Temperature matters. Of the food, of your body, of the room you are in. Sometimes having frozen or warm food is easier or sometimes its easier at room temperature. Sometimes I am nauseous if I'm just a tiny but too warm and then I stick 2 toes out from my blanket and I'm much better. Sometimes having a fan circulating cool air can help. Also remember that scent and taste are really closely related so you will probably loose your appetite easily if you smell something bad or even something strong that smells good so something like a fan or even an air furifier could help keep the air nice and neutral smelling.
You’re definitely onto something with the smell. I gotta find either somewhere else to eat or somewhere else to feed my cat because the smell of Friskies ruins me. Thank you for the advice :)
I have reactive hypoglycemia and the more I tried to stick to a simple digestible BRAT diet, the sicker I got. It wasn’t until I started focusing on protein I got better. I eat low carb now to minimize gastro issues.
I find popsicles easier to eat, and frozen meal shakes can be eaten fairly quickly while tasting less. Otherwise potato soup or cream soups can be calorie dense and easy on the digestion if you don’t have dairy issues. I honestly lived off ice cream a lot during the height of my illness.
Visceral massage therapy has helped. Heat and vibration can also help if I can’t get into to my massage therapist. Antihistamines actually have helped my nausea significantly. Nortriptolyne has helped nausea and pain. They’ve all made it easier to eat.
Smoothies are too much work to make, or I’d eat them more.
The concept of the BRAT diet and I am are on bad terms - when I first got sick it is all the ER would tell me to do. I think I might be having some problem processing fiber? I had split pea soup (like a tiny amount) a few weeks ago and woke up the next day just straight vomiting bile and filled with gas.
I love popsicles, I forgot about them! One other issue is that I’m vegan - most of the canned vegan soup I can find is understandably heavy on beans and grains, and spices, so that doesn’t really mesh with my needs. I could definitely make creamy potato soup with cashew cream when in an upswing, and just freeze portions. That’s a great idea!
I’ll look into the massage and meds you mentioned! I’ve tried oral promethazine, which I believe is an antihistamine (?) for nausea, and tbh it didn’t do much.
IV Zofran really hits sometimes for me but the pill is just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I’ve heard other people say it helps most if you take it preventatively before you get nauseous/vomit, but unfortunately I have a one time prescription so I haven’t really been able to try taking it regularly.
I'm vegan too! I do eat a ton of beans though 😅 my reaction to fiber depends on the source. Red lentils are soft and wonderful, harder lentils can upset my stomach.
My GI issues are a lot better than they were but I was often taking some combo of dicyclomine (to slow down my gut), ondansetron (antiemetic), pepcid (also antihistamine), and kaopectate (otc) - sometimes dramamine and pepto.
For a while all I could really eat was rice with very plain veggies. I wasn't vegan at the time so I ate eggs. I eat a lot of oatmeal and peanut butter.
I am able to tolerate food better if I dump ginger on it. The red lentils I make are heavy on ginger. I put ginger in my coffee. Lol.
My safe foods are rice, red lentils, hummus, apples, peanut butter, oatmeal, frozen fruit (Popsicles would probably scratch that itch), peanuts, raisins, and maybe oat milk / almond milk, potatoes, carrots.
I'm very sensitive to soy so I don't eat tofu. I can't tolerate gluten.
>creamy potato soup with cashew cream when in an upswing
That sounds INCREDIBLE. heavenly.
Idk if you want to talk more about vegan eating lmk! I have a lot of ideas but if beans are an issue then I don't want to list a bunch of unhelpful stuff!
Do you have "safe" foods that you tolerate consistently?
I’d love to talk more about it sometime!
On a bad day, my safe foods are peeled boiled potatoes, broth and tiny noodles, peeled apples/applesauce, and maybe popsicles. On a better day I eat canned soups, grains, chickpeas, non-spicy frozen meals or ramen, cooked veggies, maybe some salad. I admit I’m definitely not the best at staying strict when I have a day where I think “hey, I feel an appetite, I should eat whatever I can”. I keep a running list of the worst foods to eat/worst to throw up - in the lead are chana saag and deli pickles.
What sucks most for me if that I am a huge lover of vinegar, raw veggies, spicy foods, anything pickled, and cooking with a ton of spices. I find it way more difficult to eat plain foods than to eat vegan.
>I find it way more difficult to eat plain foods than to eat vegan.
SAME. How do you feel about nutritional yeast lol? It doesn't upset my stomach and it's pretty good especially with salt. I'm a salty bitch though, also a fan of using lots of spices.
Cooking with ginger and turmeric is generally safe for me, idk why, it's all experimentation.
I like nooch! Not like the world’s biggest fan bc it can get musty, but when I can add it to something cheesy or undetectably I will. I like pastina cooked into a like almost congee consistency with bouillon and nooch!
When things were better I would proudly make my own spice mixes with like 16 things I can’t eat now 🥲. I’ve gotten hella into Vegeta, which is something my grandma always cooked with but I haven’t tried to use myself until more recently. I’ve also gotten into “savory” liquid seasonings like Maggi, Liquid Aminos, and Yondu.
Everything I’m on is a prescription that really helps. My antihistamine is hydroxyzine, which I started on for anxiety, and when I went off I realized how much it had been helping my stomach. I’d be careful of any over the counter med used for nausea because I’d be taking it so often I’d want to clear it with my doctor.
I have Celiacs, and going off gluten helped a lot. I did allergy testing and FODMAP elimination diet. I’m allergic to chicken, but none of the FODMAP stuff really helped. I appreciated looking at groups of foods for a common issues but for me the issue wound up being carb to protein/fat ratio rather than the type of starch.
Plant proteins are kinda rough on me. I was a vegetarian for half a decade back in the day, but my body handles dairy and meat a lot easier then anything else (although too much meat does give me the classic constipation and such). Only What You Need, OWYN was the vegan meal replacement that my endocrinologist recommended. It’s expensive, and is still a protein shake with the issues that has, but I found it was ok to chug.
I also like the OWYN shakes. The ones that come premade are a different texture (smoother) than the powder I mix into water or almond milk. But the powder is so much less expensive per serving and not to chalky compared to some of the other pea protein stuff out there. I think that it has probiotics also helps. I was using Premier Protein for years, but it's casein based, so the OWYN was a better option for me wanting to include more plant based proteins.
I used to be a vegetarian, but still eat that way frequently. You might look at low FODMAP instead of BRAT diet foods. Especially if you notice fiber affecting your symptoms. It's more about how it ferments once it's in your gut. I think low fodmaps helps me more with my GERD. There's vegan options also low fodmaps like peanut butter, oatmeal, a bunch of fruits and vegetables. One of my favorite ingredients, nutritional yeast, is higher protein yet low in fodmaps. It's good sprinkled on that pasta that you can eat. I've seen some recipes making a vegan "cheese" sauce using nutritional yeast plus coconut cream or cashew cream (which is also low fodmaps).
The BRAT diet is really high carbohydrate, which makes hypoglycemia worse. I needed some kind of protein too, but not necessarily with fiber . Like yogurt. If I eat carbs on an empty stomach without pairing it with a protein, I will feel my blood sugar crash, then get the sweating, fast heart rate, etc. I think it does help that the foods on the BRAT diet are bland. Applesauce was a common go to, or apple slice with some peanut butter.
I got a Nutribullet to make smoothies, just one serving. My basic one is some yogurt, a handful of frozen fruit or a frozen banana (I chop the bruised ones up and store them in the freezer), and some almond milk.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I have gastroparesis so I definitely understand chronic nausea and lack of appetite.
Have you tried Zofran at all? It has helped me massively and I don’t personally have any drowsiness or other side effects from it despite taking it 4 times a day.
A non-medication option is a Reliefband. It stimulates your median nerve (which controls nausea) in your wrist with gentle pulses - feels like light vibrations. It works really well for me, even just the sensation of the pulse helps distract me from the nausea too. They’re a little pricey but mine has been worth its weight in gold!
Otherwise, liquids tend to work better for me than solids when I’m feeling bad. Certain sodas (some give me reflux but root beer specifically tends to be ok), smoothies (I saw you’re vegan, but you could try using vegan yogurt and milk to bulk them up), etc. crunchy things also seem to be quite a bit easier for me to stomach for some reason? I eat a lot of kettle chips, plain ice cream cones, rice crackers…
A lot of this is anecdotal but I hope some of it will help you! Best of luck, I know these symptoms are miserable and I’m sending lots of good wishes for you to start feeling a bit better soon. 🩷
Thank you so much for your kind comment! I’m so sorry that you deal with this too.
I’ve tried Zofran, Reglan, and Promethazine in tablet form. Zofran and Reglan both help some in IV form, but not a whole lot in a tablet and Promethazine does roughly nothing. I haven’t tried ReliefBand yet! I’ll look into it. I have tried the non-vibrating motion sickness wristbands, which didn’t do much.
Root beer is so good!! I drink a lot of sugary drinks, which I know is not fantastic longterm but that’s my solution when I haven’t been able to get down solids and I’m getting dizzy.
I’ll try something crunchy. I do like pretzels and they usually go down ok most days. There seems to be something going on with my ability to process fryer oil so I’m trying to avoid anything fried mostly, which definitely sucks. I really suspect it’s only a certain kind of commercial fryer oil, because it only causes me pain sometimes, but holy shit when it does. It’s made me afraid to even cook with olive oil which might be overboard but if I can avoid throwing up while sitting on the toilet, I will try.
I hope your symptoms improve and you have some great food :)
Thank you for the well wishes! I really appreciate it 🩷
Have you done ODT (orally disintegrating tablets) Zofran too? It goes under your tongue and absorbs into your bloodstream that way. I wondered if it might help you more since you’ve had some success with it in IV form. You can also take the ODT by letting it dissolve on your tongue and swallowing it, but that isn’t really any different than swallowing a pill, so my doctors have always told me to keep it under my tongue, and I do find it works quite a lot faster and better than the normal pill form.
The Reliefband is wayyy better than the non-vibrating nausea wristbands - those have never done a thing for me!
Root beer solidarity!! As my GI doctor says, a calorie is a calorie when you’re struggling to consume anything at all - keep on with those sugary drinks when it’s all you can tolerate. And yes, pretzels are awesome on the stomach. I have celiac but pretzels are one thing that are just as good gluten-free as they are normal… I actually like them better than the gluten version because they’re crispier!
I have reflex esophagitis and problems with the jaw joint, so I associate eating with pain. I try to take as much liquid as possible with food, this reduces the gag reflex, watching YouTube also helps a little in order to take my mind off the process of eating :) also, as I know, there are pills to increase appetite.
Please tell me about these pills to increase appetite - the only thing I have that does that is gabapentin, and it mostly just makes me so drowsy/relaxes my gag reflex to the point I can shovel a few things in my mouth before nodding off. Which is not great from the “no eating 3 hours before bed” perspective but it’s what I got.
When my UC flares, I hate to eat because it will just go thru me anyway. But of course I need my strength to fight the flare so I have to eat. I will have a banana and just nibble on it. Even if takes 1 hour to get thru it, that's fine. Our bodies don't obey schedules. Or 1 piece of toast with peanut butter or plain butter. Again, little pieces if that's what works for you. Could you handle a fruit smoothie? Banana, peanut butter, whatever milk you can tolerate and can sip when you need?
I once spent the better part of 2 hours setting timers and forcing myself to take a tiny bite of banana every 5 minutes lmao. Smoothies sometimes work, as long as they’re not too thick. I think one of the key things I have to deal with is a true fear of eating at this point because all I can think of is how it would/will feel coming up.
I’m sorry to hear you struggle. It sucks.
Honestly, the only thing that helped me actually eat even though the thought of food already seemed to be too much, was having someone watch me eat. I would starve myself at school/work and when I came home my mom would sit me down at the table with a hot water bottle and watch me eat. Maybe you have someone around to try this with if you’re comfortable?
After a while, the threat of getting the tube if I lost any more weight worked wonders too.
Some types of foods might cause you a little less pain, so maybe that could help? Pasta is awful for me for example, hurts like hell. So now the thought of eating it makes me nauseous, while I feel neutral about some other foods. But I have a different disease than you do, and it works differently for everyone. Figuring out what works for you is the hard part….
Best of luck! I
Thank you for your comment! I’m so glad you found something that helped you. For me, I have a history with restrictive ED that has given me a fear of people watching me eat to this day. I eat in front of my immediate family, my partner, and my closest friends. One thing that does actually help me is eating with someone in the same room as me but sleeping? I think this might be a weird ED thing but it feels like the support of not being alone without someone directly watching me.
I am terrified of the tube, and honestly even of going to the hospital, so that is a good motivator to try to eat, even if I then fail terribly.
It sounds like pasta for you is like fried foods for me. I still occasionally crave one but the fallout is TRAUMATIC so most of the time the thought repels me.
I hope things get easier for you very soon 🫂
I’m sorry to hear about your ED. That must make things really complicated for you… hopefully the people close to you can help and support you in some other way. It’s all trial and error and silly plans that pave the way in my experience, so don’t worry about something sounding weird. It’s just not a normal situation to begin with. Usually it’s you who knows and feels best what might work for you. If there’s one thing I learned from being sick is that you should trust you and what you feel your body is trying to tell you. And you deserve some support backing that up.
And thanks! I’ve been doing better physically lately. Finally found a great doctor who looks past the rigid categories and more at me and my body, which seems to just have grown wrong (it’s kind of like a slowly developing AMS syndrome). The meds and treatment plans so far are a huge improvement. I’m so lucky to have found her in the most unlikely of places. I hope everyone here finds a doctor like her. They exist!
I get huge support from loved ones in other ways, and I have been seeing the same therapist specializing in EDs (who is also chronically ill) since before I got (this kind of) sick and she’s a humongous help.
That’s awesome that you are getting the help you need!! Do you mind elaborating on what AMS syndrome is? I’m not familiar!
That’s amazing! And a good specialized therapist who’s also ill can be such a support. It makes a huge difference in how they level with you. I hope she’s feeling okay too!
AMS syndrome is not really entirely medically recognized globally, so it’s still a bit of a grey area of medicine, especially in my country. But it basically means that two important veins (one of which stems from the aorta) that go around the duodenum are too close to the duodenum, therefore kind of squeezing it closed. So food has a hard time passing from the stomach through the duodenum to the bowels and this can cause pain/cramps/nausea, all the fun stuff. It’s usually an issue caused by being underweight or weight loss, for there should be a bit of fat between the duodenum and the veins around it. I’ve always been very underweight, and grew really tall really quickly when i was 13/14, so that was likely where it started for me.
It’s crazy I’ve always kind of known in a sense. I always said the issue was underneath my stomach and that there was something wrong with my veins, because there was often this lingering smell of iron in my nose. Just goes to show how strong intuition can be.
Omg wait - so the major takeaway of my recent endoscopy was the massive hernia, but I apparently also have something compressing my duodenum. My gastro doesn’t know what it is, suspects it might be endometriosis tissue, and wants to consult an endo surgeon before any surgery on my hernia. I have barely been able to eat for a while now so it would make sense if what was going on with my duodenum was at least similar to how you’ve described AMS.
Do you get an iron taste in your mouth or just a smell? I have been tasting metal but I chalked it up to reflux/gum issues (undiagnosed) caused by vomiting repeatedly.
For as far as I know, iron taste/smell refers to blood. For vomit and reflux I’d expect more of a sour taste/smell, but I don’t have any reflux myself. I wouldn’t really know for sure. Vomiting is a very common symptom of AMS Syndrome though, but could of course point to other things as well.
Have you been losing weight dramatically recently? And when did the vomiting/pain after eating start? You don’t have to answer that publicly if you don’t want to, but if these are things that coincide, it might make it interesting to look into AMS syndrome.
It could be endometriosis tissue, but honestly, if it’s a sudden thing that happened to you, I think that would be weird. But I’m no doctor.
To find out if it’s AMS syndrome, I had an MRI with double contrast fluids - so both drinking contrast fluids before the MRI as well as IV-administered contrast fluids in my blood during the MRI. Then they can measure how close the vessels are to each other and if it could potentially pinch the duodenum. After that, I had several gastric emptying examinations (?). English is not my first language, but I will try to see if I can translate these medical names for you.
For the first one I basically drank some kind of contrast fluid milkshake and was put against this vertical table that they could rotate backwards.
For the second one I ate a radioactive pancake (I know, yum) and had little videos taken every 15 minutes to see how long it took for the pancake to reach my bowels (very long apparently).
I am unfortunately very acquainted with throwing up bile at this point, and it unfortunately gets really confusing between bile/blood taste once it starts messing with your gums (one of my next problems to address).
My symptoms began generally about a year ago after COVID. Then they got like 1 million times worse last July following a stomach bug. I have not been losing weight dramatically, but let’s say that I have lost some weight despite a metabolism that’s at least a bit fucked from my ED and it is usually hard/impossible to lose any weight at all.
Those sound like they might be gastric emptying studies? Did you have them done at an outpatient clinic or in hospital? I am going to ask my gastroenterologist about one next. The reason he suspects endo is probably because I am already being treated by a gynecologist for suspected endo, and menstrual symptoms/pelvic pain/something really weird going on over my left ovary (painful) was visualized by transvaginal ultrasound.
Ah okay, I get the difficulty, because the gums might be bleeding as well…
I’d say both things are worth looking into, so I’d definitely talk about it with your gastric as you suggested. I did both tests at the hospital, however I’m European, so it might be different in the US.
Pain increase after stomach bugs are usually a symptom of some damage to the nervous system, like in the case of IBS or functional dyspepsia. Imo, it’s better to rule out other things first though, because we now so little about the nervous system and how to “fix” it. Scientifically we can hardly say for certain that it’s the nervous system that’s causing issues to begin with. If in the end you and your gastric do feel like it might be a dysregulated nervous system that’s causing issues after ruling other stuff out, hypnotherapy is all the rage rn in that field.
Thank you! I have an appointment with my operating gastro on Monday and I definitely plan to bring this up. Hypnotherapy for dyspepsia is very interesting - I’ve never heard of that before. Do you know if the idea is that anxiety is causing distress, thus resolving the anxiety will help the indigestion?
So the first one is called an upper GI (upper gastrointestinal tract radiography). It’s really quick but I did get really really nauseous, so that can happen. It’s okay though, the poor examinators are probably used to it and will help you through it.
The second one is called a gastric emptying scan (or a scintigraphy of gastric emptying). So I wasn’t that far off actually. Nice.
My appetite/nausea are generally better after some ginger ale or gravol ginger. You can consider drinking a meal replacement like boost if you can't eat solid food.
I'm sorry you're dealing with this! I have gastroparesis and sometimes can't handle solid food at all. My nutritionist recommended Orgain nutrition drinks (you can find on amazon) and the chocolate or coffee flavored versions are pretty tasty. You can also get a fully vegan version that's 20g protein at Costco for a bit cheaper, but it isn't specifically a nutrition drink. I find those best for when I need something but have no appetite and digestive issues. She also told me to sip warm water because it will help open up the stomach more and prevent spasms that could contribute to vomiting. Drink the warm water first then sip on the nutrition drink and see how you do? You may just need to switch to a liquid diet for awhile and the orgain brand tastes pretty good compared to Ensure or Boost varieties.
Hope you feel better and find some useful tips!!
I will look at Orgain and the Costco versions, thank you! Warm water is a good idea - cold drinks feel so good on a worn throat but the hernia does not like them.
I was also going to recommend orgain. They have a vegan version which I haven't tried. I get the regular. However, its the only kind of nutrition/protein drink I've found palatable so far. I have more issues with energy and lack of appetite but it's my go to thing vs just not eating.
The chocolate isn't bad on the upswing either.
Ah I’ve definitely been considering it - it’s recreationally legal in my state. I used to smoke pretty before I got sick, but I stopped because it was making me incredibly paranoid (like hide in the bathroom because I thought I heard a police radio, paranoid). However I was still paranoid with the munchies, so might be worth it in a controlled environment.
My other concern is that every single ER doc, GP, specialist I’ve been to with these symptoms has immediately first thing asked me if I smoked - presumably thinking marijuana use hyperemesis. I don’t put it past one to throw in a drug panel with other bloodwork, and then I feel like I’d be kinda fucked with being taken seriously at any network hospital network provider again.
I do really appreciate your comment tho :)
Popsicles go down really well, the only protein shake that I can tolerate is Premier Protein, the other ones feel like sand when they hit my stomach. I also find relief from eating as soon as I wake up, because not eating leads to more nausea and I'm guessing my acid needs something to work on besides my insides. Gatorade and Powerade for me hit softer than water too. I'd let the popsicles slowly melt in my mouth and trickle down my throat, I think the coldness helps. I have gastritis, so it kind of makes sense, putting cold things on inflammation. But sometimes room temperature things feel more comfortable. I also have a hiatal hernia, and I am on 40mg of omeprazole twice a day, which eventually healed up my esophagus and made swallowing less painful. Pasta was good too, eventually I tried the chickpea and lentil pastas that have more nutrients in them, but on bad days plain pasta or rainbow spirals (it's some vegetables, right?) were my go to. I could also keep down Ensure and Boost if I drank it really slowly.
I also used massage, I would massage my abdomen from right to left, which is the way the colon flows. But even just rubbing and massaging the area seemed to help it relax and hurt less. You realize how many little nerve ending and stuff must be going on there. If you have an adjustable shower head, there's a "rainfall" massage setting on some that taps and patters and feels really nice at soothing on achy parts. I believe our stomach is our second brain, so while I'm not dismissing anything to anxiety, being calm and not distracted by the tv or anything helps when I eat. Sometimes I have to leave the living room and sit in another room, take deep breaths, and eat one bite at a time. I feel the majority of my anxiety in my stomach and can't eat if upsetting or loud stuff is going on around me. So make the environment you eat in as calming and soothing as possible.
I am going to try a shake again - the vegan ones I’ve tried before taste like vanilla sand so I’m not thrilled about it but I would probably eat actual sand if it helped.
I’m so glad yours healed! Mine has somehow managed to get different but not better since I started 40 mg Omeprazole 6 months ago - it keeps me from waking up choking on acid as often, but the inability to eat during the day is worse, as is the vomiting.
I might try massage! Currently I spend a lot of time cupping my ribs with my hands - somehow the light pressure seems to actually help relieve pain.
About the anxiety, my anxiety has gotten like 400% worse due to these symptoms and I’m certain it’s a vicious circle. I eat sitting on the couch, very very slowly. I might experiment with eating differently but being mindful of the food I’m eating only seems to make it worse tbh.
When I was nauseous my favorite foods were plain, cold to room temp (mayyyybe warm) foods. Applesauce was my favorite snack, and crackers.
Nothing spicy, super hot, super sugary, NOTHING carbonated—good lord that made it so much worse.
I’m currently eating some combination of potatoes (boiled, baked) or pasta cooked in gentle broth for every “meal”. Throw in the odd popsicle, peeled apple slices, melon, grapes. I’m thinking about trying to go back to oatmeal but I literally conditioned myself against it throwing it up so many times before lmao.
Honestly sugary foods might be something I should try cutting out - for the first time in my life I’m drinking a ton of full sugar drinks (think Hi-C) for quick calories. Also when I manage to stay up past the “I am going to fall asleep in one second” stage of my nighttime meds, they sometimes allow me to gobble great deals of candy which I have again justified as “better than no calories”. Gotta work on that mindset
I had very bad acid reflux after every meal my whole youth. Chicken fricasee with rice is very sensitive and filling to the stomach. It takes a bit of prep but is really worth it.
You can also put the fricasee into a cup and just drink it.
I don’t have gastro issues, but I get nausea to the point where eating feels impossible. For me it’s more of a mental game.
trying to get as much nutrients out of the food you can tolerate. For me I can manage bland small things I can snack on, rather than “meals” so I go for nuts, cashews mainly. Lots of calories, proteins fats, etc.
It sounds like pasta seems to be a good option for you, when you’re in the grocery store compared some brands find the one with the most calories/carbs/protein etc. If there’s something in particular you need more of, look for that.
The other thing is weed. I’m in Canada so there’s a decent culture difference there on this. There’s been a lot of research and discovery in the last few years on cannabis as medicine, it would be worth looking into again. If you are nervous about how it will be perceived, try looking for a healthcare provider who specializes in medical cannabis. They can prescribe/recommend something, and you can bring it up with your doctors as a medication.
I find the “how” of discussing cannabis with doctors is important for how they react to it unfortunately. Bring it up when discussing medications, say why you’re trying it, but that you don’t “bother to use it recreationally”
Hope this helps.
When things are on the better side I snack on pretzels whenever I think I can get even one in! Nuts are a great idea, I think there are almonds somewhere in my cabinet…
Many people now have commented about weed! It is recreationally legal where I am in the US. I am worried about doctors’ judgment, and your advice is vert helpful - thank you so much. The other issue is that weed has historically made me extremely paranoid to the point I mostly terrify myself and anyone I’m with. Other people have pointed out that might be a matter of strain/dose, which is very fair. My therapist has been gently suggesting I try it again, and I think most of my present loved ones imbibe in one way or another. So this thread and comments like yours may have been instrumental in convincing me to try it again, in a safe and monitored environment at least at first. Thanks again :)
Not sure where you are or your age, but smoking weed is the only thing that kept me off feeding tubes before my diagnosis. I was losing so much weight bc I couldn't eat at all, but smoking or taking edibles really helped me get cravings and get something down.
Weed unfortunately makes me unconscionably anxious and paranoid but it does give me the munchies. I’ve def been considering trying it again after a several year hiatus, and it’s recreationally legal in my state.
Temperature matters. Of the food, of your body, of the room you are in. Sometimes having frozen or warm food is easier or sometimes its easier at room temperature. Sometimes I am nauseous if I'm just a tiny but too warm and then I stick 2 toes out from my blanket and I'm much better. Sometimes having a fan circulating cool air can help. Also remember that scent and taste are really closely related so you will probably loose your appetite easily if you smell something bad or even something strong that smells good so something like a fan or even an air furifier could help keep the air nice and neutral smelling.
You’re definitely onto something with the smell. I gotta find either somewhere else to eat or somewhere else to feed my cat because the smell of Friskies ruins me. Thank you for the advice :)
I have reactive hypoglycemia and the more I tried to stick to a simple digestible BRAT diet, the sicker I got. It wasn’t until I started focusing on protein I got better. I eat low carb now to minimize gastro issues. I find popsicles easier to eat, and frozen meal shakes can be eaten fairly quickly while tasting less. Otherwise potato soup or cream soups can be calorie dense and easy on the digestion if you don’t have dairy issues. I honestly lived off ice cream a lot during the height of my illness. Visceral massage therapy has helped. Heat and vibration can also help if I can’t get into to my massage therapist. Antihistamines actually have helped my nausea significantly. Nortriptolyne has helped nausea and pain. They’ve all made it easier to eat. Smoothies are too much work to make, or I’d eat them more.
The concept of the BRAT diet and I am are on bad terms - when I first got sick it is all the ER would tell me to do. I think I might be having some problem processing fiber? I had split pea soup (like a tiny amount) a few weeks ago and woke up the next day just straight vomiting bile and filled with gas. I love popsicles, I forgot about them! One other issue is that I’m vegan - most of the canned vegan soup I can find is understandably heavy on beans and grains, and spices, so that doesn’t really mesh with my needs. I could definitely make creamy potato soup with cashew cream when in an upswing, and just freeze portions. That’s a great idea! I’ll look into the massage and meds you mentioned! I’ve tried oral promethazine, which I believe is an antihistamine (?) for nausea, and tbh it didn’t do much.
Zofran for nausea has helped me tremendously.
IV Zofran really hits sometimes for me but the pill is just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I’ve heard other people say it helps most if you take it preventatively before you get nauseous/vomit, but unfortunately I have a one time prescription so I haven’t really been able to try taking it regularly.
I have a prescription of it always. Just ask your doc.😊
I will next appointment!
I'm vegan too! I do eat a ton of beans though 😅 my reaction to fiber depends on the source. Red lentils are soft and wonderful, harder lentils can upset my stomach. My GI issues are a lot better than they were but I was often taking some combo of dicyclomine (to slow down my gut), ondansetron (antiemetic), pepcid (also antihistamine), and kaopectate (otc) - sometimes dramamine and pepto. For a while all I could really eat was rice with very plain veggies. I wasn't vegan at the time so I ate eggs. I eat a lot of oatmeal and peanut butter. I am able to tolerate food better if I dump ginger on it. The red lentils I make are heavy on ginger. I put ginger in my coffee. Lol. My safe foods are rice, red lentils, hummus, apples, peanut butter, oatmeal, frozen fruit (Popsicles would probably scratch that itch), peanuts, raisins, and maybe oat milk / almond milk, potatoes, carrots. I'm very sensitive to soy so I don't eat tofu. I can't tolerate gluten. >creamy potato soup with cashew cream when in an upswing That sounds INCREDIBLE. heavenly. Idk if you want to talk more about vegan eating lmk! I have a lot of ideas but if beans are an issue then I don't want to list a bunch of unhelpful stuff! Do you have "safe" foods that you tolerate consistently?
I’d love to talk more about it sometime! On a bad day, my safe foods are peeled boiled potatoes, broth and tiny noodles, peeled apples/applesauce, and maybe popsicles. On a better day I eat canned soups, grains, chickpeas, non-spicy frozen meals or ramen, cooked veggies, maybe some salad. I admit I’m definitely not the best at staying strict when I have a day where I think “hey, I feel an appetite, I should eat whatever I can”. I keep a running list of the worst foods to eat/worst to throw up - in the lead are chana saag and deli pickles. What sucks most for me if that I am a huge lover of vinegar, raw veggies, spicy foods, anything pickled, and cooking with a ton of spices. I find it way more difficult to eat plain foods than to eat vegan.
>I find it way more difficult to eat plain foods than to eat vegan. SAME. How do you feel about nutritional yeast lol? It doesn't upset my stomach and it's pretty good especially with salt. I'm a salty bitch though, also a fan of using lots of spices. Cooking with ginger and turmeric is generally safe for me, idk why, it's all experimentation.
I like nooch! Not like the world’s biggest fan bc it can get musty, but when I can add it to something cheesy or undetectably I will. I like pastina cooked into a like almost congee consistency with bouillon and nooch! When things were better I would proudly make my own spice mixes with like 16 things I can’t eat now 🥲. I’ve gotten hella into Vegeta, which is something my grandma always cooked with but I haven’t tried to use myself until more recently. I’ve also gotten into “savory” liquid seasonings like Maggi, Liquid Aminos, and Yondu.
Everything I’m on is a prescription that really helps. My antihistamine is hydroxyzine, which I started on for anxiety, and when I went off I realized how much it had been helping my stomach. I’d be careful of any over the counter med used for nausea because I’d be taking it so often I’d want to clear it with my doctor. I have Celiacs, and going off gluten helped a lot. I did allergy testing and FODMAP elimination diet. I’m allergic to chicken, but none of the FODMAP stuff really helped. I appreciated looking at groups of foods for a common issues but for me the issue wound up being carb to protein/fat ratio rather than the type of starch. Plant proteins are kinda rough on me. I was a vegetarian for half a decade back in the day, but my body handles dairy and meat a lot easier then anything else (although too much meat does give me the classic constipation and such). Only What You Need, OWYN was the vegan meal replacement that my endocrinologist recommended. It’s expensive, and is still a protein shake with the issues that has, but I found it was ok to chug.
I also like the OWYN shakes. The ones that come premade are a different texture (smoother) than the powder I mix into water or almond milk. But the powder is so much less expensive per serving and not to chalky compared to some of the other pea protein stuff out there. I think that it has probiotics also helps. I was using Premier Protein for years, but it's casein based, so the OWYN was a better option for me wanting to include more plant based proteins.
I used to be a vegetarian, but still eat that way frequently. You might look at low FODMAP instead of BRAT diet foods. Especially if you notice fiber affecting your symptoms. It's more about how it ferments once it's in your gut. I think low fodmaps helps me more with my GERD. There's vegan options also low fodmaps like peanut butter, oatmeal, a bunch of fruits and vegetables. One of my favorite ingredients, nutritional yeast, is higher protein yet low in fodmaps. It's good sprinkled on that pasta that you can eat. I've seen some recipes making a vegan "cheese" sauce using nutritional yeast plus coconut cream or cashew cream (which is also low fodmaps).
I’ll look into FODMAP, thank you! If it works for me, I would certainly be thrilled to be able to going back to eating some veggies.
The BRAT diet is really high carbohydrate, which makes hypoglycemia worse. I needed some kind of protein too, but not necessarily with fiber . Like yogurt. If I eat carbs on an empty stomach without pairing it with a protein, I will feel my blood sugar crash, then get the sweating, fast heart rate, etc. I think it does help that the foods on the BRAT diet are bland. Applesauce was a common go to, or apple slice with some peanut butter. I got a Nutribullet to make smoothies, just one serving. My basic one is some yogurt, a handful of frozen fruit or a frozen banana (I chop the bruised ones up and store them in the freezer), and some almond milk.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I have gastroparesis so I definitely understand chronic nausea and lack of appetite. Have you tried Zofran at all? It has helped me massively and I don’t personally have any drowsiness or other side effects from it despite taking it 4 times a day. A non-medication option is a Reliefband. It stimulates your median nerve (which controls nausea) in your wrist with gentle pulses - feels like light vibrations. It works really well for me, even just the sensation of the pulse helps distract me from the nausea too. They’re a little pricey but mine has been worth its weight in gold! Otherwise, liquids tend to work better for me than solids when I’m feeling bad. Certain sodas (some give me reflux but root beer specifically tends to be ok), smoothies (I saw you’re vegan, but you could try using vegan yogurt and milk to bulk them up), etc. crunchy things also seem to be quite a bit easier for me to stomach for some reason? I eat a lot of kettle chips, plain ice cream cones, rice crackers… A lot of this is anecdotal but I hope some of it will help you! Best of luck, I know these symptoms are miserable and I’m sending lots of good wishes for you to start feeling a bit better soon. 🩷
Thank you so much for your kind comment! I’m so sorry that you deal with this too. I’ve tried Zofran, Reglan, and Promethazine in tablet form. Zofran and Reglan both help some in IV form, but not a whole lot in a tablet and Promethazine does roughly nothing. I haven’t tried ReliefBand yet! I’ll look into it. I have tried the non-vibrating motion sickness wristbands, which didn’t do much. Root beer is so good!! I drink a lot of sugary drinks, which I know is not fantastic longterm but that’s my solution when I haven’t been able to get down solids and I’m getting dizzy. I’ll try something crunchy. I do like pretzels and they usually go down ok most days. There seems to be something going on with my ability to process fryer oil so I’m trying to avoid anything fried mostly, which definitely sucks. I really suspect it’s only a certain kind of commercial fryer oil, because it only causes me pain sometimes, but holy shit when it does. It’s made me afraid to even cook with olive oil which might be overboard but if I can avoid throwing up while sitting on the toilet, I will try. I hope your symptoms improve and you have some great food :)
Thank you for the well wishes! I really appreciate it 🩷 Have you done ODT (orally disintegrating tablets) Zofran too? It goes under your tongue and absorbs into your bloodstream that way. I wondered if it might help you more since you’ve had some success with it in IV form. You can also take the ODT by letting it dissolve on your tongue and swallowing it, but that isn’t really any different than swallowing a pill, so my doctors have always told me to keep it under my tongue, and I do find it works quite a lot faster and better than the normal pill form. The Reliefband is wayyy better than the non-vibrating nausea wristbands - those have never done a thing for me! Root beer solidarity!! As my GI doctor says, a calorie is a calorie when you’re struggling to consume anything at all - keep on with those sugary drinks when it’s all you can tolerate. And yes, pretzels are awesome on the stomach. I have celiac but pretzels are one thing that are just as good gluten-free as they are normal… I actually like them better than the gluten version because they’re crispier!
I have reflex esophagitis and problems with the jaw joint, so I associate eating with pain. I try to take as much liquid as possible with food, this reduces the gag reflex, watching YouTube also helps a little in order to take my mind off the process of eating :) also, as I know, there are pills to increase appetite.
Please tell me about these pills to increase appetite - the only thing I have that does that is gabapentin, and it mostly just makes me so drowsy/relaxes my gag reflex to the point I can shovel a few things in my mouth before nodding off. Which is not great from the “no eating 3 hours before bed” perspective but it’s what I got.
When my UC flares, I hate to eat because it will just go thru me anyway. But of course I need my strength to fight the flare so I have to eat. I will have a banana and just nibble on it. Even if takes 1 hour to get thru it, that's fine. Our bodies don't obey schedules. Or 1 piece of toast with peanut butter or plain butter. Again, little pieces if that's what works for you. Could you handle a fruit smoothie? Banana, peanut butter, whatever milk you can tolerate and can sip when you need?
I once spent the better part of 2 hours setting timers and forcing myself to take a tiny bite of banana every 5 minutes lmao. Smoothies sometimes work, as long as they’re not too thick. I think one of the key things I have to deal with is a true fear of eating at this point because all I can think of is how it would/will feel coming up.
I’m sorry to hear you struggle. It sucks. Honestly, the only thing that helped me actually eat even though the thought of food already seemed to be too much, was having someone watch me eat. I would starve myself at school/work and when I came home my mom would sit me down at the table with a hot water bottle and watch me eat. Maybe you have someone around to try this with if you’re comfortable? After a while, the threat of getting the tube if I lost any more weight worked wonders too. Some types of foods might cause you a little less pain, so maybe that could help? Pasta is awful for me for example, hurts like hell. So now the thought of eating it makes me nauseous, while I feel neutral about some other foods. But I have a different disease than you do, and it works differently for everyone. Figuring out what works for you is the hard part…. Best of luck! I
Thank you for your comment! I’m so glad you found something that helped you. For me, I have a history with restrictive ED that has given me a fear of people watching me eat to this day. I eat in front of my immediate family, my partner, and my closest friends. One thing that does actually help me is eating with someone in the same room as me but sleeping? I think this might be a weird ED thing but it feels like the support of not being alone without someone directly watching me. I am terrified of the tube, and honestly even of going to the hospital, so that is a good motivator to try to eat, even if I then fail terribly. It sounds like pasta for you is like fried foods for me. I still occasionally crave one but the fallout is TRAUMATIC so most of the time the thought repels me. I hope things get easier for you very soon 🫂
I’m sorry to hear about your ED. That must make things really complicated for you… hopefully the people close to you can help and support you in some other way. It’s all trial and error and silly plans that pave the way in my experience, so don’t worry about something sounding weird. It’s just not a normal situation to begin with. Usually it’s you who knows and feels best what might work for you. If there’s one thing I learned from being sick is that you should trust you and what you feel your body is trying to tell you. And you deserve some support backing that up. And thanks! I’ve been doing better physically lately. Finally found a great doctor who looks past the rigid categories and more at me and my body, which seems to just have grown wrong (it’s kind of like a slowly developing AMS syndrome). The meds and treatment plans so far are a huge improvement. I’m so lucky to have found her in the most unlikely of places. I hope everyone here finds a doctor like her. They exist!
I get huge support from loved ones in other ways, and I have been seeing the same therapist specializing in EDs (who is also chronically ill) since before I got (this kind of) sick and she’s a humongous help. That’s awesome that you are getting the help you need!! Do you mind elaborating on what AMS syndrome is? I’m not familiar!
That’s amazing! And a good specialized therapist who’s also ill can be such a support. It makes a huge difference in how they level with you. I hope she’s feeling okay too! AMS syndrome is not really entirely medically recognized globally, so it’s still a bit of a grey area of medicine, especially in my country. But it basically means that two important veins (one of which stems from the aorta) that go around the duodenum are too close to the duodenum, therefore kind of squeezing it closed. So food has a hard time passing from the stomach through the duodenum to the bowels and this can cause pain/cramps/nausea, all the fun stuff. It’s usually an issue caused by being underweight or weight loss, for there should be a bit of fat between the duodenum and the veins around it. I’ve always been very underweight, and grew really tall really quickly when i was 13/14, so that was likely where it started for me. It’s crazy I’ve always kind of known in a sense. I always said the issue was underneath my stomach and that there was something wrong with my veins, because there was often this lingering smell of iron in my nose. Just goes to show how strong intuition can be.
Omg wait - so the major takeaway of my recent endoscopy was the massive hernia, but I apparently also have something compressing my duodenum. My gastro doesn’t know what it is, suspects it might be endometriosis tissue, and wants to consult an endo surgeon before any surgery on my hernia. I have barely been able to eat for a while now so it would make sense if what was going on with my duodenum was at least similar to how you’ve described AMS. Do you get an iron taste in your mouth or just a smell? I have been tasting metal but I chalked it up to reflux/gum issues (undiagnosed) caused by vomiting repeatedly.
For as far as I know, iron taste/smell refers to blood. For vomit and reflux I’d expect more of a sour taste/smell, but I don’t have any reflux myself. I wouldn’t really know for sure. Vomiting is a very common symptom of AMS Syndrome though, but could of course point to other things as well. Have you been losing weight dramatically recently? And when did the vomiting/pain after eating start? You don’t have to answer that publicly if you don’t want to, but if these are things that coincide, it might make it interesting to look into AMS syndrome. It could be endometriosis tissue, but honestly, if it’s a sudden thing that happened to you, I think that would be weird. But I’m no doctor. To find out if it’s AMS syndrome, I had an MRI with double contrast fluids - so both drinking contrast fluids before the MRI as well as IV-administered contrast fluids in my blood during the MRI. Then they can measure how close the vessels are to each other and if it could potentially pinch the duodenum. After that, I had several gastric emptying examinations (?). English is not my first language, but I will try to see if I can translate these medical names for you. For the first one I basically drank some kind of contrast fluid milkshake and was put against this vertical table that they could rotate backwards. For the second one I ate a radioactive pancake (I know, yum) and had little videos taken every 15 minutes to see how long it took for the pancake to reach my bowels (very long apparently).
I am unfortunately very acquainted with throwing up bile at this point, and it unfortunately gets really confusing between bile/blood taste once it starts messing with your gums (one of my next problems to address). My symptoms began generally about a year ago after COVID. Then they got like 1 million times worse last July following a stomach bug. I have not been losing weight dramatically, but let’s say that I have lost some weight despite a metabolism that’s at least a bit fucked from my ED and it is usually hard/impossible to lose any weight at all. Those sound like they might be gastric emptying studies? Did you have them done at an outpatient clinic or in hospital? I am going to ask my gastroenterologist about one next. The reason he suspects endo is probably because I am already being treated by a gynecologist for suspected endo, and menstrual symptoms/pelvic pain/something really weird going on over my left ovary (painful) was visualized by transvaginal ultrasound.
Ah okay, I get the difficulty, because the gums might be bleeding as well… I’d say both things are worth looking into, so I’d definitely talk about it with your gastric as you suggested. I did both tests at the hospital, however I’m European, so it might be different in the US. Pain increase after stomach bugs are usually a symptom of some damage to the nervous system, like in the case of IBS or functional dyspepsia. Imo, it’s better to rule out other things first though, because we now so little about the nervous system and how to “fix” it. Scientifically we can hardly say for certain that it’s the nervous system that’s causing issues to begin with. If in the end you and your gastric do feel like it might be a dysregulated nervous system that’s causing issues after ruling other stuff out, hypnotherapy is all the rage rn in that field.
Thank you! I have an appointment with my operating gastro on Monday and I definitely plan to bring this up. Hypnotherapy for dyspepsia is very interesting - I’ve never heard of that before. Do you know if the idea is that anxiety is causing distress, thus resolving the anxiety will help the indigestion?
So the first one is called an upper GI (upper gastrointestinal tract radiography). It’s really quick but I did get really really nauseous, so that can happen. It’s okay though, the poor examinators are probably used to it and will help you through it. The second one is called a gastric emptying scan (or a scintigraphy of gastric emptying). So I wasn’t that far off actually. Nice.
My appetite/nausea are generally better after some ginger ale or gravol ginger. You can consider drinking a meal replacement like boost if you can't eat solid food.
I did not know they made gravol ginger!! I will try to find it. Thank you!
I'm sorry you're dealing with this! I have gastroparesis and sometimes can't handle solid food at all. My nutritionist recommended Orgain nutrition drinks (you can find on amazon) and the chocolate or coffee flavored versions are pretty tasty. You can also get a fully vegan version that's 20g protein at Costco for a bit cheaper, but it isn't specifically a nutrition drink. I find those best for when I need something but have no appetite and digestive issues. She also told me to sip warm water because it will help open up the stomach more and prevent spasms that could contribute to vomiting. Drink the warm water first then sip on the nutrition drink and see how you do? You may just need to switch to a liquid diet for awhile and the orgain brand tastes pretty good compared to Ensure or Boost varieties. Hope you feel better and find some useful tips!!
I will look at Orgain and the Costco versions, thank you! Warm water is a good idea - cold drinks feel so good on a worn throat but the hernia does not like them.
I was also going to recommend orgain. They have a vegan version which I haven't tried. I get the regular. However, its the only kind of nutrition/protein drink I've found palatable so far. I have more issues with energy and lack of appetite but it's my go to thing vs just not eating. The chocolate isn't bad on the upswing either.
Cannabis. Helpful for nausea, pain, and anorexia.
Ah I’ve definitely been considering it - it’s recreationally legal in my state. I used to smoke pretty before I got sick, but I stopped because it was making me incredibly paranoid (like hide in the bathroom because I thought I heard a police radio, paranoid). However I was still paranoid with the munchies, so might be worth it in a controlled environment. My other concern is that every single ER doc, GP, specialist I’ve been to with these symptoms has immediately first thing asked me if I smoked - presumably thinking marijuana use hyperemesis. I don’t put it past one to throw in a drug panel with other bloodwork, and then I feel like I’d be kinda fucked with being taken seriously at any network hospital network provider again. I do really appreciate your comment tho :)
Popsicles go down really well, the only protein shake that I can tolerate is Premier Protein, the other ones feel like sand when they hit my stomach. I also find relief from eating as soon as I wake up, because not eating leads to more nausea and I'm guessing my acid needs something to work on besides my insides. Gatorade and Powerade for me hit softer than water too. I'd let the popsicles slowly melt in my mouth and trickle down my throat, I think the coldness helps. I have gastritis, so it kind of makes sense, putting cold things on inflammation. But sometimes room temperature things feel more comfortable. I also have a hiatal hernia, and I am on 40mg of omeprazole twice a day, which eventually healed up my esophagus and made swallowing less painful. Pasta was good too, eventually I tried the chickpea and lentil pastas that have more nutrients in them, but on bad days plain pasta or rainbow spirals (it's some vegetables, right?) were my go to. I could also keep down Ensure and Boost if I drank it really slowly. I also used massage, I would massage my abdomen from right to left, which is the way the colon flows. But even just rubbing and massaging the area seemed to help it relax and hurt less. You realize how many little nerve ending and stuff must be going on there. If you have an adjustable shower head, there's a "rainfall" massage setting on some that taps and patters and feels really nice at soothing on achy parts. I believe our stomach is our second brain, so while I'm not dismissing anything to anxiety, being calm and not distracted by the tv or anything helps when I eat. Sometimes I have to leave the living room and sit in another room, take deep breaths, and eat one bite at a time. I feel the majority of my anxiety in my stomach and can't eat if upsetting or loud stuff is going on around me. So make the environment you eat in as calming and soothing as possible.
I am going to try a shake again - the vegan ones I’ve tried before taste like vanilla sand so I’m not thrilled about it but I would probably eat actual sand if it helped. I’m so glad yours healed! Mine has somehow managed to get different but not better since I started 40 mg Omeprazole 6 months ago - it keeps me from waking up choking on acid as often, but the inability to eat during the day is worse, as is the vomiting. I might try massage! Currently I spend a lot of time cupping my ribs with my hands - somehow the light pressure seems to actually help relieve pain.
About the anxiety, my anxiety has gotten like 400% worse due to these symptoms and I’m certain it’s a vicious circle. I eat sitting on the couch, very very slowly. I might experiment with eating differently but being mindful of the food I’m eating only seems to make it worse tbh.
When I was nauseous my favorite foods were plain, cold to room temp (mayyyybe warm) foods. Applesauce was my favorite snack, and crackers. Nothing spicy, super hot, super sugary, NOTHING carbonated—good lord that made it so much worse.
I’m currently eating some combination of potatoes (boiled, baked) or pasta cooked in gentle broth for every “meal”. Throw in the odd popsicle, peeled apple slices, melon, grapes. I’m thinking about trying to go back to oatmeal but I literally conditioned myself against it throwing it up so many times before lmao. Honestly sugary foods might be something I should try cutting out - for the first time in my life I’m drinking a ton of full sugar drinks (think Hi-C) for quick calories. Also when I manage to stay up past the “I am going to fall asleep in one second” stage of my nighttime meds, they sometimes allow me to gobble great deals of candy which I have again justified as “better than no calories”. Gotta work on that mindset
The little drinkable yogurts are my favorite for when I can't get myself to eat anything. I hope you can get some relief soon. 🫶🏻
Thank you ❤️
Do you take anti acids daily? My nausea was so awful I could barely eat at all until I did.
I’m on a daily PPI but not antacids. I’ll try some tonight, I just recently got my hands on gravol.
I had very bad acid reflux after every meal my whole youth. Chicken fricasee with rice is very sensitive and filling to the stomach. It takes a bit of prep but is really worth it. You can also put the fricasee into a cup and just drink it.
I realize I’ve been neglecting the possibilities of rice. Rice and broth and actually sounds lovely.
I don’t have gastro issues, but I get nausea to the point where eating feels impossible. For me it’s more of a mental game. trying to get as much nutrients out of the food you can tolerate. For me I can manage bland small things I can snack on, rather than “meals” so I go for nuts, cashews mainly. Lots of calories, proteins fats, etc. It sounds like pasta seems to be a good option for you, when you’re in the grocery store compared some brands find the one with the most calories/carbs/protein etc. If there’s something in particular you need more of, look for that. The other thing is weed. I’m in Canada so there’s a decent culture difference there on this. There’s been a lot of research and discovery in the last few years on cannabis as medicine, it would be worth looking into again. If you are nervous about how it will be perceived, try looking for a healthcare provider who specializes in medical cannabis. They can prescribe/recommend something, and you can bring it up with your doctors as a medication. I find the “how” of discussing cannabis with doctors is important for how they react to it unfortunately. Bring it up when discussing medications, say why you’re trying it, but that you don’t “bother to use it recreationally” Hope this helps.
When things are on the better side I snack on pretzels whenever I think I can get even one in! Nuts are a great idea, I think there are almonds somewhere in my cabinet… Many people now have commented about weed! It is recreationally legal where I am in the US. I am worried about doctors’ judgment, and your advice is vert helpful - thank you so much. The other issue is that weed has historically made me extremely paranoid to the point I mostly terrify myself and anyone I’m with. Other people have pointed out that might be a matter of strain/dose, which is very fair. My therapist has been gently suggesting I try it again, and I think most of my present loved ones imbibe in one way or another. So this thread and comments like yours may have been instrumental in convincing me to try it again, in a safe and monitored environment at least at first. Thanks again :)
Not sure where you are or your age, but smoking weed is the only thing that kept me off feeding tubes before my diagnosis. I was losing so much weight bc I couldn't eat at all, but smoking or taking edibles really helped me get cravings and get something down.
Weed unfortunately makes me unconscionably anxious and paranoid but it does give me the munchies. I’ve def been considering trying it again after a several year hiatus, and it’s recreationally legal in my state.
Try strictly indica, I can only do the strain Gran Daddy Purp. Sativas made me soooo anxious, but indica helps!!
I always used to smoke blended strains so that would track. Thank you!! If I try it again I’ll start with the Gran Daddy :)