What to eat after RPLND?

[honeybee]

My son is scheduled for RPLND on December 19, and I'm wondering what sort of food I should have on hand for him to eat after he gets home. I've read on the forum that some people are to be on low fat diets and clear fluids, but I'm worried that my son -- who is skinny -- will lose a lot of weight. What shall I feed him to minimize weight loss but still not cause problems with his bowels?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Scott]

Welcome, honeybee! Having dealt with chylous ascites myself, I highly recommend following the low-fat diet precaution to reduce the risk. It's not a common complication, but it's definitely one to avoid.

I'm not sure the best way to cut out fat and keep up the calorie count. Lots of pasta?

The guide I was given is available in PDF form at this link. Your hospital probably has a nutritionist who can offer more advice.

[honeybee]

Thank you for the link to the low fat diet booklet, Scott. It is a good guideline and will help when I go grocery shopping for my son.

[Already Bald]

5 grams of Fat

I was on the five grams of fat diet for 2 days prior to RPLND and three weeks after. I had the surgery at Sloan, and Dr. Sheinfeld was strick about the diet. Like Scott said, a lot of pasta, plain baked patotoe, Egg Beater omlettes, Jello, Frozen Yogurt. Fat free cereal w/skim milk, rice cakes...
I can tell you this, your son will lose weight, I lost at least ten pounds.
He should get his appetite back after a couple of weeks.
Good luck with everything, and try not to worry too much.

[Chris'Mom]

Hi, my son also had RPLND at Sloan with Dr. Sheinfeld, and adhered strictly to fat free, but there is alot of stuff out there, he lived on pasta with Hunts Tomato Sauce on it....fat free I believe....in the end, it was easier than we thought....good luck.....Mary Ellen

[Boarder]

Can I Eat?

I had my RPLND surgery on March 26 and I have been recovering well. Dr. Carver from Slan Kettering has put me on a 3 week 5g fat diet. On April 19th I am going out for a friends birthday and we are going to smith and wollinsky's Steak House. Do you think it will be alright to have a steak? Will one steak possibly cause chylous ascites? Please let me know

[Scott]

Will one steak possibly cause chylous ascites?

I don't dare answer this question! While I think if you're not showing any signs of having chylous ascites a month after surgery, you should be fine to eat a steak, I wouldn't take my word for it. I'd call Sloan and ask them.

I'm glad to hear you're doing well! Welcome to the forums.

[NYC Russ]

I don't know for certain whether one steak can do it, but given that the chyle output is something like 1ml/minute normally, and can go to 200ml/min after a really fatty meal, is one steak worth the risk?

(Having eaten at S&W, both here in NYC and in Vegas, IMHO, their steaks are not worth it )

[Manny]

I had my RPLND surgery on March 26 and I have been recovering well. Dr. Carver from Slan Kettering has put me on a 3 week 5g fat diet. On April 19th I am going out for a friends birthday and we are going to smith and wollinsky's Steak House. Do you think it will be alright to have a steak? Will one steak possibly cause chylous ascites? Please let me know

I would recommend you start by checking with Dr Carver or his staff.

Technically you need to go fat-free for the first 2 weeks, and then build up to your normal diet over a week-long period. You should also make sure the steak is not your first fat meal - start with chicken, pastas, and build up from there. If you got home on April 2nd, you should stay fat-free till 4/15 and then slowly introduce fatty foods. 19th may be a little too quick because it is less than a week from the 15th. Could you do fish instead?

[Boarder]

I would say fish is definately an option...would fish be a better selection?

[Margaret]

I would say fish is definately an option...would fish be a better selection?

yes. yes, yes

[Manny]

Smith and Wollensky have great Salmon and Tuna!

[MRMRSU]

From the wife of someone who had a lousy bought of chylous ascites, NO FISH!!! Stay fat-free for as long as you're told (maybe an extra week for good measure). Andy was eating salmon and salad with vinaigrette after he was released from the hospital (trying to desperately push for this bowel movement that the docs here seemed to focus on, only they failed to tell us about the fat-free regimen). Disclaimer (especially since NYC Russ is around): Our opinion is based solely on our own experience, check with your doc about your diet.

[zoltar]

curious...

when i had my RPLND i was given no special instructions on diet. i asked my surgeon and doctors about going fat-free and they explained the rarity of chylous ascites. since my surgeon has done many many RPLND's i trusted her word and didn't adhere to a fat-free diet. everything was fine. how common is developing this condition? i was told it was pretty rare so is going on this diet just an extra precaution for people?

[Manny]

MSK told me to go fat-free for 2 weeks. I doubled that and waited 4 weeks because I did not want any risk Chlyous Ascites. MSK said the condition is not very common if you take the appropriate precuations. But a few of the forum members did develop it.