Afraid of Eating?

[westiemom]

Is anyone else afraid of eating?

Lately my diet has consisted of nothing more than a pear or two a day, along with a banana, some blueberries and watermelon (and water of course). This has been going on for the last maybe 2 weeks.

Although I'm still having issues, my symptoms have calmed down from what they were. Of course I started neurontin as well so that could be having an effect.

I'm terrified of eating anything else. I ate a piece of bland chicken yesterday and some mashed potatoes and within moments I started to have an increase in symptoms.

I know it isn't healthy to eat this way, but I'm so terrified of the possible results when I put anything else in my mouth.

Has anyone else gone through this?

[traceann]

Hey there! ;) I know how you feel, one of my first few posts around here was "what the heck am I supposed to eat?", lol. Then someone suggested seriously checking out the IC Diet Foods list. So, I built myself a diet from the "Usually OK" list. Now, granted there were a few things even on that list that my bladder said "no way" to - like chammomile tea, yikes, that was a nightmare, lol, but for the most part it was a wonderful tool for me.

If I had a flare from something I ate that was supposed to be ok, I then decided to check to see if what I had had any additives (like boxed mashed potatoes vs. fresh homemade mashed etc) that helped me alot when I was stumped. I even discovered certain brands of garlic powder for me in the beginning (before I'd been on my meds or the diet very long) was a troublemaker. I looked at the ingredients and there were some fillers etc, I switched to Trader Joe's garlic powder - and it was just garlic, no fillers or non-clumping ingredients etc.

You do have to expand your diet ;) and believe me, I KNOW how scary that can be, I can remember the days when just the thought of eating made my palms sweat, lol. But gradually I had a pretty good diet - lots of pasta and fresh veggies, fresh meats, and lots of homemade things. Took more time, but I was able to eat and not be afraid! It takes a lot of trial and error when it comes to the diet, but it's worth it to take it slow and don't try new things like when you have to be somewhere or something, lol. I learned that lesson too :)

And Prelief REALLY helped me out, I took it with known acidic offenders and any time I was not sure if an item was going to be a problem. I also found that the longer I'd been on my meds and the longer I babied my bladder on the diet, eventually I could add things back in that in the beginning I wasn't able to tolerate. So, it can get better - it just takes time, ugh, lol.

Hope this helps a little bit anyway!!!

Hugs,
Tracey

[westiemom]

Thanks for the encouragement it helps to know someone understands me.

I was using the IC diet and sticking to things on the "Usually OK" list, but I got a horrible flare out of nowhere that lasted several weeks and ever since then it seems my bladder is sensitive to everything.

I know there's got to be more things out there I can eat, but am so afraid to try them. I've stuck to so few items because I know they don't cause me a problem.

Of course I know this doesn't help my migraines either, especially since I'm suffering from one right now and am so ready to head home. I need to keep my body fueled for all the normal healthy reasons aside from the migraine issue.

I can't remember the last time I spent an entire week at work without having to leave early or work from home at least 2 days, if not all. Thankfully I can do a lot of my work from home, but things are in the transition stage on my current project and more and more of my work has to be done in the office.

So many stressors just doesn't make for a healthy head or a healthy bladder. In fact my doctor told me at my last visit that perhaps I needed to get a less stressful job. Oh, if only that were possible!

[Hannah13]

Is anyone else afraid of eating?

Lately my diet has consisted of nothing more than a pear or two a day, along with a banana, some blueberries and watermelon (and water of course). This has been going on for the last maybe 2 weeks.

Although I'm still having issues, my symptoms have calmed down from what they were. Of course I started neurontin as well so that could be having an effect.

I'm terrified of eating anything else. I ate a piece of bland chicken yesterday and some mashed potatoes and within moments I started to have an increase in symptoms.

I know it isn't healthy to eat this way, but I'm so terrified of the possible results when I put anything else in my mouth.

Has anyone else gone through this?

I know exactly how you feel and it makes me nuts. I try to keep my food organic and stick to the ic diet as much as possible as well as taking prelief with meals. Trader Joe's has helped in this regard. Everyone is a little bit different so it takes awhile to figure out what to avoid. In the meanwhile, it's anxiety provoking, I know. Hang in there.

[Mrs. Peel]

My heart goes out to you!

Are you drinking enough to keep your urine diluted? I've taken to adding a pinch of baking soda to each big glass of water.

I agree that you might be getting some hidden additives. Are you using plain oil when you sautee? I hope you get this figured out, soon.

Also, loose clothing, make sure your seatbelt isn't squeezing you too much.

[KarenAnne]

Tobie, Yes, get yourself some Prelief & take it with everything. And maybe the symptoms immediately after eating the chicken were just coincidental. When we eat, it takes a little while to pass through everything.

I do not have problems with fresh turkey, pork, chicken,beef. Eggs are usually very IC friendly & you can put some american cheese in them. Also, have you tried cottage cheese w/ your fruit? Grilled cheese is usually ok & easy to make when you don't feel well. Healthy Request soups have no msg & their Wedding Soup is good. There are lots of things you can eat. This site has alot of good IC friendly recipes.

[westiemom]

I was feeling okay today IC wise, but had a migraine. Then after my migraine finally disapated I felt well enough to eat. My mom made a wonderful roast and homemade mashed potatoes. She knows how sensitive I am so was careful with her seasonings and ingredients.

About 20 minutes after I ate I started flaring again. Of course my migraines and IC feed off of each other so I don't know whether or not it's from the food or the migraine.

Ugh! How frustrating! This just reinforces my fear. I feel like I just can't win for losing. I know it'll all get better, but right now................:(

[westiemom]

I'm having trouble finding Prelief anywhere locally. I do need to get some though. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and buy it online.

I've been trying to make sure I'm using the right ingredients, but there's probably something I'm missing.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll definitely take your words to heart.

[Mrs. Peel]

If you don't want to wait for Prelief in the mail, go to their website and see which chains carry it. Then call before you go because not all the stores in the chain have it.

When looking for it on the shelves, you'll usually find it next to the Beano (same company).

Good hunting!

[SharonA]

When buying meat of any kind, make sure there is nothing added to it by the grocery or meat shop. When cooking, don't add anything other than a little salt to season it. I know it will seem to taste bland that way, but you will get used to the taste in no time. I actually prefer the natural taste of meat without spices other than a tiny bit of salt sprinkled on it after cooking.

Have you checked the water you are cooking with and drinking? If you are using tap water to cook with, there might be chlorine added to it by your city. Also, if you are using bottled drinking water, this is the same water that you get from a cities water system...additives and all. Try using bottled natural spring water to see if it makes a difference. Be sure to check the labels to see if there is anything other than water listed.

The IC Diet recommends that you add only one food at a time back into your diet so you will know exactly what might be causing a problem for you. Space the additions out so you are waiting for a few days in between them.

Buy fresh vegetables and steam them without any spices. Then you can add a little salt before eating.

Are you sure that bananas and watermelon are okay for you? There are a lot of us who can not eat one or both of them without having problems.

Keep trying...Your diet needs to be healthy and able to sustain your body.

[KarenAnne]

My local drugstore (Rite Aid) orders Prelief for me & I have also purchased it from here, Walgreens, & Wegman's.

[TexasHoney]

Tobie, I see in your original post you said you had watermelon. Watermelon is really rough on my bladder. The other ladies have said about evertything I could say. I hope you start feeling better soon.

Hang In There

[Briza]

Hi Tobie
It took a LONG time for my bladder to calm down enough for me to determine my food/bev triggers. Just plain ole time along with FINALLY getting a pain med and pyridium til my symptoms were under control. In the meantime, I did best I could to stick to the usually ok column of foods, but even still almost always hurt, burned, had other symptoms.
I won't lie, it really took me a good year or so before I was able to determine any of my triggers, but I figure that during that time, ANYTHING I did to reduce insult to my bladder was helping, even if only in hindsight!;) So hang in there.
Yes, I lost LOTS of weight the first two years, weight I did NOT need to lose. Not because I could actually feel that certain foods were causing me pain, burning, etc....mainly because I just hurt too much or was too fatigued from lack of sleep to cook or eat anything! That alone caused much stress for me, as I had always loved to cook and eat healthy, but during that time lost all desire to do both.
So yep, I think I have experienced the same as you. But like Traceann posted, I found that if I treated my poor bloated IC belly like my "baby," the better and better I felt...but it did take much time. I can't remember how long you have been suffering from your symptoms, Tobie, but yeah:( many times it just takes plain ole time and nothing but for symptoms to plateau and then take a turn for the better.
I am with ya 100%...stress not good for the head and often worse for the bladder...I actually did have to take a deep year long breath before I was able to take action and remove myself from my very stressful career and seek other more rewarding (and NOT meaning $$$ rewarding LOL) work that at least pays the bills, has benefits..i(nsurance ya know very important for those of us w/ chronic condition, often more important than what the salary is!!!), and just barely lets me break even each month. Worth it????? Oh yeah!!!...Stress levels way down, RR breaks whenever I need them, symptoms and meds currnetly slim to none needed. And I'm happy. So I'm not going to complain lol! I feel very very lucky to have my current job and great benefits, regardless that the salary may not allow me to use my vacation days to go on vacation...will be a stay-cation, as they're saying, this year. And this is coming from someone who previously lived and died by her vacations and travels. Low stress, few symptoms, bills getting paid (just barely), LOVE my job...I am going to stay-cate!
Sorry I went off on a tangent!!! Wishing the best for you....hope you find what works for you, often it is a combo of things, as was my case. Take care!

[ICNDonna]

Both watermelon and bananas are a problem for many people with IC. You really do need to add some foods to your diet. You might try some things like rice and definitely some vegetables.

Donna

[Goldfinch]

As suggested by many above, I would cut back on all the fruit for a while. And I would try to get a little balance back. If you are afraid of chicken, try eggs. And for a carb or starch add in some white rice as Donna suggests. Rice seems to be about the most well tolerated food on the planet, and I've never heard of anyone with IC having a problem with it. Try some carrots and zucchini for veggies. Use only butter or olive oil to start.

Potatoes are another iffy food for some. Along with tomatoes and eggplant they are in the nightshade family and, although they aren't acidic, some people are sensitive to them.

If you are drinking a variety of waters, maybe try just one kind for a while. Try some Evian, maybe?

[westiemom]

Thanks guys, your advice is very appreciated.

I'm going to cut out the fruit, or most of it, and try to add in some rice and veggies. It just makes me so nervous! I was okay with watermelon and bananas (only slightly green ones) before the monster flare started so I was sticking with them. Maybe with my bladder being extra sensitive from the flare they are just too much right now. Hopefully I can find some Prelief at the pharmacy this afternoon and can give that a shot.

As far as water goes, I only drink Fiji (expensive I know, but it's what I've found that works for me), but I do cook with plain old tap water from my city supply. For some reason I never thought about that water affecting me when I know I can only drink certain water without a problem. I sure can't cook with Fiji water - I'd be more broke than I am now!

I had another migraine yesterday and of course my IC kicked back into high gear this morning - and on the cycle of madness goes............... Hopefully when I see the migraine specialist in August she can get them under better control and that will help with the IC too.

I am feeling better after being on the neurontin for a while, but I'm sure not 100%. I'd settle for 90% at this point.

[ophelia33]

Hi, I've just expanded my food today to include watermelon. You were a step ahead of me in the fruit department. The only fruit I ate in the past 2 years has been pears! I went to the physical therapist and she said to try watermelon and so I went to the grocery store and actually shopped in the produce department and bought a half of a watermelon. OMG, it was sooo good. Was I scared? Oh, heck yeah! Even when I'm starving hungry my fear of food would be so great I would just go hungry. The physical therapist review my "diet" and she said I NEEDED nutrition. She said the bladder can't heal if you're malnurished. My hair has started to fall out and I told her that and its most-likely not from meds but my scant diet. Corn, rice, some chicken, yams and potatoes isn't enough of a variety. I was THRILLED to add watermelon. I love it! At least I know I can go to a bar-b-que in the summer and possibly eat something. Food deprivation can wear on anyone. It is so so scary to risk a flare. So frustrating when a flare arrives and a lot disappointing. Not eating doesn't seem to help much with mental well-being or physical well-being. I'm in a flare now from something I ate. I think its the low-acid orange juice even though I took prelief. Oh well...at least I got to eat the watermelon and thanks for the post. I love potatoes cooked in canola oil and potatoes seem to sit well for most people I've read.
hugs,
Ophelia:hi: