After gastrectomy, some patients cannot maintain the original weight and even cannot normally take foods due to trauma, thus, the body protein and fat are consumed quickly, resulting in weight loss, what is worse, it may induce some vitamin deficiency disease and gastrectomy complications.
After gastrectomy, patients usually need to fasting for 24 hours to 48 hours until the general condition becomes good with intestinal peristalsis and anal exhaust becoming normal. If there is no any discomfort, patients can be allowed to take a little light liquid food, like rice soup, vegetable soup, but sugar, milk and soybean milk and so on are not allowed, because these foods can cause abdominal distension. In the fourth day, patients can take liquid food, and in the liquid base to drink sweet milk, sweetened soymilk, etc. In the fifth day, less residue semi-liquid foods, such as rice porridge, wonton, bread, milk, soy milk, are recommended. In the ninth day, some nutrient-rich, easily digested and soft foods with no irritation can be taken for five times a day. If there is nausea, bloating or any other discomfort after having meals, patients shall be stopped eating until the symptoms are gone.
Diets are very important after gastrectomy, as they can make up for the preoperative chronic consumption, and also fill the loss of surgical trauma. Therefore five meals a day should be continued for an extended period to ensure sufficient nutrition, high protein, high vitamins and vitamins A, B, C content and to promote wound healing. These foods are advisable, such as eggs, milk and related products, lean meat, tofu, soy milk and other soy products, fresh vegetables and fresh fruits, etc. Patients shall avoid eating strong irritant and non-digestible foods, such as pepper, celery, wine, coffee, tea and crude fiber celery, leeks, etc.
More attention shall be attached to cooking methods, as deep-fried, fried or smoked and raw mixed foods may be difficult to digest, therefore, the following cooking methods including steam, boil, braise, stew and so on shall be adopted. Patients have to wait for complete healing of surgical wounds and then gradually go back to normal ordinary diets. After gastrectomy, the volume was reduced and this has impacted the absorption of food nutrients, so the daily diets should modestly choose some vitamin D-rich foods, such as animal offal and carrots, to prevent bone softening disease after surgery. In addition, patients shall not rush to get out of bed immediately after meal, instead, they should rest in bed for a while to not to eat high-sugar diet and prevent dumping syndrome.
Postoperative patients should pay attention to enriching calcium in the diet of foods rich in vitamin D, which is beneficial for bone calcification; some plant foods such as yellow, red vegetables and fruits that contain rich β-carotene which can be transformed into vitamin A in the liver, are also preferred.
Experts of Modern Hospital Cancer Guangzhou remind: when patients are able to take meal after gastrectomy, they should start from six meals a day. It cannot be changed into five meals a day until the condition has gradually improved. Balanced diets are beneficial for supplementary nutrition of patients and also for their resistance, which also reflects the importance of proper diets for postoperative physical rehabilitation.
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