eating after being fed through IV for three days..

i will be going in for a major surgery in a month, and i am going to be not eating solids for a good three days... 12 am on sept 22 to the 25/26.

i was wondering...

1.  how many calories do you get from the IV feeding system? could it make me gain weight while laying drugged up in a bed?

2.  How should i be reintroduced to foods?  i would suspect just like breaking a fast, with veggie and fruits the first few days, then reintroduce grains and cooked foods within the week back.

will this be good for recovery? i am trying to loose weight, and do not want to gain a bunch more with this surgery

I'm no expert. Your doctor would know better. But in my opinion, I would not be don't worried about your calories intake or losing weight right now. Regardless of the kind of surgery, you body all needall the nutrients and rest it can get. think about how you will relax and recover. don't add more stress to a stressful situation.

btw- IV gives you the basic nutrients, not alot of fats, etc. My step father was in a coma on IV for 4 days and lose a ton.

I think you will find that this will be a very natural process.  If you are hungry after the surgery, eat.  If you aren't, don't.  Our bodies tell us what they want and what they can handle...we just need to listen.  Depending on your type of surgery, you may need to start back on a liquid diet and gradually work your way up to real foods again. 

Having an IV isn't going to make you gain weight.  It is basically pumping a Gatorade like substance into your body to keep you hydrated and to keep your electrolytes in check.  Even if you are in bed for three days straight, you will probably end up losing a pound or two.   

Best of luck for a speedy recovery!

Are they doing a picc line or an NG tube for feeding in addition to a regular IV...with my experience based on having Anorexia and needing this kind of feeding in the past I gained wt and have jevity which is beyond nasty stuff.  But I was too gain wt and has it on most of the day...you can have it only persae 6 hrs a day etc...I was to gain wt so I was getting a ton of calories but the dietican can adjust your feedings for health and wt maintance so you won't gain wt if that is what you are wanting.  You need to talk to your doctor and hospital dietican about all your concerns with this

so.. i havent talked to my surgeon, im going to meet him a few days before surgery.  the reason being- i live in california, and i am having surgery in rochester minnesota.  (I wish i could meet him before signing onto have him as my neurosurgeon)

i uderstand a basic IV is putting a saline solution into your blood, but is it the same for one which supplies you your nutrients?  

i do need to talk to my doctor about this- im getting really anxious, but my mom wants to wait until we have more questions to call him.

It sounds like they are doing a picc line which would not suprise me since you are having surgery...a picc line is different than a regular iv but gets you the nutrients you need...the iv is to keep you hydrated and such unless you need a banana bag or something then it is more necessary.  e-mail me if you have anymore questions

I wouldn't be concerned with my weight after surgery to be honest. :s Just focus on recovering.

There is NO WAY that you will gain weight from the IV sweety... it gives your body just enough nourishment to keep things functioning, it's not trying to 'feed you up'. Follow the doctors' advice and you'll be fine in the weight department - honestly, after brain surgery you're likely to have much bigger things on your mind than what the number on the scale is. You need to go into this as well-nourished as you can so that your body will have plenty of resources for healing.

Ok

An "IV" is an intravenous catheter. It depends on what kind of fluid they decide to give you. It will be some sort of saline solution. Some of them have dextrose in them. As you are having surgery, and will not be eating, you will probably have one with dextrose. Dextrose is a sugar. That means this IV will have calories in it, but it is not for sustenance, its simply to make sure your blood sugar does not drop too drastically while your not eating or drinking.  You will probably not be getting a PICC line, because you are only going to be in the hospital a short period of time for your surgery, and a PICC line is only necessary if you have bad veins and they can't get a regular IV, or if you will be given certain antibiotics.

Any kind of tube feeding they will give you would be for nutrition/sustenance purposes. If you will be allowed to have liquids by mouth soon after your surgery ( most surgeries its the same day or next day ), then you will most likely not need tube feeding, which would most likely be through a tube in your nose.

The hospital will determine your diet after surgery. Usually, you will be given clear liquids first. This is broth, jell-o, apple juice, ice pops. If you tolerate them well, they will either allow you to move on to full liquids ( cream soups, milk, etc. ) or regular food. Its always a good idea for your first regular food meal after fasting to keep it fairly small and bland.

It would be highly unlikely that you would gain weight while in the hospital.

Good Luck!

It depends on the solution in your IV. Most IV solutions have minimal nutritional value. The typical IV soultion with the MOST calories is D5, which has 50 grams of dextrose per liter which is about 250 calories per liter. You will probably receive between one and three liters of fluids per day.

Higher calorie preparations, such as TPN (total parenteral nutrition) or lipids are also available. These would be tailored to your individual needs by a dietitian. They provide a balanced (usually 30% fat, protein based on your body weight, and the remainder of the calories from carbs) The number of calories will be based on height and weight, much like the burn meter here. It would be somewhat unusual for you to receive TPN if you are not going to be eating for a short time, like the three days you describe. There are some side effects of TPN, so it is usually only used for individuals who are unable to eat through the GI tract.

You will be reintroduced to foods by starting with clear liquids, like juices and broths, then moved up to full liquids, milk, puddings, small amounts of hot cereals, soups, ect. If these stay down without problems, you will get to start solid foods. Usually this means bland, easily digested foods, chicken, bananas, rice, bread, ect. The whole process may take less than a day, depending on how you respond to each diet.

It is unlikely that you will gain any lasting weight during your hospital stay. You will however likely gain a fair amount of water weight. Due to the stresses your body will experience during your surgery and the healing process, your tissues will hold on to a lot more water than usual. This could be up to ten pounds of extra fluid. Don't panic, as soon as you are up and about, the fluid will flush out quickly. You will probably find your self a little lighter within a few days of leaving the hospital. Don't worry about calorie counting, ect while hospitalized, your caloric requirements will be different then anyway. Instead just make sure to get a little extra protein, so you give your body the fuel for your healing.

Good luck on your up coming surgery.  If you'd  like me to,  I will pray for you.   When you enter the hospital, they should give you a meal planner to fill out.  You can request a vegan menu so when you do finally get to eat, they will feed you what your perfer.  (Apple sauce, mashed potatoes.....until you are ready to eat other foods.)  Don't worry about your calories you'll have 3 days banked. 

Original Post by annielikesapples:

I wouldn't be concerned with my weight after surgery to be honest. :s Just focus on recovering.

Yea no kidding...

I'm sure this is off topic but I broke 3 vertabrae a while back, stayed in a hospital bed for 5 days with no food (I'm fine, walking around;all better by the way) anyway, I must have lost, no lie, 20 lbs in the hospital. I have been wondering for years how that happened--surely I didn't burn 3500x20=70000 calories. I wasn't overweight. Am 5'9" and went from 165-145.

Would love to lose that same 20 again. Was it the straight iv sugar water? Was it a high metabolism? Was it the stress? Any theories?

Scott, I hope you're not considering using sugar water to lose 20lbs. <_< Lol.

You may have (see may have, not did) experienced hypermetabolism in your body repairing itself. In the event of severe fractures and bodily harm patients sometimes experience hypermetabolism while the body repairs. It may have also been that if you weren't getting enough calories for your height and weight, period, you would have lost that weight anyway. Stress could have also contributed.

Original Post by scottib2:

I'm sure this is off topic but I broke 3 vertabrae a while back, stayed in a hospital bed for 5 days with no food (I'm fine, walking around;all better by the way) anyway, I must have lost, no lie, 20 lbs in the hospital. I have been wondering for years how that happened--surely I didn't burn 3500x20=70000 calories. I wasn't overweight. Am 5'9" and went from 165-145.

Would love to lose that same 20 again. Was it the straight iv sugar water? Was it a high metabolism? Was it the stress? Any theories?

 Muscle atrophy?

actually i'm considering breaking my back again--jk.

just looked up hypermetabolism and seems like that could be it. maybe i could lay in bed for 5 days on morphiene. not like you ever see an overweight junkie.

i just wonder about this because you always hear 3500cal=1lb and i just know there's no way i burned that much unless, again, the hypermetabolism was responsible. in response to trhawley, yes, i did have some muscle loss.