Almost everyone knows what appendicitis is, firsthand. Very many had to deal with this problem personally. However, due to the fact that such an ailment is diagnosed in most people, the procedure for removing appendicitis is not something new. On the other hand, even despite the simplicity of this procedure, it is important to adhere to a special diet after any surgical intervention. Diet after appendectomy is very important, because after surgery, the intestine needs to be restored. Therefore, do not neglect your health.
general information
To understand how important the postoperative period for appendectomy is, it is worthwhile to figure out what constitutes this malaise and how its treatment is carried out. The appendix itself is a small process of the cecum. If it becomes inflamed, then this ailment is usually called appendicitis.
As a rule, excessive excesses of the intestine lead to it, or if the person is characterized by increased mobility (for this reason it happens in children). Often there is blockage of the appendix with feces, which may also contain undigested particles. It can also develop against the background of infections, trauma to the abdominal cavity or with inflammation of the intestine.
This disease is not amenable to medical treatment. The only way out is to perform an operation called appendectomy. During this procedure, a small incision is made in the abdominal cavity through which the process is removed. In this case, minimal blood loss and trauma occurs.
A person very quickly returns to his usual life, but only on condition that he will adhere to a diet after appendectomy. It is very important to listen to all the doctor's recommendations and take care of your health.
Useful Tips
First of all, it is worth noting that diets after appendectomy will have to be followed for at least 2 weeks. This applies to situations where the surgical procedure was performed correctly and the patient did not experience any complications. In this case, we are talking about a classic operation or laparoscopy.
If we are talking about phlegmonous, purulent, gangrenous appendicitis or if it was complicated by peritonitis, then in this situation you will have to adhere to a strict diet for at least a month.
Nutrition after appendectomy may include some recipes of alternative medicine. For example, you should use chamomile decoction. This herb has long been considered a natural antibiotic. In addition, chamomile has antibacterial properties, which will be especially useful for those who had to face complications in the form of peritonitis.
Food is recommended to be consumed in a warm form. In this case, the servings should be divided so that the patient comes to the table 5-6 times. Accordingly, portions are reduced, and the number of meals, on the contrary, is increasing.
It will not be superfluous to consume as much fluid as possible. Experts recommend drinking at least 2 liters per day. However, this does not have to be water. After an appendectomy, you can drink herbal decoctions, natural juices, teas and compotes. Also, the period after the procedure can be divided into several parts.
First three days after surgery
Immediately after the operation was over for several hours, absolutely nothing can be eaten. However, already at this time you can drink a little water. You need to drink in small sips. 12 hours after the operation, the patient is supposed to have a little chicken broth in order to slightly restore the forces expended by the body. Additionally, you can drink some jelly, weak tea, yogurt and eat a small amount of low-fat cottage cheese.
In the first days after appendectomies, nutrition should be the most sparing. It is important to monitor the condition of the patient. If after a few days it feels good, then its diet is supplemented with zucchini or pumpkin puree, cream soup (you can add a little crackers), mashed chicken or rabbit meat.
First week
During this period, it is important to prevent the possibility of constipation or bloating. Therefore, in the first week it is better to follow a diet after appendectomy every day. The first day a person should not lean on food. It is considered normal if the patient even remains hungry. Starting from the fourth day, it is worthwhile to include in the diet products that contain a large amount of fiber. Therefore, you can cook baked apples, boiled vegetables (carrots, beets and pumpkins should be preferred), as well as cereals on the water.
To improve the patency of the stomach, once a day should eat a spoonful of butter. You can also include in the diet sour-milk products, low-fat marine fish. Of course, during this period, the patient will want sweets. Caution should be exercised in this matter. Of the products of this type, the diet after appendectomy can include only peaches, strawberries, oranges and a little marshmallow. If we talk about fruits, it is recommended to chop them in a blender.
All cooked foods should not contain spices or seasonings. If there is such an opportunity, then salt should also be excluded.
The first month
During this period, it is assumed that the human body is prepared for the transition to its usual diet. If a person abruptly begins to eat, everything that he used before the operation, then in this case he will create severe stress for his body, which is fraught with serious complications.
After an appendectomy, the diet is considered the strictest only in the first week. The subsequent period, the patient’s diet expands, so that the body smoothly switches to its usual diet.
It is recommended to start using any new product gradually. It is necessary to note any reaction of the body to certain ingredients of dishes. If, after eating, a person begins bloating, diarrhea, or begins to vomit, then by the end of the month it is worth giving up such nutrition.
As a rule, in the second week after the operation, you can safely eat:
- Boiled vegetables.
- Omelettes.
- Pasta.
- Curd products.
- Potato casseroles.
- Boiled veal, turkey fillet and rice.
- Fruit.
- Black and stale white bread.
- Inedible crackers.
- Fresh herbs.
It is worth noting that at this time there is a process of restoration of intestinal microflora. Therefore, do not pamper yourself and break the rules of nutrition. If it happened that the patient could not resist and ate a product prohibited for this period, then it is better to play it safe and take a drug that is part of the enzyme group. For example, you should have at hand "Festal" or "Creon."
What products will have to be abandoned
It is very important to avoid any frills. After the operation, the patient should by no means eat spices, pickles or sweets. It is also worth staying away from convenience foods, mayonnaise, ketchup and smoked. Overeating is also not worth it.
Since during this period you need to monitor the proper restoration of microflora, you can not eat foods that are prone to fermentation or gas formation. Proceeding from this, flour and confectionery, sweet "sour milk", fatty varieties of fish or meat are prohibited. In no case should you eat fast food, sausages, sausages, canned goods, chocolate, tomatoes (fresh), marmalade and dried fruits. You can not drink soda, cocoa, coffee, non-natural juices.
Although patients are allowed to eat some fruits, this does not apply to pears, peaches and persimmons. They contain too much sugar. Bananas and potatoes have a lot of starch, which will only increase the fermentation process.
Sample menu
If we talk about the diet after appendectomy every day, it is worth noting that the patient's diet should be as diverse as possible. It is worth considering an approximate menu, which is recommended in such situations:
- 1 day. For breakfast, you can give the patient some unsweetened green tea. It is allowed to serve biscuit cookies. The next morning meal is to drink a glass of warm water or a decoction of wild rose without sugar. For lunch, tea and chicken broth are allowed. During an afternoon snack, a glass of warm water is enough. Dinner will also be rather meager. It is allowed to eat one yogurt and bite it with cookies.
- On the second day, you should cook two boiled eggs for breakfast. After this, the meal will consist only of jelly. For dinner, soup puree prepared on a light chicken broth, a little boiled rice is served. For dessert - compote. During an afternoon snack it is worth being limited to water. Dinner includes oatmeal and a mug of tea.
- 3 day. For breakfast, the patient can drink low-fat yogurt, unsweetened tea and bite it with cookies. The next meal includes a rosehip broth. From food you can have a few crackers or bran. For lunch, you can cook a light soup of turkey and rice, a little vegetable stew (no seasoning) and drink warm jelly. At lunch, a small amount of dried fruit and tea without sugar are served. Dinner is limited to cottage cheese and broth of wild rose.
From 4 days to 7 menus can be changed at your discretion. Consider the main options that experts offer:
- For breakfast, you can cook oatmeal or buckwheat porridge, steamed omelette or boil a little chicken.
- The second breakfast may include water, fruit compote, tea, broth of wild rose or chamomile, a small amount of marshmallows or dried fruits.
- Dinner. In this case, the patient has a choice of broth with small pieces of chicken, mashed soup with broccoli. For the second, you can serve a little boiled rice, buckwheat porridge with zucchini (stewed), or beetroot salad, in which prunes are added.
- For a mid-morning snack you need to limit yourself to low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, jelly, tea. You can cook cottage cheese casserole.
- For dinner, the patient can choose from chicken cutlets, meatballs, boiled rice, stewed vegetables. All this can be washed down with compote or herbal decoction.
Thus, combining certain dishes, you can independently create a varied menu.
If we talk about the following weeks, then in this case, you can also choose from several options. For instance:
- Breakfast may include low-fat fish with a side dish of sliced boiled beets, cereal or pumpkin porridge, or cottage cheese and dried fruits. From drinks it is allowed to drink some jelly or unsweetened tea.
- For lunch, tea with cookies, jelly and dried fruits, or baked apples are allowed.
- For lunch, cream soup (with crackers), meatballs, chicken broth, potato casserole or a little boiled veal with a side dish of buckwheat is suitable.
- Afternoon tea should be limited to tea with bagels, rosehip broth with a small amount of marshmallows, compotes and natural fruit jelly.
- For dinner, you can cook a selection of cottage cheese casserole, pasta with a little sugar. Or you can eat yogurt or light vegetable stew. For dessert, it is allowed to drink teas or compotes with biscuits.
There are many diet recipes after appendectomy.
Cream soup with zucchini
Cooking this dish will not take much time. First you need to cook chicken broth. After that, a small zucchini, cut into small pieces, is sent to it. You can also add a few potatoes, a small carrot and one onion. All ingredients are cut into small pieces. When the soup is cooked, add a little salt and send it to the blender.
Diet after appendectomy in children
In this case, it is also important to ensure that the nutrition of the small patient is as sparing and balanced as possible. Any food should be served chopped. It is also worth giving preference to dishes that are steamed.
Do not indulge children with solid fruits or large pieces of meat. It is also worth watching that the child consumes more dairy products. The diet after laparoscopic appendectomy excludes the use of confectionery products, so it is important to ensure that the child does not decide to violate this rule. It is very important to explain to the child that he will receive these products later. Instead, you should offer him some dried fruits.
Diet after appendectomy with complication of peritonitis
As a rule, in this case, the food will be the same as described above. However, the duration of the diet will have to be significantly increased. It is also important to ensure that the intestines are not irritated. All products must be fresh and of high quality.
The best choice would be mashed soup without adding potatoes. You can also cook boiled cereals. All products that are banned under the condition of the normal course of the disease, of course, will also have to be abandoned. Also, the patient should not be allowed to gain excess weight. This will create increased stress on the intestines. Therefore, it is important to strictly monitor nutrition.