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I am on my 4th day of intense pain from eating a few small bites of normal food on Monday night. I feel like I am starving. I am thinking about trying to take some classes in nutritian in the hopes of having a healthier diet. I would like to know if anyone here has a degree in nutritian and whether it has helped in your search for healthy foods that you can tolerate.
Nancy
Nancy
I have been reading a lot of naturopathy books. The intestinal system is 50 percent of your immune system. h2 blockers and ppi really destroyed my system. They shut of the pathways that detoxify the system and shut off the acid your stomach needs to digest and kill bacteria besides having other serious neurological side affects. I am buying ph strips to test my bodie's acidity. I will do everything I can nutritionally to align my body. Read 30 days to no more heartburn and other digestive disorders by Dr Sherry Rodgers. Also Death by Diet by Dr. Robert Barefoot. Use a blender to liquify your fresh veggies. Try to drink as much as you can. Mash up those supplements. Put them in water and drink them. These immunologists and naturopathy docters are not quacks. Traditional medicine does not know everything. It takes maverick thinking to make changes. Good luck to you. I am on my way to the health food store tonight.
No degree, but lots of on-line research using lists of foods I can and can't eat to figure out what I am missing out on. A class couldn't hurt, but there's a lot of information out there.
If someone does pop up with a degree, it would be handy, wouldn't it?
If you find out how to take classes on nutrition please share. I found www.nutritionaltherapy.com where you could take Nutrition Therapist classes either in a classroom or Long Distance classes online but it is expensive ($3,300). I have been searching for some time now but a lot of places don't seem legitimate.
Nancy, I'm still fairly new here, so I'm not sure if someone directed you to www.gicare.com, which has a decent gastroparesis diet guideline section, set off in three stages. In the meantime, I hope you feel better. I'm in a lot of pain today too. michelle
Thank you to everyone who replied. I spent a good deal of time yesterday looking into information on nutrition. Most of what I found was geared to the normal digestive system. I guess I need to break down the foods listed as healthy into the specific nutrients and see how to find those nutrients in a form we can ingest.
Nancy
I remember a post recently and someone said to try liquid vitamins. The pill form is too hard on our systems. michelle
I had to keep a food journal to see what was lacking in my diet, then add supplements or look for foods that would fill that "hole". I have also had to eliminate most empty calories (sad, because junk food does not make me as sick as healthy food). I could kind of take the food journal, compare it to the food pyramid, and see what I was missing. Then, I either found foods I could puree and consume--or found out the most important vitamins they would supply and order supplements. It was easier to start with what I am eating and change it, piece by piece, using information available on-line. It just occurred to me that my albumen level is fine, but I may have water retention because I don't eat a lot of animal proteins that provide essential amino acids for water regulation. I'm a year into it, and it's better--but still a work in progress.
Trying to get in a program or consult a nutritionist ended in failure. And the GP diet has some definite holes in it.
The good part about having such a severe attack is that I am back to clear soups and jello again. I got really tired of them and was off them quite awhile. I am also trying to stay away from the empty calories. I was eating way too much junk just because it seemed to be the only thing that didn't make me sick. Can you get the amino acids if you just have the broth the animal protien is cooked in?
Nancy
I wasn't crazy about the liquid vitamins but I do like the gummy vitamins. And the dogs love the V8 as much as I do. We has our veggies together!
I don't know. Bluebonnet makes amino acid supplements for diabetics, not body builders, so I am taking those, just to be safe. I can usually manage a small serving of shrimp or crab, or an easy-to-digest fish, but this doesn't seem to be enough.
I asked my pharmacist about crushing vitamins and he said they are not as effective and that liquid vitamins will be just as harsh in the stomach as pill form if you are on a liquid/puree/smoothie diet. He advised me to concentrate more on what goes into the puree because a lot of foods are naturally high in vitamins.
That is interesting and good idvice. Thank you. I do think my stomach is able to deal with the gummy vitamins beter then the liquid form.
The problem with pill vitamins isn't their harshness, it's that since our stomachs don't contract they don't break down and they've been linked to causing bezoars, which can be life-threatening for GP patients. Liquid (or gummi) vitamins don't have the breakdown problem and do make it to the upper intestine where they are absorbed into the body.
I saw an integrative medicine doctor who had a specialty in nutrition, who has helped me figure out what supplements to take to round out what my body needs, maybe you should find one in your area? She knew a lot more than the nutritionist I saw.
Sigh. Drat. Reading this discussion has made me realize what I am doing (& why I've gained more weight recently). I've been eating more junk food because I didn't react so badly to it & I was "treating" myself. But I'm not really doing myself any favors doing that. And I'm doing it too much. Gotta get back towards more healthy foods again. Thanks for the wake up call. Sigh.
What suppliments did your doctor recommend? Have you noticed feeling better since you started them? I think alot of us eat junk (empty calories) because our bodies are telling us that we are deficient in something which feels like hunger and we eat junk because what we really crave our bodies can't tolerate. I find what I seem to crave the most is vegetables and red meat. Neither of which I can have.
I take (I'm including websites for each that talk about ingredients & such & have reviews - but suggest you google them each yourself & read about them at several sites)
- a liquid multivitamin (I use the Drinkables brand because it doesn't taste too horrible - sometimes I dump it in my smoothie. I can get it at my local griocery store or through Amazon.com. Some people here use gummi-vitamins.) http://www.vitacost.com/DrinkablesUltimateMultiVitamin#IngredientFacts
- a liquid super B complex vitamin by Twinlabs (my doctor said it was essential as I had a high stress job. I get it at my local health food store, but you can also get it from Amazon.com) http://www.vitacost.com/Twinlab-Liquid-Super-B-Complex
- Bluebonnet Liquid Calcium Magnesium Citrate, with Vitamin D (through Amazon. Osteoporosis runs in my family so I had to find a way to get the calcium; also the magnesium helps you feel good [mood] & helps with bowel movements. You need vitamin D to process the calcium & mood & for other health reasons.) http://www.iherb.com/Bluebonnet-Nutrition-Liquid-Calcium-Magnesium-Citrate- Mixed-Berry-Flavor-16-fl-oz-472-ml/8878?at=1
- Doctors for Nutrition Green's First, a powder that purportedly replaces the nutrients & antioxidents found in 10 servings of vegetables. I just know I feel better taking it. (I get that either from my integrative medicine doctor or from Amazon. Shake it, don't mix it, or put it in a smoothie - though be aware it turns the smoothie green even if it doesn't overwhelm the taste) http://www.pureprescriptions.com/products/product_details.asp?ProductsID=19 4&iReviewPage=1
- HMF Superpowder - Probiotics. Essential to feeling better (I get that either from my integrative medicine doctor or from Amazon.) http://www.naturallyempowered.com/html/products/pharmacy/super/hmf.html
- Flax seed oil (1 teaspoon) & ground flaxseed (1 teaspoon) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax)
- Lewis Labs Organic Soy Lecithin granules (1 T.) (Healthfood store, THe Vitamin Shoppe, or Amazon) http://www.supplementwarehouse.com/viewitem.asp?idproduct=151975
http://www.vitacost.com/Lewis-Labs-Natural-Soya-Lecithin-Granules/pd_sectio n-pr#ProductReviews)
- Lily of the Valley Aloe Vera Juice (for the tummy & digestive track & helps with absorption of other supplements (health food stores, The Vitamin Shoppe, the Food Co-op, - I haven't looked on Amazon but it's probably the there.) http://www.vitacost.com/Lily-of-the-Desert-Aloe-Vera-Juice-128-fl-oz#Produc tDetails
And with every meal or "eating occasion" I take 1-2 capsules of Zy-gest, a plant based combination of digestive enzymes that help break down proteins, fats, dairy, carbs, starches, and plant fibers. (Amazon.com. My grocery used to carry it in their health food section, but they stopped. My integrative medicine doctor also stocks it.) I carry the bottle in my purse. http://www.healthstores.com/1choicevitamins/PhysioLogics_Zygest.htm
It looks like a lot, & the combination isn't cheap, but I feel pretty good most of the time & work a stressful full- time job (don't have kids or husband though). I pare down to travel: I won't go anywhere, even short term, without the meds, the liquid multi-vitamin, probitics, and Zy-gest. If its in the U.S., I also take the Greens First.
Jo
Most of what I take are in gelcaps--the caplets break down like the gummy bears. I try to avoid solid tabs, but I've had to add a few. My biggest problem with anything is lack of motility at the end of my esophagus, so I find myself making sure to wash anything down well with liquid, as anything left in your esophagus can be damaging.
Could you tell me more about this aloe vera juice? I have heard it mentioned several times. I'm curious about how much it helps, and if it is worth the time and money investment--and what it tastes like.
Thanks!
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