What can I eat and drink after my rhinoplasty?
Soft Foods - After surgery, or as just as the anaesthetic or sedative wears off, you may feel a little peckish. Just after surgery, soft, moderate, or bland meals are often best. Pick up some yogurt, cereal, or a mild soup. You might want to keep to clear liquids following surgery, depending on how queasy you feel, in case eating causes you to vomit. After surgery, stick to a diet of soft foods for a few days, or until you feel well enough to introduce meals with varying textures.
Fiber - Although you should stick to soft-ish meals for the first few days following rhinoplasty, it's crucial to make sure you get enough fiber during that time. After surgery, constipation is quite typical and is brought on by a combination of the drugs provided, less activity than normal, and eating a restricted diet. While you should probably continue taking the medications your surgeon ordered and should limit your physical activity, you can speed up the healing process by increasing your intake of fiber. Soft fruits like peaches and cherries, oats, extremely well-cooked veggies like carrots, and whole-grain breads are all excellent sources of fiber.
Avoid Chewy Meals - Before your operation, eat a chewy item, such a steak or even a piece of gum, with your palm on your nose. The chewing process causes a small movement of your nose. While a little movement is acceptable in normal situations, you want your nose to be as still as possible while it recovers following surgery to minimize the risk of any issues. Wait until your surgeon gives the all-clear to have a steak supper, break into some taffy, or even put some chewing gum in your mouth. Remember that following surgery, your diet is not restricted to soft, mushy meals for several weeks. Just stay away from the extremely chewy alternatives.
Avoiding alcohol and caffeine is advised for at least a few days following surgery, if not longer. Caffeinated beverages like soda and coffee should also be avoided. As alcohol thins the blood, it raises the possibility of post-surgical bleeding. Also, it can exacerbate swelling and raise your risk for hematomas, which are collections of blood under the skin. For some people, caffeine's ability to raise blood pressure might be harmful. If your surgeon strongly recommends against consuming coffee or another caffeinated beverage after rhinoplasty and for how long, he or she will let you know.
Salty Meals - Since it takes so little work to prepare prepared foods, it may seem best to rely on them as you recuperate after rhinoplasty. But, you might be a little worried about how the salt in prepared foods, like a box of frozen macaroni and cheese, would influence any edema you experience following surgery. Although while salt consumption can cause water retention and exacerbate edema, it's often not a major worry for most people. It's essential to see your surgeon before your treatment to find out what to do if you are concerned about it or if you have a health condition that calls for you to reduce salt.
Note:
Please contact us for additional information or to schedule a consultation for rhinoplasty surgery.
This article is for informational and advisory purposes. The recommendations of your surgeon who will examine you and perform your surgery should be a priority.