |
| chew solid foods until finely ground |
swallow large pieces of food |
| take multi-vitamin with iron supplement throughout liquid diet phase |
eat lean meats, fibrous vegetables, pulpy fruits until all other solids are well tolerated |
| after first post-op visit, follow new menu of soft solid foods |
eat when you are not hungry |
| add only one new food at each meal |
eat several new foods at one time (if problems develop, the offending food will be hard to identify) |
| crush pills and tablets for the first three weeks (you may swallow capsules whole) |
forget about the smaller capacity of your new tiny stomach |
| stop eating at the first feeling of fullness -- learn this signal well! |
eat beyond the first feeling of fullness |
| take more time when eating |
eat too fast |
| drink enough liquids |
worry about the minimum calorie intake -- the goal of surgery is restriction of total calorie intake and sustained weight loss |
| expect to experience an occasional episode of regurgitation during transition from liquids to soft solid foods |
If Vomiting occurs, stop drinking and eating until the feeling of nausea passes. After the nausea disappears, resume drinking liquids only before attempting to eat solid foods.
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CAUTION! Repetitive vomiting to the point where liquids cannot be retained is potentially dangerous and any patient experiencing this should immediately contact their operating surgeon or go to the hospital emergency room. |
Activity Level Instructions
Following discharge from the hospital:
- Do not drive for one to two weeks;
- Do not attempt any strenuous activity, particularly heavy lifting, for approximately six weeks;
- Walk as much as you wish, climb stairs as you need to, and you may take baths or showers.
- Patients with sedentary-type jobs can return to work as early as three weeks after the operation.
- Patients with physically demanding jobs should wait six to eight weeks before returning to work.
It is not uncommon to feel weak and tired for a few days after discharge from the hospital. The body is still recovering from the stresses of a major operation and the feeling of weakness may be somewhat prolonged because weight loss is occurring during the recovery period.
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