After a painful Christmas I went for my gi appointment yesterday. The doctor was lovely and told me to go to a and e next time and by pass the Gp. She thinks I have a partial blockage and has suggested I have low carb and low fibre small meals little and often and to think about the meal replacement drinks
One can anyone advise what they have eaten in similar circumstances and two of there is a good food replacement to try. I've only heard of ensure. Is there anything better?
Thank you ladies
Doesn't look like I'll be touching any of my naughty Christmas gifts for a while xx
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Welshandproud
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I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been in such pain. The only thing I’ve heard of is complan which you can buy in boots. A nutribullet can turn fruit and veg (with water or milk or yoghurt) into a pleasant smoothie which could be easier to consume. I do hope you soon recover and can dip into the naughty treats again.
Thank you so much. I hadn't thought of complan. Good idea. It seems such a shame that there is so much lovely Christmas food my house and I can't have it. Would the fruit be lower fibre after being nutribulleted? If so that sounds like a solution. Thank you xxx
I think the fibre is still there but not so bulky and you don’t need much fruit or veg to make a lovely nutritious drink. Juicing is less fibre which could be another solution but it’s a different machine . Xxx
So sorry to hear you have been unwell over Christmas.
When I had a similar problem I followed a Low Residue diet and it really helped. There are quite a few advice sheets from a number of NHs trusts available on line. I liked the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS one.
A low residue (or low fibre) diet means cutting out all whole meal breads and pastas, brown rice, pulses, beans, anything with a tough outer layer like sweet corn or peas, most raw fruit (but canned or steamed/pureed is OK). Veg has to be well cooked and soft (not al dente). I was recommending juicing, rather than nutribullet as there is still a lot of fibre in the drinks a nutribullet produces. You can eat ‘white’ versions of most carbs and things like cornflakes or rice crispies for breakfast.
I’m not going to lie, it’s a pain in the arse, but the aim is not to ‘bulk’ out the stool so that it can pass more easily through the restricted bowel.
I was given a set of diet sheets after my obstruction, and if you would like them, I’m happy to email a copy to you. Send me a private message with your email address and I can pass them on.
My mum was also given diet sheets. There are plenty available if you google low fibre diet. It’s a shock at first because it’s all the things you are usually told not to have - white bread, white pasta, potato but no skin, cakes ! I seem to recall berries were ok but most fruit was out, apart from tinned fruit.
I don’t think nutribullet recipes make any difference - you still need to avoid the fibre. The issue is not as you chew/swallow it, but how the fibre absorbs water in your intestine. If the food swells, it struggles to get through narrow areas and can cause a blockage. Low fibre doesn’t absorb as much do it just works it’s way through.
This is so confusing and as you say, it feels wrong to be avoiding all those things that are usually meant to be good for us. Still I'm sure I'll get used to it xx
Just to say Low Fibre and Low Residue Diets are two different things. Cannot remember the exact details but wanted you to know for when you are gathering your information.
If you ask your doctor you can get something called forty juice it has all the nutrients in it you need and should be a lot easier to consume than complan as it’s more of a juice drink than smoothie xxx
I was given these as well.Lots of different flavours, I was asked which ones I preferred.The ones I had were made by Nutrica and are high in calories.This is very good if you are not eating as they will keep you going whilst you are poorly xx
I agree bananas can bind and cause a lot of gas. I’ve been blending my fruits and vegetables. I had to stop the bananas because of the gas pain. On the other hand pastina cooked to absorb all the liquid is very easy to digest and sort of a comfort food. Sprinkle with a little butter and grated cheese. I’m not usually a “white food” eater, with intestinal pain you have to adjust. Drink lots of water. I also found lemon ginger tea helped. Hugs.
Yes, I am also on a low residue diet - although I’ve started to introduce a little fibre now. I Googled and printed off a diet sheet. It’s hard to know when and how to reintroduce fibre (I tried beans too early - the pain told me it was too early!). I have an appointment with a dietitian on7th January but I doubt I’ll learn anything I don’t already know.
Be careful with NutriBullet etc because as Yoshbosh and Meboo say, there is still fibre.
I also have to take Docusate Sodium 2 twice daily and stool softeners to prevent blockage.
Just so you know, you are not being a whimp by going direct to A&E - even a partial blockage can lead to a life-threatening condition - and pain that only I/V meds will alleviate; then there is the dehydration, I/V fluids are needed for that too.
Good luck finding out what works for you (because it’s not easy) but prevention of blockages is far better than having to cure them.
Happy New Year with Hugs,
Iris xx
Ps there was a post thread about 8 months ago about constipation you might find interesting
Thank you for that Iris. I have started eating a low fibre diet but it seems so wrong when I thought that my high fruit and vegetable intake was protecting me from a cancer recurrence . I used to take docusate sodium too but my gi consultant changed my laxatives to laxido and prucalapride. They don't seem to have made much of a difference yet Hopefully they will help.
pps I bought a peeler that I can peel fruit with from Lakeland (don’t eat skin), and you can eat dairy and chocolate! I’m a vegetarian so had problems cutting out pulses and I’m putting on too much weight due to too much dairy products (and chocolate!). Broccoli is a good green veg veg, cooked of course. Pulses, seeds and nuts are the worst things you can eat.
I lived on complan and ensure shakes. Plus liquidated chicken mixed into chicken soup and mashed steamed salmon. I was told absolutely no fibre at all no fruit no vegetables and nothing with skins as I was warned I could risk permanent damage to my bowel. I lived like this for 4 months but I saved my bowel. It was a block sigmoid colon caused by a mass in my abdomen pressing down on it. Very scary they could not get colostomy. Camera through. Good luck
When I had a blockage I went to A&E and was admitted to hospital for 5 days.I was advised not to eat anything until I could go to the loo then no fibre for 2 weeks so I ate mainly fish and veg and very light meals. Didn't stop alcohol though. No one mentioned replacement meals. I avoided nuts and seeds for 2 weeks but went back to normal. That was a year ago and I've been fine since.
It can recur at any time apparently and the consultant said if it did recur to starve for a few days and if it didn't unblock itself to go to A&E again.
Yes the chemo released it after 3 x 3 weekly treatments. Now had 6 chemos. Good luck stay off nuts anything with skins. When mine released consultant told me not to eat anything I could not chew to nothing in my mouth but that was after it had unblocked itself
Dear Welsh, In the past, I have tried "Muscle Milk". It helped me maintain my muscle mass through 6 years of chemo. I also used Miralax for constipation. It is an osmotic laxative. Always ask your GP or GI doc if it's ok for you first! Best wishes🥰Margaret
I found a little prune juice each day no or very little bread pasta potatoes was the most comfortable and natural way to stop and maintain any blockages
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