Before the Smaller Portion was released from hospital a dietician came to see him. She was young, she was earnest and she stressed that his diet would have to change radically for the next six to eight weeks while his gut settles down.
As little fibre as possible.
A maximum of one piece of fruit a day (and preferably less). With a perfectly straight face she told him that if he ate grapes they had to be seedless and peeled.
Vegetables to be kept to a minimum and if he must have them they should be peeled, boiled and mashed to within an inch of their lives.
Water is bad.
Lemonade is good.
Increased salt.
No spicy food (which, if he was eating, would make him suffer)
Listening to her, I struggled. I badly wanted to laugh. Although I do understand that this is about being as gentle to his intestines as possible it almost completely contradicts any dietary advice I have ever heard or read. After she left I told the Smaller Portion that it sounded like he should just eat at Maccas for the next eight weeks. He didn't laugh. I did.
The dietician added that he would need to eat often to ensure that the ileostomy was working as it should. The pharmacist who dispensed the medication he left hospital with added that he was likely to be nauseous and that the remedy was small amounts of food.
The Smaller Portion has eating issues at the best of times. This is not the best of times. Since he was admitted to hospital on Tuesday of last week he has kept down three or four strawberries and a teeny weeny bowl of yogurt. He waits until he is on the verge of vomiting, has a little food and throws up. He then tells me (either explicitly or with meaningful stares) that he knew that eating was a bad idea.
To say that I am angry and frustrated is an understatement. He is a grown man and it is his decision but it is not an easy one to watch. So I did a shift at Lifeline yesterday as a form of respite. And it was.
As little fibre as possible.
A maximum of one piece of fruit a day (and preferably less). With a perfectly straight face she told him that if he ate grapes they had to be seedless and peeled.
Vegetables to be kept to a minimum and if he must have them they should be peeled, boiled and mashed to within an inch of their lives.
Water is bad.
Lemonade is good.
Increased salt.
No spicy food (which, if he was eating, would make him suffer)
Listening to her, I struggled. I badly wanted to laugh. Although I do understand that this is about being as gentle to his intestines as possible it almost completely contradicts any dietary advice I have ever heard or read. After she left I told the Smaller Portion that it sounded like he should just eat at Maccas for the next eight weeks. He didn't laugh. I did.
The dietician added that he would need to eat often to ensure that the ileostomy was working as it should. The pharmacist who dispensed the medication he left hospital with added that he was likely to be nauseous and that the remedy was small amounts of food.
The Smaller Portion has eating issues at the best of times. This is not the best of times. Since he was admitted to hospital on Tuesday of last week he has kept down three or four strawberries and a teeny weeny bowl of yogurt. He waits until he is on the verge of vomiting, has a little food and throws up. He then tells me (either explicitly or with meaningful stares) that he knew that eating was a bad idea.
To say that I am angry and frustrated is an understatement. He is a grown man and it is his decision but it is not an easy one to watch. So I did a shift at Lifeline yesterday as a form of respite. And it was.
