Hi John,
I remember you from a CU filter MO.
OK, basically the idea is to heal as quickly as possible and avoid secondary bacterial infections.
Unless you have a condition that's contra-indicative (like coronary issues), load up on Vit K at least a week or two before, or make sure you eat heaps of cooked cabbage at every meal. AVOID blood thinners like Ginko and aspirin. Check with your doctor for certainty.
Eat as healthily and as cleanly as possible for the period leading up to the surgery (LOTS of fruits and dark green leafy vegetables and avoid violent foods [deep fried foods, spicy foods, greasy food etc] or any food which are more prone to introducing bacteria to your system like chicken rice, rojak, pre-prepared sandwiches, offals etc).
Take multi-Vits daily but don't overload. Just take the recommended dosage.
On the first day post-op, you'll feel too lousy from the GA to want to eat anything anyway, so don't worry. Sip as much cool boiled water as possible for hydration.
Ice Cream and yoghurt diets are good ideas, but for the period immediately post-op, I would avoid sucking home-made ice cubes etc. Simple reason of lessening the chance of bacterial infections.
Oral hygine will be one of the most important issues post-op as you would not be using/moving your mouth much due to pain, or brushing much (or at all for a few days) which may lead to a heavy bacterial build-up. Ask the doctor for their recommendation of strong oral anti-bacterial washes, or my preference would be Cholrahexadine at a 010% concentration (not 0.05% like what's publically available). Personally, I would also request for a covering anti-biotic if none are prescribed.
Since you will be hardly able to brush your teeth the first/second day, use tounge scrapers (to scrape your tounge - a veritable sponge for bacteria to collect and grow) as well as think of using rough sterile gauze squares soaked in the provided mouth wash or Chlorahexadine and try to gently rub the surfaces of your teeth. Do all this slowly, and for as long as you can't brush your teeth AND mouth properly. I would continue the anti-bacterial washes/gargle for at least a week post-op.
Hope this helps.
