What should I eat after surgery to pass gas quickly?
Aug 26, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Shen Yonghua
Introduction
Under normal circumstances, intestinal function is temporarily weakened after surgery, making it prone to bloating and difficulty with gas passage. This can be improved by consuming foods such as white radish, rice broth, millet porridge, apples, and spinach to assist with gas relief. Additionally, medications such as lactulose oral solution, domperidone tablets, mosapride citrate tablets, compound polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder (I), and Shimotang oral solution may be taken as directed by a physician to promote gas expulsion.
Generally after surgery, intestinal function is temporarily weakened, making it prone to conditions such as abdominal distention and difficulty in passing gas. These can be alleviated by consuming foods such as white radish, rice water, millet porridge, apples, and spinach to assist with gas release. Additionally, medications such as lactulose oral solution, domperidone tablets, mosapride citrate tablets, compound polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder (I), and Si-Mo-Tang oral solution may be taken under a physician's guidance to promote gas expulsion. Detailed explanations are as follows:
I. Foods
1. White Radish
White radish contains mustard oil, which can stimulate gastrointestinal motility, accelerate the discharge of gas from the intestines, and simultaneously promote secretion of digestive fluids. This helps the weakened postoperative gastrointestinal tract digest food, reduces the burden on the intestines, and facilitates rapid gas release.
2. Rice Water
Rice water has a mild texture and is easily digested, thus not imposing excessive burden on the intestines after surgery. It can also replenish the body with water and a small amount of energy, maintaining normal intestinal physiological function, indirectly promoting intestinal peristalsis, and helping the intestines recover their gas release function.
3. Millet Porridge
Millet porridge is rich in carbohydrates and B vitamins. After being cooked until soft and mushy, it is easily absorbed and can gently nourish the gastrointestinal mucosa, enhance intestinal motility, improve the slow intestinal peristalsis after surgery, and assist in expelling gas from the intestines.
4. Apple
When cooked, the pectin in apples is more readily released, and the texture becomes softer. It can adsorb excess water in the intestines, regulate the balance of intestinal flora, and simultaneously stimulate intestinal peristalsis, promoting the expulsion of gas and feces from the intestines and aiding postoperative gas release.
5. Spinach
Spinach contains abundant dietary fiber. When cooked until tender, the dietary fiber is more easily utilized by the intestines, increasing stool volume, stimulating intestinal peristalsis, accelerating the expulsion of intestinal contents and gas, and relieving postoperative abdominal distention and difficulty in gas release.
II. Medications
1. Lactulose Oral Solution
This is an osmotic laxative. After oral administration, it is not absorbed by the small intestine. Upon reaching the colon, it is metabolized by intestinal flora into low molecular weight organic acids, increasing the osmotic pressure in the intestine, absorbing water to soften stools, and at the same time stimulating intestinal peristalsis to promote gas and stool expulsion from the intestines.
2. Domperidone Tablets
Domperidone is a peripheral dopamine receptor antagonist that directly acts on the gastrointestinal wall, enhancing the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter, preventing gastroesophageal reflux, and simultaneously promoting gastric emptying and intestinal peristalsis, accelerating the expulsion of gas from the intestines and relieving postoperative abdominal distention.
3. Mosapride Citrate Tablets
Mosapride is a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 (5-HT4) receptor agonist that promotes the release of acetylcholine, enhances contraction of gastrointestinal smooth muscle, accelerates the movement of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine, improves insufficient intestinal motility, and helps the postoperative intestines quickly expel gas.
4. Compound Polyethylene Glycol Electrolyte Powder (I)
This is a compound preparation that can create a hyperosmotic environment in the intestinal tract, preventing the absorption of water by the intestines while retaining water within the intestinal lumen, increasing stool volume, stimulating intestinal peristalsis, and promoting intestinal gas and stool expulsion. It is suitable for patients with slow recovery of intestinal function after surgery.
5. Si-Mo-Tang Oral Solution
Composed of Aucklandia lappa, Citrus aurantium, betel nut, and Lindera aggregata, this formula has the effects of regulating qi flow, relieving counterflow, eliminating food accumulation, and relieving pain. It can regulate intestinal qi, promote intestinal peristalsis, alleviate postoperative abdominal distention, abdominal pain, and difficulty in gas release, and aid in the recovery of intestinal function.
In daily life, patients should also turn over appropriately and get out of bed for activities under a doctor's permission to promote intestinal peristalsis. Medications should be used strictly according to medical instructions. If severe abdominal distention or difficulty in gas release occurs, the doctor should be informed promptly to adjust the treatment plan.
