For patients with esophageal cancer, postoperative diet is a very important thing. Only by achieving a reasonable diet and paying attention to the scientific and nutritional combination of postoperative diet can the quality of life of esophageal cancer patients be improved, the immune system of esophageal cancer patients be enhanced, the toxic side effects of postoperative chemotherapy on esophageal cancer patients be reduced, the physical fitness of esophageal cancer patients be enhanced, the life cycle of esophageal cancer patients be prolonged, the anastomotic healing of esophageal cancer patients be promoted, and postoperative complications of esophageal cancer be reduced. Now the editor will take you to understand how to eat properly after esophageal cancer surgery.
Esophageal cancer is a common digestive tract tumor and a type of malignant tumor. Approximately 300000 people die from esophageal cancer worldwide every year. Its incidence rate and mortality rates vary greatly from country to country. China is one of the high-risk areas for esophageal cancer in the world, with an average of about 150000 deaths per year. There are more males than females, and the age of onset is mostly over 40 years old. The typical symptoms of esophageal cancer are progressive difficulty swallowing, starting with dry food that is difficult to swallow, followed by semi liquid food, and finally inability to swallow water and saliva.
Patients with esophageal cancer after surgery should have a light diet and eat more easily digestible foods, preferably liquid foods. The diet can be divided into the following stages: 1. Nasal feeding stage: 1-5 days after surgery, the patient is in the trauma stage of surgery, the anastomotic site has not yet healed, gastrointestinal function has not recovered well, and digestive function is poor. During the nasal feeding stage, patients can be fed with milk, vegetable juice, fruit juice, rice soup, enteral nutrition solution, etc., starting from 500ml, injected in 2-3 times, and then increased to 1500-2000ml per day according to the patient's tolerance. The temperature of the nasal feeding solution should be close to body temperature. Require nasal feeding nutrient solution to meet the appropriate ratio of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, salt, and water as much as possible.
2. Liquid eating stage: refers to 5-10 days after surgery. During this period, the patient has basically passed the surgical trauma period, and gastrointestinal function is gradually recovering, manifested as appetite and anal exhaust, and can be given a homogenized diet. As the anastomotic site heals and conditions permit, a small amount of plain water (3-5 tablespoons) can be given orally, gradually increasing to 30-50ml. If there is no obvious discomfort, rice soup, egg soup, fresh milk, fish soup, enteral nutrition solution, etc. can be given, 100-200ml each time, 5-8 meals per day.
3. Half stream diet stage: Starting from the second week after surgery. During this period, various drainage tubes left in place by the patient after surgery have been removed, and intravenous fluid infusion has gradually stopped. Except for a few elderly or super elderly patients who cannot get out of bed and move around, most of them can walk and move around, and their food intake gradually increases. In this period, it is suitable to eat less and more meals, focusing on food with less residue that is easy to digest (such as porridge, noodles, vegetable and meat porridge, egg soup, tofu, enteral nutrition liquid, etc.). In particular, some patients with large preoperative appetite must not eat in large quantities to avoid digestive tract complications or anastomotic leakage.
4. Normal dietary stage: This stage usually starts from the fourth week after surgery. Here, most patients have been discharged and are resting at home, taken care of by their own relatives. At this time, it is advisable to expand the scope of diet as much as possible (except for fried and sweet foods), and eat all foods except those that the doctor emphasizes should not be consumed when discharged. Food should be soft and easy to digest, with small and frequent meals. Gradually increase the variety of food, pay attention to consuming fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and soy based foods that contain high-quality protein, and continue to take oral enteral nutrition supplements to supplement energy and nutrients. Patients can engage in appropriate physical activities, which are beneficial for the digestion and absorption of food. During this period, some patients may experience symptoms such as upper abdominal distension, diarrhea, and acid reflux. They can take 20mg (2 tablets) of metoclopramide three times a day. If the symptoms do not improve after medication, it is necessary to seek medical treatment promptly.
In short, only by following a scientific diet and supplementing nutrition can postoperative recovery be more beneficial for esophageal cancer patients.