Diet taboos after hemorrhoid surgery

Absolutely avoid spicy food, avoid alcohol, and avoid excessive consumption of hard food that is difficult to digest. Other so-called "fat foods that cannot be touched" and "cold foods that cannot be eaten" are mostly based on personal physique, surgical recovery stage and the opinions of different medical schools. There are not as many one-size-fits-all rules as spread across the Internet.

Two years ago, I accompanied my cousin to undergo external stripping and internal ligation of mixed hemorrhoids. I still remember what the doctor said. He said, "If you believe all the dozens of taboos listed on the Internet, you will only be able to drink white porridge for half a month after the surgery. You will be so hungry that you will faint, and your recovery will be even slower." Don't tell me, I was still mumbling when I first heard this. After all, the elderly at home always said that we should avoid hairy things after surgery, and we should not touch beef, mutton, and seafood. Later I found out that there are actually different academic opinions here: Traditional Chinese medicine does believe that "hairy things" such as beef, mutton, seafood, and mangoes will aggravate the inflammatory response of the wound, induce edema, and prolong the healing time. ； However, in the Western medicine system, unless the patient is allergic to such foods, sufficient high-quality protein can provide nutrients for wound repair, and there is no need to completely avoid these foods. My cousin ate half a bowl of stewed beef tendon on the third day after the operation, and the wound was fine. The uncle in the same ward was mildly allergic to seafood, so he inadvertently took a bite of the braised shrimp brought by his family. That afternoon, the perianal area became so swollen that he could not sit down. In the end, the doctor prescribed anti-swelling medicine to relieve the pain. In the end, it all depends on individual circumstances.

But the three things mentioned earlier, really don’t touch them, don’t take any chances. On the seventh day after the operation, my cousin felt that he was almost healed, so he secretly took a bite of the delicious duck wings I brought. When he went to the toilet that night, he almost squatted on the toilet and cried out in pain. Capsaicin will directly stimulate the new mucous membrane around the anus that has not yet been keratinized. The burning sensation is more painful than the pain after the anesthesia wears off. It may also induce congestion and bleeding in the wound. The same is true for wine. Whether it is liquor, beer or low-alcohol fruit wine, alcohol will dilate blood vessels. The already fragile wounds can easily rupture and bleed. In severe cases, you will have to go back to the hospital for hemostasis treatment. This is totally unacceptable. There are also those things that are particularly dry and hard to digest, such as kebabs, fried potato chips, and fried nuts. I once encountered a case in the anorectal department. A young man was greedy and ate half a bag of fried peanuts a week after the operation. He squatted for forty minutes with constipation, which directly burst the newly healed wound. When he came back to change the dressing, tears rolled in his eyes. It was really not worth the gain.

Oh, by the way, there is another pitfall that many people will step into: for fear of constipation, they eat white porridge and boiled vegetables every day without touching any oil or water. Anorectal doctors often say: The shape of the stool after surgery is more important than what you eat. Eating oil-free vegetarian food every now and then will make the stool unformed. Going to the toilet three or four times a day and repeatedly rubbing the wound will make it heal slower. I cooked stir-fried green leafy vegetables with soft stewed lean meat for my cousin, and added a steamed apple every day. He had smooth bowel movements on the second day after the operation, and there was no constipation or diarrhea during the whole process. The sutures were removed three full days earlier than those in the same ward.

In fact, in the final analysis, eating after surgery is really not that complicated. Don’t touch the three core items, and follow your appetite for the rest. If you don’t feel pain or bleed during bowel movements the next day after eating something, then feel free to eat it. If you feel obviously uncomfortable after eating, just avoid it next time. After all, eating well, sleeping well, and being in a good mood are much more effective than imposing a taboo list on others.