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To get your bowels moving you'll be asked to chew gum or suck on hard candies. You may also be asked to start drinking fluids on the day of your surgery. If you feel well enough you may also start eating solid food.
Starting the day of surgery, you'll receive nutrition supplement drinks for vitamins, minerals, calories, and protein. These drinks are like medicine; it's important to drink them.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions about your diet. You'll be asked to record in your log book whether you chewed gum, and how much you ate and drank in the hospital.
Starting the day after surgery, you'll be asked to try eating solid foods, and continue to drink fluids and chew gum throughout your hospital stay.
If you eat and drink as well as you can after surgery, you'll have less chance of getting an infection, and you may be able to go home sooner.
