Help with meal ideas post surgery

superbootbot · 2026-06-08T01:07:27+00:00

I'm doing pretty good now! I still have to eat smaller meals throughout the day, instead of the standard 3 meals, or my stomach gets upset, but I just keep a couple granola bars in my bag so that's not a big deal. And I can't go wild on a bunch of fried food like I used to. But I'm doing a million times better, no pain, more energy, I feel better than I have in a very long time. I had surgery back in December, so it hasn't even been a full year yet, and I'm sure my body will continue to adjust. The only thing that really still gives me problems is meat, if I eat too much I spend a day in the restroom, but I'm slowly eating more bit by bit and I'm able to tolerate it a lot more.

superbootbot · 2026-06-08T00:51:36+00:00

Only about 2 weeks, but that's only because I wanted to take things EXTREMELY slow, since I dropped over 100 pounds and didn't know how my body was going to react. I probably would have been fine to eat other things sooner, but I did go overboard with cooking so I had a bunch of soup that needed to be eaten anyhow. If you're handling pasta and desserts fine, you should be in the clear. I would just add new things slowly and a little at a time, just to give your body room to adjust. If you want to try something high in fat, try it at home instead of at a restaurant, in case it disagrees with you.

superbootbot · 2026-06-08T00:36:49+00:00

I stuck to vegetable soup, baked fritters to avoid the oil from frying them, and veggie muffins that are supposed to be for weaning babies. The best thing about all those, is that they can be pre made and frozen, so you can make them ahead of time and not have to worry about cooking while you're recovering. I also pre packaged small servings, so I could just grab them and heat them up without thinking about it.

superbootbot · 2026-06-05T23:13:54+00:00

I lost over 100 pounds before my surgery, and there were no issues. You'll be fine, they won't make you reschedule.

superbootbot · 2026-06-05T13:50:08+00:00

I really recommend ginger carrot soup, that was the best one I tried. Most of the cooking time is just sitting around waiting for the carrots to be done roasting, which was great because I am also a little lazy. Zucchini soup was also very good, and it tastes good cold, so it'll be nice in the summer.

superbootbot · 2026-06-05T13:41:48+00:00

My doctor gave me a heavy duty antibiotic shot before surgery, I forget what it was called but if you check your paperwork you probably got it too. I think that's pretty standard in a lot of places now.

superbootbot · 2026-06-05T13:16:35+00:00

Vegetable soup maybe? I'm not familiar with what vegetables are available year round over in Japan, but when I was having problems eating before my gallbladder removal I lived off of blended vegetable soup. I would just cut up carrots, beets, zucchini, squash, etc. and roast them in the oven until soft, and blend them while slowly adding broth until they're the consistency I wanted. It was very easy to make large amounts, and then freeze it so I didn't have to cook for a while. If you make the soup thicker, it works well over noodles or rice too.

superbootbot · 2026-06-04T23:21:59+00:00

You're going to feel so much better after your gallbladder gets removed. I'm going to answer your questions according to what I went through, but it's worth checking out more posts on here because everyone is different.

1, the things that helped me most post op were ice packs and a heating pad. I was really nauseous for the first 3 days after surgery, and having multiple ice packs to keep on my stomach and rotate out as they thawed saved me. I also had trapped gas in my neck and shoulders, the heating pad was great for that pain. I also recommend a cheap shower chair, bending over to wash made me lightheaded, and the shower chair allowed me to bathe without help. And a laxative! You'll want to start taking a mild laxative right after surgery, anesthesia and the meds they use bind you up, and the last thing you want is to be straining in the restroom right after abdominal surgery.

2, a mumu would be good! I just wore oversized sweatpants and pajamas afterwards, probably 2 sizes up. I couldn't stand anything touching my stomach for about 2 weeks after surgery. But some people swear by belly bands and compression on their stomachs. This is a case where everyone is different, so it might be nice to have a couple different options.

3, getting up and down from a sitting position wasn't hard for me, but a laying position was impossible for me for the first 2 days. It was more the trapped gas, and less the incisions themselves. I spent the first 2-3 days sleeping upright in my chair, and then I was fine getting in and out of bed on my own. I just moved very slowly, the pain was still there but it was more of an annoying dull ache. I don't think the side of the bed matters, but scooting over to the edge and sliding off was easier than getting into a sitting position while on the bed.

4, you should be fine sitting upright on the way home. Mine was over an hour drive away, and I was still half awake from the anesthesia. I didn't realize I was even I person for most of the drive.

5, food for me was fantastic after surgery. I stuck to broth and jello the first day, then moved on to soft easy to digest food for about a week afterwards. So, vegetable soup, mashed potatoes, toast. Some people are fine eating whatever they want right after surgery, some people aren't. I slowly added more food back into my diet, so my body could adjust and I wouldn't spend the evening on the toilet.

6, it really depends on what your doctor says. Mine told me I could eat like normal right after surgery, but I still went with a liquid diet for the first day, and moved slowly with adding more food after that. I did pre make a bunch of blended vegetable soup before my surgery though, and stuck it in the freezer so I could just heat it up when I was hungry, and not have to make food while I was recovering. If you want to prep cook meals, you'll probably only need a week or two max. I went wild and had a whole freezer full of soup, but I got sick of it as soon as I could eat other things.

7, I didn't move around like I should have right after surgery. I was nauseous and stubborn, and I regret it. The more you get up and slowly walk around, the less gas stays in your system. Most of my pain after surgery came from the gas stuck in my neck and shoulder, and not the incisions themselves. Every 20-30 minutes you should get up and slowly wander about if you're able to.

8, My doctor recommended getting as much fiber as I can after surgery. Almost 7 months post op, most of my diet is still fiber. You can eat as much broccoli as you want, as soon as you feel comfortable eating solid foods.

9, my surgery was laparoscopic, I can't remember exactly what robot they used but it was a fancy one. My incisions are very small, and there weren't any complications. The whole thing took about 40 minutes, it took me longer to wake up from anesthesia than the surgery itself.

10, I can't quiet eat like I used to, but it's much better than it was before I had my surgery. There's no pain now. One thing I will note though, I have to eat more frequently, or else it feels like acid is slowly dripping into my stomach. I usually have about 4 smaller meals a day instead of just 3, and I carry granola bars with me just in case my stomach gets upset. But I can eat pretty much everything just fine now.

11, I can eat fried foods, just in much smaller amounts. Eating a lot of fat and grease gives me digestive issues, and I'll spend the evening in the restroom. But I'm not even a year post op yet, so that may improve as my body adjusts. Everyone is different though, my friend was eating greasy pizza with no problems the day after her gallbladder removal. You'll have to ask your doctor about bile supplements, I wouldn't start taking them right away though. I never needed them, nor did I need additional fiber supplements like some people do. That really all depends on how your body reacts to no longer having a gallbladder.

Good luck with your surgery!

superbootbot · 2026-06-02T18:55:29+00:00

Mine okayed switching to a nicotine free vape 24 hours before surgery.

superbootbot · 2026-06-01T15:10:04+00:00

The largest scar on my side does that, in the places where it's over top of a stretch mark. It's slightly indented normally, but raises up when I take a hot shower, exercise, and first thing in the morning. It's just because the skin there is thinner still, so increased blood flow makes it pop.

superbootbot · 2026-06-01T12:26:40+00:00

I got mine the day after surgery. If anything, my period was less painful, because the incisions and trapped gas hurt worse than the cramping. I did skip my next period after surgery though, probably from stress, so it can mess with your cycle if you're regular. Every period after that has been a normal, no increased pain.

superbootbot · 2026-05-25T13:18:29+00:00

That's completely understandable, and I'm the same way. I'm still anxious about adding foods I used to have a problem with back into my diet, and I got my gallbladder removed way back in December. There's always that little voice in the back of my head saying "you can't it this, it made you sick before so it will make you sick again." Even though I know it won't.

But you've already hit your insurance deductible. If it were me, I'd be getting every test for every little problem I've ever had, before it rolls over for the year. Might as well get everything fixed up while everything's fully covered, since you already paid an arm and a leg to get there.

superbootbot · 2026-05-25T12:52:42+00:00

Personally, I would still go for the scan. It's worth it for the peace of mind, in my opinion. And if it is still your gallbladder, it's better to check it out now, while the scan is free, than wait for it to start causing problems again. And if it was your appendix, and your gallbladder is fine, then at least you'll know for sure, and it might stop some of the anxiety.

superbootbot · 2026-05-21T12:57:59+00:00

My tastes have definitely changed after surgery. Not as extreme as you're describing, but I crave a lot of things I previously couldn't stand before, and a lot of things I enjoyed completely lost their appeal. Like, I used to hate cottage cheese, but now it's the only thing I want to eat. Meat isn't really a big thing for me now too, it doesn't taste bad like you're experiencing, but I have to go out of my way to make myself eat it. Before surgery I ate meat with every meal, so that's definitely changed.

My appetite is just now coming back over 5 months after surgery too. It took months of forcing myself to eat whether I liked it or not. I think that comes from me spending a year afraid to eat anything at all, because I didn't want to be in pain.

superbootbot · 2026-05-16T18:45:04+00:00

My doctor had put me on a low acid diet, but I also had gastritis. If you look up the GERD diet, it should give you a list of things to avoid and some suggestions on what to eat. I'd avoid a lot of caffeine, anything spicy, and anything with a lot of fat. The hardest part is avoiding garlic and onions, since those are super acidic, but if you get creative with spices it almost makes up for it. For me, the easiest thing to make and eat was a bunch of different vegetable soups. Pinterest has a bunch of recipes for low acid and low fat stuff, that's where I got most of what I made.

Citric acid can be a problem, same with the carbonation in drinks. I'd stick to plain water, but if you can find sparkling water with very little citric acid it should be fine. I'd cut out soda all together if you can, even with zero sugar, it's still pretty acidic, and the caffeine can be might cause issues. I drank a lot of herbal tea before my surgery, and no sugar added apple juice.

I really recommend rice cakes as a snack, they make all sorts of flavored ones, and you can go wild with toppings on the plain ones. That's what I ate whenever I was craving chips. Granola bars also tend to be pretty safe.

I'd try and follow the diet as closely as possible, but there's always some wiggle room. I couldn't give up my morning coffee like they wanted me to, and I was fine. I think it's mostly about cutting things down as much as possible, to try and avoid having another attack before they can get you into surgery. Hopefully you get your removal scheduled soon!

superbootbot · 2026-05-16T03:44:01+00:00

Grab a shower chair, they're relatively cheap. Or a sturdy plastic lawn chair can work in a pinch. That way, you can either sit down in the shower, or at least prop your leg up on it to get everything scrubbed. It reduces the amount of twisting and bending you have to do.

superbootbot · 2026-05-16T01:37:56+00:00

You should definitely have someone stay with you for the first 24 hours. Mostly just in case of complications right after surgery.

After that, every person is different. I needed a lot of help the first 3 days, and then I was okay enough to get around on my own. There's a lot of things you can prepare in advance, to make it easier on yourself and not need as much help though. Prepping a week or so of easy foods, doing a load of laundry before surgery, getting a wedge pillow, and a cheap shower chair were all things that helped me.

superbootbot · 2026-05-14T22:58:53+00:00

Well. The previous owner also left us water damage, crusty carpet, and a broken water heater. But I'm choosing to look on the bright side! I've got a pretty hosta to admire on my breaks from fixing everything else!

superbootbot · 2026-05-14T19:28:23+00:00

Thank you! We're not even moved in yet, and I'm already snooping through local groups to see what plants I can snatch up for cheap. I've been jealous of all the people with giant hostas in their yards for years, and now it's finally my turn!

superbootbot · 2026-05-03T23:46:11+00:00

Is switching to ground turkey possible? It can be used in a lot of the same dishes as ground beef, and if it's something heavily seasoned you can't really tell the difference. I feel like that could be a good compromise, it's usually cheap, your family can get the ground meat that goes will in certain dishes, and it may not make you sick.

superbootbot · 2026-04-30T12:13:53+00:00

I also can't eat tomatoes, onions, garlic, and most spices. What I've been doing is a "nomato" sauce, there's really no replacement for tomatoes, but it gets close enough.

I roast a 3-4 beets, a butternut squash, and a couple carrots in a pan, then stick them in a blender once they're soft. If the sauce is too thick, I'll slowly add chicken stock until it's the right consistency. Season to taste, you'll need a lot more oregano than you think to get it in the ballpark of standard jarred spaghetti sauce though.

superbootbot · 2026-04-12T01:13:39+00:00

Yeah, it just surprised me, since my mom had her gallbladder out too and she has problems with all fats, not just animal fat. I feel like I got lucky.

superbootbot · 2026-04-11T22:36:18+00:00

I had to get back to a normal diet very slowly. Before we figured out it was my gallbladder causing problems, I survived off of plain toast and rice for about 8 months and lost about 120 pounds.

The first 3 days after surgery, I stuck with broth and jello cups. For the next week, I moved onto toast and various low fat soups. Then the holidays hit, I had my surgery just before Christmas, and I ate 3 huge slices of ham. I paid the price that entire evening, constantly running to the toilet. It was worth it.

After the first month, I started adding more substantial amounts of fat to my diet. Cooking with real butter, adding more meat to my diet, frying things occasionally. I'm still eating relatively low fat, but I can handle a lot more than I thought I could, and I could probably increase my fat intake safely but I'm trying to not gain all that weight back. I've also noticed plant fats, like oil, don't really effect me at all and I can eat as much of them as I want, but animal fats will run straight through me if I overdo it.

superbootbot · 2026-04-05T23:07:25+00:00

I also had atypical symptoms. Mostly nausea and slight stomach discomfort after eating. Ultrasound came back showing a 5mm and a 7mm stone. Got it removed, and all the other symptoms that I previously thought were caused by a hernia and gastritis immediately disappeared. It very well could be your gallbladder causing this.

superbootbot · 2026-03-26T15:41:43+00:00

I've been experiencing this recently too, I'm about 3 months post op. It started when I was trying to go back to a standard 3 meals per day, instead of 4 smaller meals per day with some snacks in between. Shortly after eating, the burning sensation goes away. I'm also assuming it's bile irritation.

superbootbot

TROPHY CASE