Hi Ed,
Good to hear you are back home - hope all went well and uneventful with your surgery. Sorry I missed sending you my "canned" postop tips earlier - but some may still be useful.
Continue with your walking. Hold a pillow or stuffed animal against your gut - kinda roll to get in and out of bed. Even a few steps a few times a day will help get the gas moving and bowels rumbling. No food until the bowels rumble, of course.
If constipation is a problem (pain meds usually cause it), ask for stool softeners - over-the-counter include Surfax, colace, ducolax. If diarrhea is a problem (antibiotics the culprit), try Culturelle. Culturelle is lactobacillus GG, a probiotic developed by 2 GI specialists (Drs. Gorbach and Goldin) at Tufts Univ Boston - is designed to help keep intestinal flora in balance. It's available over the counter, but you may have to ask the pharmacist to order for you. More info -
www.live-well.com. Amazingly, most doctors, even the average GI specialists, have never heard of Culturelle. Gorbach and Goldin need to do a better job of getting the word out!
Despite the cavalier attitude of the uro and staff – to eat whatever you want, you need to do what is best for your situation. Typically, it's best to stay on a VERY bland diet - bouillon, gatorade, tea, baby rice cereal, jello. Usually, you can graduate to scrambled eggs, toast, and rice Krispies. Frozen fruit bars, sorbets, mashed ripe bananas, and applesauce are usually OK. Once the gut gets somewhat settled down, add only one food at a time to see if it works. If GI problems persist, try eliminating dairy products until foods are going down without a problem. Ensure and Ensure Plus are great, but contain some milk products. There are good soy alternatives - soy ice cream, cheese, meats, chicken, etc. Try not to worry about weight gain or loss - just try to get plenty of fluids and some nutrients daily. Frequent small meals are often easier to process than the usual 3 large meals.
ANY sign of flank pain, fever, chills, ague, dehydration, call your urologist ASAP. If you can’t reach your uro, go to the ER and at least get an IV fluid line going and have the urine cultured. It usually takes a few days for results, but you can get started on a broad spectrum IV antibiotic as well. Incidentally, this is not uncommon after RC! In addition to comfy sweats, pick up a few large waterproof bed pads. The large size are usually available at the medical suppliers, but a couple of the large baby crib pads work fine and are easier to wash.
Do NOT get too enthusiastic about getting your abs back in shape too soon after surgery – don’t want to strain or pop anything loose. No severe twisting/reaching or heavy lifting for a few months minimum, and always check with the surgeon BEFORE doing the rigorous stuff.
Hope all continues AOK. Please feel free to email direct.
Roni
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