Food...the good the bad and the ugly!
I'll bet most of the people reading this post will know where I am coming from with this one!
How many times since diagnosis has someone asked you, "Well what DO you eat?"
For me the answer is simple, "nothing" is my reply. This is quickly followed by, "Well, you MUST eat something!"
I have lost count of the times this has been said to me. I came to the conclusion that people react this way because they simply can't imagine what that might be like, so I thought I would try and explain.
No, We have not lost the ability to chew, swallow and ingest food. There are no obvious physical changes such a lumps bumps or obstructions. You can't see gastroparesis by simply taking a picture of our insides. But that doesn't mean it isn't there!
We have to learn to override one of the the strongest natural urges of the human body. You don't just eat with your mouth, you smell it you see it... you want it!
Living with gastroparesis means that instead of feeling contented and energised after eating, we feel so ill that we sit there hugging the sick bowl vowing that we'll never touch food again! Many people describe this feeling as "permanent stomach flu". Personally, I think that doesn't even come close.
For us to be able to function at all we have to adapt to a whole new way of life. Balancing medication and nutrition is a real challenge from mild to severe cases... it doesn't matter, we are all unique.
So from day to day, we plan our activities around our regimes, avoiding or restricting food to enable us to function at all.
Imagine how it feels to be so sick that you starve your body in order to have a better quality of life? It's not out of choice... it's necessity. Give in to your urges and all hell lets loose! So please don't offer us things, or ask us why we're not eating...
We love food, but it doesn't love us!
How many times since diagnosis has someone asked you, "Well what DO you eat?"
For me the answer is simple, "nothing" is my reply. This is quickly followed by, "Well, you MUST eat something!"
I have lost count of the times this has been said to me. I came to the conclusion that people react this way because they simply can't imagine what that might be like, so I thought I would try and explain.
No, We have not lost the ability to chew, swallow and ingest food. There are no obvious physical changes such a lumps bumps or obstructions. You can't see gastroparesis by simply taking a picture of our insides. But that doesn't mean it isn't there!
We have to learn to override one of the the strongest natural urges of the human body. You don't just eat with your mouth, you smell it you see it... you want it!
Living with gastroparesis means that instead of feeling contented and energised after eating, we feel so ill that we sit there hugging the sick bowl vowing that we'll never touch food again! Many people describe this feeling as "permanent stomach flu". Personally, I think that doesn't even come close.
For us to be able to function at all we have to adapt to a whole new way of life. Balancing medication and nutrition is a real challenge from mild to severe cases... it doesn't matter, we are all unique.
So from day to day, we plan our activities around our regimes, avoiding or restricting food to enable us to function at all.
Imagine how it feels to be so sick that you starve your body in order to have a better quality of life? It's not out of choice... it's necessity. Give in to your urges and all hell lets loose! So please don't offer us things, or ask us why we're not eating...
We love food, but it doesn't love us!
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