My complicated relationship with food
Hello all! Exams are over!! Hurray! Now its time to start studying for my SAT on Saturday... ugh. Ah well, even with an extremely busy life, things are going pretty good for me. Some fun stuff has been going on. Here in the suburbs of Washington DC, the Inauguration was pretty cool to see (even if just from your television). Also exciting, my blog was just added to the resource section of the Oley Foundations website, meaning that people who need advice or hope are even more likely to see my blog.
For those of you who don't know the Oley Foundation is a foundation that works to better the lives of people that are receiving intravenous nutrition and tube feeding through education, outreach and networking. They hold annual conferences where people can get together to meet other people in similar situations and swap stories and advice. I have been to the conference 2 times, once when i was 10 and it was held in Utah, and once when i was 14 when it was held in New York. Their website has a lot of good information, so if anyone is interested the link is one the right.
On to other topics, How about food. Food is a very important part of my life. Not only for the obvious reasons like you the fact that you can't survive without it, but also because i love to cook and food is delicious! However food is definitely one of those things that can be sometimes hard if you have short gut. My condition can often limit what i eat, when i eat, or sometimes even if i eat.
Being careful of what you eat is huge part of maintaining a healthy life style, even if you don't have short gut. You have to eat food that is good for you, you have to be careful and avoid any food that you're allergic to, and you have to keep track of it all whilst dealing with a busy life. When you have short gut, it's even more complicated. Because you don't absorb all of your nutrients anyway, you have to try and eat food that can be broken down easily. For example, i eat cream of wheat for breakfast most days. That is something that is easy on my stomach meaning that i probably absorb it pretty well. Just like someone facing food allergies i have to be careful of what i eat. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to really tough steak or lots of raw veggies. Those types of foods break down very slowly and are very hard for the stomach to deal with.
Being careful when you eat stuff has recently become an even bigger concern. When a person becomes dehydrated, everything in your body has to work even harder. Your intestines don't work as well, your heart beats faster, you get headaches, and your muscles hurt. When i get dehydrated and my intestines stop working as well, i have to be careful of what i eat. Even though i might be hungry, i have to be careful because by eating something before my intestines can break it down, i cause myself to get sick. Recently I've had to get good at judging my hydration levels in order to determine whether it's more important to lie on the couch and give myself a 1000 ml bolus, or eat an after-school snack.
And finally, i have to decide even if i can eat. One of the hardest decisions to make is to not eat. When you're really hungry, every fiber of your being is saying "EAT! You'll be fine, just EAT!" But when my intestines aren't working properly, sometimes you have to decide that it would be a bad decision to eat anything. However that, is something you need to know about yourself. Because your parents and friends don't want to see you suffer. So when you tell them "I'm so hungry" they might not always realize that they need to remain strong and not let you eat anything. It has to be a conscious decision of you telling yourself, "My stomach hurts. I've thrown up. If i continue to eat, my stomach will not be able to heal. It is my responsibility to not eat, in order for my stomach and intestines to get a chance to recuperate.
Well, here is a very detailed description of something i go through every time i sit down to eat. But this can apply to anyone. Not just someone with short gut. Anyone who has issues with weight, or health or someone who doesn't even have problems with their health can take the same message out of this. The message that what you eat and put into your body affects you. Dehydration affects you. Food affects you. But most important of all is the ability to know your body well enough that you can make decisions about your well being. Knowing your body is the best way to stay healthy.
I hope everyone has a wonderful night. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me soon. Adios!
For those of you who don't know the Oley Foundation is a foundation that works to better the lives of people that are receiving intravenous nutrition and tube feeding through education, outreach and networking. They hold annual conferences where people can get together to meet other people in similar situations and swap stories and advice. I have been to the conference 2 times, once when i was 10 and it was held in Utah, and once when i was 14 when it was held in New York. Their website has a lot of good information, so if anyone is interested the link is one the right.
On to other topics, How about food. Food is a very important part of my life. Not only for the obvious reasons like you the fact that you can't survive without it, but also because i love to cook and food is delicious! However food is definitely one of those things that can be sometimes hard if you have short gut. My condition can often limit what i eat, when i eat, or sometimes even if i eat.
Being careful of what you eat is huge part of maintaining a healthy life style, even if you don't have short gut. You have to eat food that is good for you, you have to be careful and avoid any food that you're allergic to, and you have to keep track of it all whilst dealing with a busy life. When you have short gut, it's even more complicated. Because you don't absorb all of your nutrients anyway, you have to try and eat food that can be broken down easily. For example, i eat cream of wheat for breakfast most days. That is something that is easy on my stomach meaning that i probably absorb it pretty well. Just like someone facing food allergies i have to be careful of what i eat. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to really tough steak or lots of raw veggies. Those types of foods break down very slowly and are very hard for the stomach to deal with.
Being careful when you eat stuff has recently become an even bigger concern. When a person becomes dehydrated, everything in your body has to work even harder. Your intestines don't work as well, your heart beats faster, you get headaches, and your muscles hurt. When i get dehydrated and my intestines stop working as well, i have to be careful of what i eat. Even though i might be hungry, i have to be careful because by eating something before my intestines can break it down, i cause myself to get sick. Recently I've had to get good at judging my hydration levels in order to determine whether it's more important to lie on the couch and give myself a 1000 ml bolus, or eat an after-school snack.
And finally, i have to decide even if i can eat. One of the hardest decisions to make is to not eat. When you're really hungry, every fiber of your being is saying "EAT! You'll be fine, just EAT!" But when my intestines aren't working properly, sometimes you have to decide that it would be a bad decision to eat anything. However that, is something you need to know about yourself. Because your parents and friends don't want to see you suffer. So when you tell them "I'm so hungry" they might not always realize that they need to remain strong and not let you eat anything. It has to be a conscious decision of you telling yourself, "My stomach hurts. I've thrown up. If i continue to eat, my stomach will not be able to heal. It is my responsibility to not eat, in order for my stomach and intestines to get a chance to recuperate.
Well, here is a very detailed description of something i go through every time i sit down to eat. But this can apply to anyone. Not just someone with short gut. Anyone who has issues with weight, or health or someone who doesn't even have problems with their health can take the same message out of this. The message that what you eat and put into your body affects you. Dehydration affects you. Food affects you. But most important of all is the ability to know your body well enough that you can make decisions about your well being. Knowing your body is the best way to stay healthy.
I hope everyone has a wonderful night. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me soon. Adios!
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