Recovering from Trumatic surgery could use some help and support please

rjd137

hi everyone I have posted before and been a member for a few years for anyone who knows me and I've had some back problems and I dealt with over the years just recently on July 16 I had major spinal surgery to basically help save my life and stop my spine from deteriorating any further. And also between disc C3 and C4 my spinal cord have been pinched off for so long for anybody with a medical background you'll understand this my spinal cord had shrunk which in layman's terms means it has been dying in my spinal cord between C3 and C4 was so thin if I hadn't had the surgery done immediately within a few months the worst scenario what happened and I would become paralyzed so the surgery I had was to stop any further damage to my spine and also the discs in my back I had a total fusion done from C3 to C7 and I had two spinal surgeries already so they had to open me up from the back of the head down to meet shoulders. The good news is the surgery was a success I am now home recovering I have physical therapy in my home twice a week and I am walking not perfectly yet I am allowed to walk as often and as much as I like and on Saturday I did my personal best of a mile and a half but I was really pushing it and I know that's definitely not the right thing to do the reason for this long text is because I need to get on a healthy diet now and I'm basically asking for anybody to give me ideas of things I can eat now so I can relearn the proper way to eat before I start eating all kinds of hundred foods like all the kids snacks and things. Please also keep in mind my wife is disabled so I'm taking care of myself and she does what she can to help so please anything anybody would like to share with me I really need help can we truly appreciate it if you like to email me your more than welcome at our RJD137@gmail.com. I'm going to pre-apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes my left hand and fingertips are still pretty much and am slowly but surely coming back but I have to you speak to type for everything I do because I can't use my fingers on the keyboard yet on my left hand. Again I thank you in events for anything you could help me with and share

azulvioleta6

Things can only get better from here!

I've never had that particular kind of surgery, but I've been though lots of other surgeries, including brain surgery.

My biggest recommendation is to get everything that you can from PT and to slowly work up to being able to do more. Set tiny goals for yourself and take as long as you need to reach them.

There are lots of healthy things that don't require much cooking. Cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with fruit; old-fashioned oats cooked in the microwave; bagged salads topped with grilled chicken; a sandwich on whole-grain bread; hard-boiled eggs; etc.

There are a couple of stickied threads on eating/tracking that you might find helpful. They have been moved recently--let me see if I can find them.

azulvioleta6

Here is the list of the most helpful threads:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177910/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest

The difficulty in answering your question about what to eat is that there is not ONE proper way to eat. We all like different things, come from different food cultures and have different health issues.

In your situation, I would go (or have someone shop for you) to places like Costco and Trader Joe's that have options for whole foods that are already prepared or ready-to-eat. I am thinking about things like baked chickens, natural lunchmeats and bagged salads at Costco and stuff like pre-cooked frozen brown rice at Trader Joe's. While you are getting better, find things that you can easily assemble rather than having to cook from scratch.

Good luck to you!

Versacam

Sounds like you are already doing really well and good luck with your recovery.

I agree, pre-packed healthy foods like cottage cheese, greek yogurt etc are ideal.. as is fruit like apples and banana's that you can just grab and eat.. grapes are nice to snack on if you feel the need to "pick" at something.. Nuts are good, but not too many!

Maybe you or a friend/relative could batch cook some healthy bolognese, then you could defrost in the morning and have it with some wholemeal pasta, brown rice, or a jacket potato? plus some salad.. In the UK you can now get microwave jacket potatoes, I really like them for their convenience. Baked beans aren't too bad either, and very versatile.

Mostly, focus on your recovery, it's frustrating I'm sure but take one step at a time.

rjd137

That is so kind of you thank you so much for all your ideas. And yes focusing on recovery is my main thing right now my legs are back to working I would say by 75% my biggest dilemma is my left hand which is not at this point coming back as strong as everything else I do not have any feeling in my thumb my pointer finger or my middle finger yet which makes it very difficult to do things like putting a shirt tying your shoes and so many other things you never realize how often you use the senses and feel of those three fingers. I'm got myself working 2 times a day it's not much a littl under a Quartermile each walk. Takes me about 25 mins to do it but I've done it for 3 days now. Feels good after I pick myself off my front lawn hahaha. So the snake thing is my worst habit so I would like to learn how to eat good your notes are really helpful so thanks so much. And if you just happened to see my entry's for yesterday,,,,,, well I didn't do so well on the battle field but I walked so much over 3600 steps I still stayed under my goal intake of 1600 calories. So onto today's battle again thank you so much I hope we can stay in touch

pstegman888

I recently went through a hip replacement recovery, and my emphasis was on plenty of protein (rotisserie chickens from the grocery were easy & versatile, and my friends could pick one up for me every few days), iron supplements & vitamins for good bone/muscle recovery, and diligent but gentle physical therapy sessions. Ice & painkillers and frequent short naps. Snacks were Greek yogurt with granola, fruit, cheese, cottage cheese and occasionally popcorn. Lots of V8 juice. Allow your friends & family to help with grocery shopping, housework, yardwork or whatever (or hire a neighborhood kid) so you can save your strength & pain for recovery & PT. You might want to up your calorie intake slightly, as recovering bones, nerves & muscles need extra fuel.

I eventually got back to the gym with a personal trainer who studied my PT routines & incorporated them into my workouts, gradually increasing strength & intensity and backing off if anything caused a problem. Sometimes I had to take a giant step back due to pain or strain or lack of strength, but then could inch forward again. Weight loss took a back seat to recovery, but eating healthy to aid recovery kept me from gaining. Now I'm working out on my own with no restrictions, hip is doing great, strength & stamina increasing, I reduced my calorie goals, and weight loss rate has picked up again. A back injury is a lot trickier, I know, but eat well, get enough rest, do careful but consistent PT, and you will get there!