Bland Diet Info please!

[Knitter]

Please let me know what I can eat.... I am currently on a diet of plain crackers, dry toast, plain rice, farley cookies, arrowroot cookies and gatorade. If I add margarine to the toast it starts the D again. This is all I've been able to eat so far. I am so hungry! Can anyone make any suggestions for me? P.S. I am lactose intolerant and have been since my first bout of C. Diff. four years ago!

[Fire2]

This is a very interesting question...My GI firmly believes in the see it, want it eat diet. If it bothers you then avoid it for a while. It worked for me. I realize that a lot of folks will disagree, but everyone's different and will react to some foods differently. He was concerned that the bland diet could create a problem due to the lack of minerals and vitamins needed by the body engaged in a serious conflict with the C-Diff.

Fire

[carrie]

how about some instant oatmeal with rice milk,bananas. I'd suggest cutting out the gatorade that can be tough on your stomach and make some home made chicken(use ground if you have to) and rice soup with some shredded carrots and maybe some peeled zuchinni and maybe some pureed mushrooms they are also gentle on the stomach and have the kind of fibre that slows things down. I use to use rice noodles lots to - they absorb all that extra liquid in your gut and slow things down. I also started by steaming peaches and putting them with my oatmeal. The funny thing is that very one onthis sight seems to tolerate different things. There is no way I can even take gatorade or any supplemental nutritional drink like ensure or boost and I still cant 3 years later but many on this sight can. It is truley trial and error but try to find the veggies that slows things down a bit - maybe do a search on the internet - you could try a diet suggested for those with IBS but expect your stomach may not react the same as others. Just keep trying you'll find some things that work.

[Christina]

I agree with Fire. I eat almost anything except beans.I even drink coffee every morning. Everyone's system is different and one person may not be able to tolerate what another person can. You may need to experiment a bit and see what bothers you and what doesn't. You do need to make sure that you are getting enough nutrients or you may become too weak. I have a great book called Breaking the Viscous Cycle that has great bland recipes for starter foods. Most of them can be looked up online by googling Specific Carb. diet. Boiling a whole organic chicken in a pot of water with carrots is a great starter. Boil it for about 4 hours with the carrots and then remove the carrots and puree them adding them back into the broth after. Remove the chicken from the bone and enjoy! I add sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Even my kids love it.

[Knitter]

Thanks ladies. None of those things have been tolerated well. The only things that don't make me "D" in that wonderful orange colour etc. are the ones I already listed and those are not gonna help. I only have one BM a day, but it is not "normal". I tried some plain macaroni last night, but that didn't go over too big! I am getting bitc*y from lack of "real food" or so the hubby says. To make matters worse my daughter and her hubby are on their first ever vacation together alone without the kids, and I am at their house, with the kids! I am bleaching the heck out of everything. I am wearing vinyl medical gloves when I go to the bathroom and those are going in a sealed bag as soon as I finish with them, so no kid can touch them. I had to change my pills to three times a day because the middle of the night one was waking up both kids. I will be home Sunday night and will start my old four a day routine Monday morning at 3 a.m. I love my kids but OMG am I ever tired. My hands are dry and chapped from washing them so much and bleaching them so no kid gets any germs from me.

Once again, thanks for the suggestions!

[Fire2]

Ladies ?? I've been called a lot of things but never that. As I said in my earlier post everybody is different. Keep trying until you find something that stays. Ensure would be a good idea, as would good multi-vitamin. As for bleaching everything...you're not Typhoid Mary. I share 1/4s with my crew and no-one got C-diff even when I was relapsing. We just used normal good hygiene, and a lot of hand washing. ( sounds like something that Fire would say....you're right it's Fire... I just had to re-register due to a server issue.)

Fire

[Bobbie]

Vivid, explicit details belong in TMI.

I agree with Roy about "the colors." Omit or put in TMI. OR check with your doctor if you are concerned.

[Vikingjeff28]

After losing 35 pounds the first 3 months in 2008 with it I drank 6 ensures(lactose and gluten free) a day and it brought me back, slowly. I then went gluten free for 3 months to give my guts time to heal. Finally I was a t a near normal diet again. Well, when I relapsed again 9 months later I said"I am not gonna lose 35 pounds again and all my muscle and mind" so I began a pain regimen that allowed me to eat reasonable food, ie. chicken, potatoes, rice, fish, while taking the vanco. It worked very well for me as I missed very little work, controlled my weight and strength and remained sane. This is not for first time relapsers as I have relapsed 7 times thus far. I found 2 very compassionate and caring dr's who helped me live darn near normal thru the last 4 relapses. Hopefully, I will remain C Diff free, it has been over 60 days since last vanco but gut is nowhere near normal as it still KILLS me from time to time for days, thus the pain regimen. Now, I do not fear relapses any more, I have a plan to defeat it even if I have it and have learned to live with it if it comes again. Anyway, ensure, chicken soup(they have gluten free) things like that should help you.

[Bobbie]

Jeff,
Glad you are doing better.

Good idea to have Plans A, B. and C when dealing with C. diff. It's one h... of a strange infections.

[Knitter]

Sorry Bobbie, I forgot about the TMI. It's been a few years (that's my only excuse). Today I made my plain rice with liquid chicken bovril, but after eating it (and really enjoying the flavour) I looked on the side of the bottle and noticed 935 mg of SALT. I am hoping now that I am not going to have a problem tomorrow. We shall see. Yesterday I tried some soya sauce on my rice (just a bit) and... well TMI is all I can say!

Thanks for all the answers and suggestions. I am going to try little things, one new one each day! That way I know what bothers me and what does not.