ZocdocAnswersHow long will I have to eat soft foods after carotid surgery?


How long will I have to eat soft foods after carotid surgery?

My doctor said it would be difficult to swallow after my carotid surgery and to stick to soft foods. How long should I do this? My wife is a great cook and I want to enjoy her food.


Carotid surgery is a very involved surgery that is very complex and involves the use of extremely fine suture under magnification. As the blood vessels involved are so important and a break down in these sutures can be a surgical emergency, it is important to take the proper steps to care for your wound until the body can heal appropriately. Several common factors can increase the amount of time that it takes for a wound to heal, such as diabetes, smoking, and a history of irradiation to the surgical area. For that reason, there is no "one size fits all" answer to your question, but you should follow your surgeon's advice until he or she advises otherwise. In the absence of further communication from the surgeon's office, you should plan on being able to address that question with him or her at your next follow up. If that visit is not for more than a month, it would be appropriate to direct your question to your surgeon's office via a phone call for further clarification. Good postoperative communication will lead to the excellent care that you need to have a complete and quick recovery.

