Difficulties Introducing Foods

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Kuro
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Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby Kuro » Fri May 25, 2018 6:05 pm

Hi all,

Just back to grumble to the world some more, I guess. :)

I'm 44 days post-Vanco, though I've had my scary moments where I thought IT was back. Hard to believe I've gone a month with this, and halfway to 12 weeks, a bigger milestone as I understand it.

Right now, I'm having trouble introducing new foods beyond the BRAT diet. I'm concerned about this after 44 days, and have lost a lot of weight (though I was admittedly obese from my former diet -- I'm not now). Almost nothing else seems to agree with me and just leads to an upset stomach. I do have a Post IBS diagnosis, but it seems like people with PI-IBS whose posts I read were still able to eat more stuff early on.

My successes in adding stuff have been baked chicken breast, which I have every day, and (maybe) a croissant I ate last night. Almond butter, Ensure Plus, some gluten free crackers, some sourdough pretzel crackers and a few other things all bombed. I am especially disappointed by the Ensure, because I had high hopes that I would tolerate it and really be able to up my calorie intake.

I saw my GI yesterday and expressed all of this to him, and tried to get at the fact that I was worried something else might be going on. He's run every test under the sun short of a colonoscopy, though, which I don't want and he didn't even bring up. Everything has been fine. He told me that he's seem people with CDI get into a sort of PTSD-like mindset about food, where they try something and it doesn't work, so they become afraid and never try it again. Says I need to keep trying the foods, that some loose stools is okay.

He's a little hard to read, because some things he says really line up with the experts and knowledge on this site, some do not. He knew he normally should not test again, which was a big winner for me in terms of his facts. He did not seem to agree that some people really, really can't eat some foods, though he acknowledged food intolerances do happen. I'm just worried that I'm going to waste away, even though he said he could stand to see me lose another 10lbs.

Maybe I am being dramatic for this point in my recovery. Maybe I do have that PTSD-like obsession he mentioned and should try things again. Not sure if he is on to something or if I should be better in the dietary sense by now. I don't care about gaining or losing, I just want to stop my weight loss for right now.

NanciT
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby NanciT » Fri May 25, 2018 7:48 pm

Adding foods can be a slow process for some, other's seem to go back to eating" before CDIFF" right away. It is very individual. Maybe meet with a dietitian who can help you with this.
I was on medications for a year and it has taken me a very very long time....diagnosed in 3/14 and here I am in 2018 eating alot of chicken. I have tried beef 4 times over the last two years and had issues each time. It has been a slow process but in my case I was on Dificid for months and attribute that to my issues. I work and often am reluctant to try things new until the weekends. Its a process.
As far as weight, it takes time to put it back but if you are worried see a dietitian. They can guide you as you slowly add new things.
It has not been very long, give yourself time to get better
NanciT

Kuro
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby Kuro » Fri May 25, 2018 10:27 pm

Thanks, Nanci. You are always very reassuring to me.

I'm actually now at what would be a healthy weight for my height, if I could just stop losing at this point. Unfortunately, I am just not getting nearly enough calories in the day. I wish that I could take medications, but I can't take antispasmodics. I tried to bring up Enteragam with the GI, but he didn't comment on it after I mentioned it.

For now, I guess I'll keep trying and hope. I have a very stressful trip 1hr trip to a very unpleasant pain management doctor (I wish I still had the doctor she replaced) coming up. That is not doing me good in the stomach or anywhere else anxiety-wise. They say I can take Immodium for the trip, but I've taken just one gel capsule of it before and hated the way it made me feel.

Ugh, stress. :)

beth22
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby beth22 » Sat May 26, 2018 1:29 am

Take some Pepto Bismol along with you on the trip. I never travel without it. It took me a very long time to start gaining weight and I had a lot of food intolerances at the beginning. I was told that I most likely was not absorbing all of what I ate because of the damage to the GI tract. I don't know if this is true or not, but that is what a doctor told me. I could not tolerate Ensure at all either. What besides chicken are you eating? Can you eat rice, potatoes? I guess if you ate a croissant, you can tolerate gluten, so maybe pasta? Some people have had success with eating smaller meals, but more of them. I used to eat a croissant in the evening with some chamomile tea, but then I switched to madeleine cookies. One cookie has about 120 calories, so I would eat that for dessert after my dinner and it did not bother me. Can you tolerate cooked vegetables like zucchini or carrots? You can make vegetable soup and put it through the blender so it is easier to digest. I think seeing a nutritionist or dietician is a good idea as well. He or she can give you some ideas of what is easier to digest, nutritious, and can help you put on weight.

Kuro
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby Kuro » Sat May 26, 2018 1:38 am

I've been thinking about trying Pepto instead of Immodium, so maybe I will get some. It's 1hr there and 1hr back, so hopefully I can make it. I was really hoping she would excuse me from the visit (it's just a short visit to refill some meds), but my calls aren't being returned. Per usual with her. Her predecessor gave me her direct email address!

Anyway. I have pretty much stuck to BRAT. I added baked chicken breast, and the croissants *seem* to be going okay. I had my first of those last night and another tonight, and they have 260 calories each. Not the healthiest food, but calories are more important right now. The bread I eat, and I eat a lot of sliced bread as toast, is 110 calories a slice and I'll usually have six or so slices a day. I eat jasmine rice, which is 200 calories a cup, and the baked chicken breast meat gets mixed with it for something like 165 calories.

That is really my entire diet spectrum right now. I'm trying to wait until I have no appointments with anybody to resume attempting new foods, but ever since I got sick, they just don't seem to stop coming up! My mom found an almond butter that has the oil mixed in (the one I failed on was very oily), so maybe I will try that and see if I handle it better. As for vegetables, well, I know I was able to eat cooked carrots with my chicken and rice when I was on Vancomycin. I was also able to eat some boiled potatoes. Have been thinking of trying a baked one. Of course, I could tolerate a lot of stuff on Vanco.

The smaller meals thing is something I am looking at trying to do. I thought about maybe fitting in a lunch and having a chicken sandwich. Yes, it's more of the same foods, but at least I can tolerate them and it's more calories/protein.
Last edited by Kuro on Sat May 26, 2018 1:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

beth22
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby beth22 » Sat May 26, 2018 1:41 am

I ate those croissants for quite a while too and they did not bother me. I use rice milk in Rice Krispies cereal and that works for me too. I can tolerate English muffins as well.

roy
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby roy » Sat May 26, 2018 6:08 am

I don't recall you mentioning long term use of pain medication before.
Pain meds can cause a lot of GI problems, in fact almost all the symptoms you describe can be down to pain meds.
Does your GI Dr talk with your pain med Dr and the Dr that treats your anxiety?
I am guessing that your on quite a cocktail of chemicals, that's not always a good thing.

Kuro
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby Kuro » Sat May 26, 2018 4:43 pm

Roy,

Yes, I have been under pain management care for an incurable syndrome for 12 years. I've mentioned it before.

That being said, I only take one low grade pain pill and Valium for anxiety. I did not have stomach issues like these - more very mild IBS - prior to when the CDIFF stuff began. In fact, not until I came off of Vanco. Prior, I was able to eat almost anything I wasn't allergic to and which wasn't an obvious IBS trigger. Pain management for the other condition isn't optional, unfortunately.

My anxiety very likely needs *more* control, not less. I have avoided raising my Valium back up to this point but do intend to discuss the issue with my psych.

As for my GI communicating with them, he is fully informed of what I am taking and so forth but is confident I had CDIFF and am in recovery. I realize that you look at my case as not having been CDIFF, Roy, but I have decided that's what it was until proven otherwise ... and I hope beyond hope for a continued recovery. Nothing has been the same since late February.

Ril
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby Ril » Mon May 28, 2018 7:23 pm

I had severe PIIBS for a long time. I did require medication but also had to manage food intolerances.
I could eat instant oatmeal (unflavored), eggs - no grease, toast, pasta, rice, potatoes, plain grilled or baked meats and fish, very limited cooked veggies and absolutely no salad or raw veggies or fruit, no alcohol, no fried food or sweets.

Kuro
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby Kuro » Mon May 28, 2018 10:52 pm

Of your list, Ril, toast, rice, and baked chicken are my staple foods. Even they sometimes hit me, though not nearly as often. I wouldn't dare try fried foods, though I have to admit that going out into the kitchen and seeing the gourmet cookies my parents brought home is a challenging siren song. I had a love of sweets before all this.

I've been trying to add new things, because I have to keep my weight up or I know it's going to otherwise lead to more tests and (of course, with dread) a colonoscopy. Unfortunately, success has still been limited at best. Small croissants are maybe okay, and this smooth, no stir almond butter I found from Jif might also be okay. It seems to change as it will.

Were I a woman, I'd be a lot closer to the 1500 colories to maintain. Unfortunately, as a guy, I'm not getting anywhere close - though I am still at the high end of the healthy weight range now. I was well past overweight when this began.

Bobbie
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby Bobbie » Thu May 31, 2018 3:43 am

Chicken is one of easiest foods to digest and can be used in various ways. See CDI- Nutrition.

justme
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Re: Difficulties Introducing Foods

Postby justme » Mon Jun 04, 2018 6:16 pm

It's been 5 years since I had C. Diff, but I still have episodes of IBS every day (and especially when I try to reintroduce food from a food group that gave me problems during C.Diff and recovery). The three "S" groups are the worst offenders - salads, sweets, and spices. Gourd vegetables like eggplant and zuccini) were the easiest on my system. I also found apples, bananas, and papaya (if you can get it), the easiest fruits on a sensitive intestinal system. In fact, I ate a banana every day. They are loaded with calories and very easy to digest. Eggs and chicken are good protein providers (plus chicken is arguably the most versatile protein). I also found some cook books on Amazon written by people who have intestinal issues. Take it one day at a time. You will eventually (although slowly) be able to regain your ability to consume a lot of the food you love, but it will take time. Don't rush it!
Aloha,
Anne


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