“What should I eat after general anesthesia?”
I am a 36 year old female. I want to know what should I eat after anesthesia?
7 Answers
AnesthesiologistAnesthesiologist
Depends what and how extensive surgery you have done. Usually start with clear liquids and gradually start adding regular food.
Sometimes no restriction
It is usually recommended to start slow and see how you tolerate PO intake to reduce nausea. A safe usual choice is crackers and juice....
Start with liquids and progress to more solid foods as you tolerate. Depending on the surgery, this can occur over hours or days.
Post-op diet depends on the operation that was undertaken. A proper recommendation would be to avoid spicy foods and carbonated beverages to avoid nausea, but, unless the surgery involved operating on the GI tract, most patients can tolerate their usual diet.
It's best to start with small sips of water.. If the water stays down, try small bites of some crackers - if they stay down - then advance slowly as tolerated. Major complaint after general anesthesia is nausea and vomiting. If your stomach can tolerate it - then go for it.
To my patients, I recommend a liquid diet. No acid juices, nectarines such as pears. Also, soups. It you don't have nausea or vomiting, then you can have a regular meal.
