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Food and Diet
One thing that kids won’t like about IBD is that they’re going to lose all of their foods. If they liked foods that had cheese in them, they’re not going to be happy, because cheese can really bother your stomach and cause cramping and things like that. You might lose fried foods too. I lost almost all of my favorite foods as soon as I found out that I had Crohn’s. And when I was admitted into the hospital, I was not allowed to eat anything and could only drink water and get the fluids through an IV. I did not like that at all, because I am so used to having new foods. But one thing I want to say to kids is that they might have to get used to that for a little while, but it will get better, and they will eventually be able to have their foods. I am also lactose intolerant; I took pills for that and now I can have foods with lactose in them once in a while and it doesn’t bother my stomach, so I don’t even need to take the pills for that. But what I found is that lactose intolerant pills not only help me digest lactose, but they also help if I’m eating fried foods and other things that aggravate my IBD— they just help settle my stomach. But that only works when you’re on the mend, like I have been lately. I have two things to say about foods. What I really learned with my headaches, my stomach and everything, is do not have processed meats, like bologna and hot dogs. If you’re a hot dog lover, you’re going to be in deep trouble with IBD. And another thing: I’m not sure if anybody else might like them, but I know pretty much my whole family and I did not like hot dogs without whey. They are probably good for your stomach and easier to digest, but do not get the hot dogs without whey. It’s just does not taste good. We threw out the whole package!
I did have to drink the Boost and the Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks to get more nutrition than I was getting from food. It was really nasty and awful to drink them. But at the same time having my parents there encouraging me and telling me that if I did these then I’d probably get better and that I’ve come so far already was really helpful. Just realizing that I had come that far and that if I just kept working harder, I would probably get even better would push me to work as hard as I could and just concentrate on what I had to do.
For me it’s hard because I’ll have something that I really like to eat and then I’ll start eating. And then after a while I’ll just notice that even though I haven’t eaten that much, I’m just full. And I just can’t eat anymore.
I can’t eat things like peanuts or corn because they’re hard to digest. Some people have to change their entire diet, but the changes I have had to make have had mostly to do with medicine, not food. Sometimes I have a decrease in my appetite, if I’m not feeling well, but usually it stays the same. In some really bad cases, people try a liquid diet, but I never really had to do that.
For about a year, I lived off of mashed potatoes with cream, sometimes macaroni and cheese and an occasional fruit juice when I felt up to it. There have been a lot of limitations, like when I go to the movies, I can’t really have popcorn, which is really too bad because it makes the whole movie experience even better. I couldn’t have salads for a really long time, and even now, I can’t have much without having some problems. I’ll have a few bites to get the taste in, but not finish the whole thing. Or maybe I’ll go with friends and they’ll let me have a few bites of theirs or maybe we’ll share something. Now I can eat a lot of things, just in really limited quantities. Like fried things: I’ll just have a bite or two or a chicken tender so I get the taste without having the pain later on.
As you get older, you learn that you have to eat the right things, otherwise you won’t be able to function as well. Living on your own, you depend more on yourself. No one is going to make you eat, so you know you have to do it on your own.
The food thing was kind of hard in the cafeteria at college. I couldn’t eat a lot of foods, because they gave me really bad stomachaches or cramps or just made me really ill. Not the way the food was prepared, but more just the type of food that was made. I had to learn to adjust to that, and I took some trips to Super Walmart to stock up on things that I could eat.
For most of the time I was in the hospital, I couldn’t eat solid foods. I was drinking liquids and chicken broth— stuff like that. After I got out, they said I’d have to watch it with spicy foods. Also, I haven’t been able to eat popcorn at all because of the kernels, and I have to watch it with regular kinds of nuts. So there have been some restrictions on my diet. I can’t really eat anything spicy right now. They said that after a while, I could try it, but it never really worked out for me. Spicy foods still kind of give me trouble, so I stay away from them, and I don’t eat anything that has kernels or nuts in it. Sometimes it’s challenging, like at movie theaters, when people are eating popcorn next to me- that’s like torture. I try to eat something else, though.
One thing that the doctors wanted me to do was to try to gain weight because they were afraid that I wouldn’t be able to grow enough near the end of puberty. They wanted me to start drinking these nutrition shakes, and that was really hard for me because I hate that stuff so much. They wanted me to drink one three times a day. I remember I’d get queasy afterwards, and I hated the flavor. I think that it was three years that I had to drink them, and then they said I didn’t need to anymore. I was really happy about that. But I still have to watch my diet. They still want me to gain as much weight as I can so that I can keep growing.
I had a large lack of energy, and I didn’t weigh very much. Basically, because of lack of food, my bones were undeveloped, and I was lacking protein and other essential vitamins. I still drink shakes. There’s a drink called Boost that I take, which tastes bad, but I got over it. I’ve had shakes pretty constantly. It was helpful. They actually want me to eat as much as I can, which is good— I can eat anything I want to eat.
Sometimes there is not a lot you can eat. In the beginning of this year, I was on liquid drinks like Ensure, but that changed. It was tough, but I lived with it. It’s hard at first, but it will get better.
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Foods
Liquids
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Copyright © 2005, Children's
Hospital Boston Department of Psychiatry. All Rights Reserved. The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your personal health care professional. Updated November 12, 2004 |
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