Friend undergoing surgery

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Dawgluver

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I have a colleague recently diagnosed with a nonmalignant brain tumor. She will have surgery and will be out of commission for 6 weeks.

My question: what kind of food to bring over? I have some great soups in the freezer, and plan to bring those. I also will cook up a spiral cut ham closer to when she comes home, and bring some. What else would be easy to bring, given her cooking-challenged hub?
 
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Her diet is likely to be controlled by the medicos. So keep that in mind, in terms of feeding her.

For her family, stews are easy to make, and all they need do is reheat 'em. Pot roasts, ditto. Pot pies are almost always appropriate in such situations.

If you're ambitious, maybe roast a turkey. That will provide several meals. And even the most cooking-challenged spouse can make sandwiches.
 
I would shoot for whatever they consider to be comfort food.

The ham sounds like a great idea, it can go for breakfast lunch or dinner!

Maybe a pan of lasagna and a salad.

Chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal cookies would help me to recover from an operation.:ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
I think a casserole is always appreciated, Dawg. I made and posted that "Italian Flag Casserole" the other day, it would feed about 6 or more. You could take out two portions for you and hubby. It's really one of the best casseroles I've made in a very long time.
 
Two years ago, one of our co-workers had a stroke. Her diet was seriously curbed by the medical team. You may inquire what she will be allowed after surgery. We did this and our staff organized meals for her over the course of a month. It was easy to plan and prepare, and a lot of fun for all of us. One person hates to cook, so she wanted to be the designated delivery person. :)

In hind-sight, most people made something with chicken. While she was so grateful, I do not think she has eaten chicken since. She could not have fats or salt. Grilled foods and sweet foods (like grilled sweet potatoes with a hint of cinnamon and honey) were really enjoyed.

We always made enough to ensure she had something to eat for lunch the next day.

One person is a breakfast wizard. She made an oatmeal casserole that we still demand she makes from time to time. :chef:




 
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I would shoot for whatever they consider to be comfort food.

The ham sounds like a great idea, it can go for breakfast lunch or dinner!

Maybe a pan of lasagna and a salad.

Chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal cookies would help me to recover from an operation.:ermm::ohmy::LOL:

If she is allowed to have lasagna, that is usually a big hit.
 
Because it's not a metabolic or GI problem, it's likely that by the time of release from the hospital, she will be cleared for a normal diet. In general, post immediately post-surgical folks appreciate softer food for the first couple of days. Constipation can be a problem following the surgical experience and a couple of days on liquid and soft diets, so it's worth thinking about fiber. But otherwise, I'd just ask her what she'd like.

When I was surprised by what was supposed to be a one-day gall bladder operation that turned into four days, I got real tired of Jello. Finally, my surgeon agreed that it was time to go back to a more regular diet. Unfortunately, he forgot to tell nursing, and the same liquid diet turned up that night. I called in outside help. The next day when he came by, he stared for a second at the Taco Bell bag, but I guess he remembered he'd forgotten and didn't say anything.
 
Thanks for the great ideas, guys! I think I'll also make some rice pudding. We're talking about a sign-up sheet at work, and I work with some really good cooks.
 
I have a colleague recently diagnosed with a nonmalignant brain tumor. She will have surgery and will be out of commission for 6 weeks.

My question: what kind of food to bring over? I have some great soups in the freezer, and plan to bring those. I also will cook up a spiral cut ham closer to when she comes home, and bring some. What else would be easy to bring, given her cooking-challenged hub?

Dawg,

I wish I had had you around when I got sick. It's going to be a stressful time for everyone until she's fully recovered. It's very thoughtful of you to look out for not only for her but her hubby.

Does she have kids still at home? I can't offer up much for ideas besides what's always been mentioned.

He's going to be busy, tired looking after her, most likely not sleeping much. Paper plates, disposable heat and eat dishes. would be a huge help.Less work the better.

I almost went out of my mind from the boredom. Do you have a few DVD's you can loan her?

Munky.
 
More great ideas, Munky! Thanks! The disposables make sense. It's just the two of them. My DVD collection is severely lacking, however!
 
More great ideas, Munky! Thanks! The disposables make sense. It's just the two of them. My DVD collection is severely lacking, however!

Your welcome :)

Hind sight can be a good thing. My guys argued who had clean up duty. Hubby was too busy helping me. Ran out of DVD's.. Tv today is just too raunchy for my tastes. We got Netflix.. Took care of that! :LOL:

Munky.
 
Once they get into a routine dinner and a movie with one of you coming in might give the DH a day or night out to take care of other things and not have to worry about a sitter.
 
GLC, thanks for my laugh for the day. Your post made it sound like your gall bladder surgery lasted four days. I had to read it twice and then fell apart. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

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