DS Survival Guide

You may find this DS survival guide helpful because arriving home after surgery is somewhat like bringing home your newborn baby and not knowing exactly what to do. The nutritionist gave you guidelines, but you're still not sure where to go from here. Here are some simple things that I did in the beginning to transition into this new life of mine.

1) Hydration is the number one most important thing. You have got to find a liquid that works for you and you need to be sipping most all of the time. You won't be able to gulp for quite some time, so with sips you'll find you need to drink all day long to get in your required liquids. Aim for 64 oz of liquids, however you can get them in; soup, broth, water, crystal light, Fruit2O, decaf tea (warm or cold), sugar free Kool-Aid, anything you can get down and keep down works. You may have to play with the temperature. Some can drink only warm, some only ice cold, others room temperature. You have to find what works for you. The liquids you use in your protein drinks and soups all count as fluid.

2) Protein is very important right now, and next in line after hydration. You need to focus on each thing that you eat having some amount of protein. You don't have to eat 100 g a day from the get-go, but you want to get there as soon as you humanly can. Cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, protein drinks, pureed or VERY WELL chewed meats are all good protein sources. You have to find what foods work for you. I went to the grocery with my husband and just walked the outside aisles looking for proteins that looked good and sounded like something I could/would eat. Protein is very important after surgery as it helps to build, repair and maintain tissues in your body and in you major organs and skeletal muscles. If protein is not kept up with over a period of time, you can develop protein calorie malnutrition (PCM). This is a disease that is usually well advanced when discovered and does take time to occur. You can avoid this by getting in as much protein on a regular basis after surgery as you can. You should be getting no less than 30g of protein a day by 30 days out, 60g by 60 days out, and 90g by 90 days out. This is just a guideline; follow your surgeon's instructions.

3) You may need to eat something every 2 hours during the day and evening. You don't need to eat a feast every two hours, you just need to be eating "something" to get your stomach going. When you wait to eat, the acid builds up in your stomach, and for me that meant that my stomach would have even less capacity to take in protein and fluids. Even if you can only eat 2-3 bites of your chosen food, that's okay. Just keep trying to get in more nutrition

4) Sleep is critical to your recovery. This time is called recovery because it's supposed to be used to RECOVER so if you're trying to be a super-hero... STOP IT!!! You have plenty of time to be saving the world once your body has healed!!

5) I know all of this is a lot at first. You're going to feel like you're eating, walking, taking vitamins, and sleeping all day long. It's a chore in the beginning for sure! If you need to set an alarm to remind yourself of all of these things, that's okay. Even an egg-timer can help to keep you on track! Don't forget to do your incentive spirometor for two weeks following your surgery.

6) Walking is very important to your recovery. You need to try to walk often after you get home. Walking more often is more important than the distance you can walk. Don't over-do it, but don't allow yourself to become complacent and get life-threatening blood clots. I made myself use my breathing spirometer after walking for the 1st two weeks to avoid pneumonia.

7) Vitamins are crucial to your life after the DS. Your stomach will be very swollen in the beginning, so getting in vitamins can be a real struggle. Do what you can, try to work up to your full vitamin plan by 4-6 weeks out.