Why patients are not allowed to eat food after surgery – Surgeons

File photo of a patient undergoing surgery.

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Surgeons have advised patients against consuming heavy meals shortly after complex procedures involving the abdomen or gastrointestinal system, warning that it could trigger life-threatening complications.

The physicians said the digestive system becomes temporarily inactive after surgical procedures, making it unsafe for patients to resume normal meals immediately.

According to them, incorrect feeding after surgery can trigger vomiting, abdominal pain, or more severe complications.

Speaking exclusively to PUNCH Healthwise, a Professor of Surgery at Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Paingha Alagoa, explained that the period surrounding surgery requires deliberate management of food intake.

He noted that the intestines undergo a period of rest and must be reintroduced to food slowly to avoid upsetting the digestive process.

He said, “The period before and after surgery is characterized by fasting. The intestines are rested, and so just like we do after fasting for prolonged periods, we commence oral intake gradually.”

Alagoa stated that patients are first introduced to clear fluids before progressing to more substantial meals as their bodies adjust.

He emphasised that tolerance is evaluated step-by-step to avoid complications linked to overloading the digestive system too early.

The don said, “We start with small quantities of clear fluids and gradually increase the amounts. We then proceed to a fluid diet if the patient tolerates, and then to a light diet, and finally to a normal diet.”

According to him, this process may last between 24 and 48 hours, depending on the patient’s condition.

Any signs of discomfort, he said, would require doctors to slow down the dietary progression to protect the patient.

Alagoa said, “This is usually done over a period of 24 to 48 hours, depending on the patient’s ability to tolerate. If the patient develops vomiting or abdominal pain, we would be forced to review and slow down our progress.”

The surgeon warned that jumping straight into heavy meals could worsen recovery and trigger severe symptoms.

He said, “A patient should therefore not commence with eating heavy meals as it could result in vomiting or other complications.”

Speaking about different surgeries, the surgeon stressed that the extent of intestinal involvement determines when a patient can resume eating.

According to him, minor procedures allow early feeding, but complex ones require longer delays.

He said, “It depends on the type and extent of surgery, and so whether or not the intestines were handled. For most simple abdominal procedures, we aim at commencing oral intake as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours.”

However, he noted that complex surgeries involving cutting and stitching parts of the intestine require much longer recovery periods before oral foods can be introduced.

He said, “For more extensive surgeries which may have required more extensive procedures on the intestines, we may often wait sometimes for up to 5 days before commencing oral feeds. This is particularly so if we had to for example cut and join portions of the intestines (resection and anastomosis).”

Alagoa also highlighted the importance of proper nutrition in recovery, stressing the need for balanced meals once feeding is safely resumed.

“For a recovering patient, foods that may speed healing will include eating a balanced diet. The diet should be high in carbohydrates for energy, and in vitamins and minerals, which are essential for wound healing. These include fruits and vegetables, as well as high-protein foods for building muscle and healing. It is also important that the patient remains hydrated,” he said.

He added that vomiting, abdominal pain, distention, or diarrhoea are red flags that indicate poor tolerance to introduced foods and require immediate review.

Also speaking, a Professor of Surgery at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Stanley Anyanwu, said the type of surgery and anaesthesia used determines when patients can safely resume eating.

He noted that not all surgeries require the same level of caution.

Anyanwu explained that simple procedures like removing a mole or minor abscess allow a quick return to normal meals, while abdominal surgeries require stricter dietary protocols.

The surgeon added that surgeries involving the gut may require four to five days of bowel rest before fluids are introduced, depending on when the intestines regain movement and readiness.

“For example, if I remove part of the gut and stitch it back together, either for cancer or anything else, the gut needs four or five days to heal. In that situation, you cannot eat food. So for that kind of surgery, after about four days, we may allow the patient to start taking liquids,” he said.

According to him, doctors monitor signs such as the return of bowel sounds, passage of flatus, or stool to determine readiness for feeding.

“There are tests we use to know when the gut has returned to normal. We also listen with a stethoscope. There are certain sounds we expect to hear that show the gut has recovered. When that happens, the first meal after abdominal surgery is clear fluids, only water. You take water, then something bland, like tea or watery pap,” he said.

He added that heavier meals require additional time and close monitoring to prevent choking and other complications linked to postoperative vomiting.

“If bland liquid is tolerated, we move to things like custard or light pap. Sometimes it may take a whole day, depending on the type of operation, before graduating to something like rice. If you want to eat cassava-based food, that may take another day,” he said.

The surgeon stressed that reintroduction of food is gradual, beginning with small portions to assess tolerance before advancing to full meals.

“There are many things we check. Generally, after major abdominal surgeries with anaesthesia, we start with bland fluid diets and then graduate as the patient tolerates. Not all patients tolerate food at the same pace.

“We give them half a cup first; if it goes well after some hours, we give a full cup, and later tea and other things. From there, they gradually progress to solid food,” he explained.

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