Can't have Breakfast

[Charlotte.]

Hi you guys,

I'm wondering if anyone else has got the same problem: I feel nauseous every morning, don't feel any hunger and can only eat after at least 11am (I get up at 6 am), often I have my first meal around 1 or 2pm.
Before I drink plenty of herbal tea to settle my stomach down.
Anyone else dealing with that issue as well?

 

[Greeko]

That's exactly me ... I always have my first bite of food by 1pm I've trained myself to tolerate it by then... if I have anything before then I've ruined my day

 

[Charlotte.]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with that problem but sad to hear you are dealing with that issue as well as there does not seem to be a solution for it, right?
Today I'm really struggling even choosing the "right" foods, everything I eat goes straight to the loo as very loose stools, even steamed veggies such as carrots or pumpkin. So I don't have any idea what to eat now. I've tapered down the prednisolone because my symptoms seemed to be better at first but my intestines seem to be so irritated and sensitive now and my stomach is burning as well as the terminal ileum area.

 

[Mag8888]

Hi.

I feel your pain I struggled with this for a while. Have you tried broths? Bone marrow broth helped me significantly. Very simple to make.

Current foods I eat:

Eggs, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Rice, Peanut Butter (smooth, not chunky no added sugar.), Matzos, Bananas, Sweet Potatoes, Chicken and Bone Marrow broths, Vitamin supplements. You will notice veggies are not listed here that is because I don't eat them that often... When I do its a small amount. NEVER RAW.

No alcohol, foods with added sugar (including drinks), processed foods. I also don't eat hot food or cold food. Everything is room temp generally...including water.

This is what works for me. It's not perfect... I still have flare ups etc... but I don't have diarrhea 5, 6, 7 times a day.

 

[Bunty]

I've never eaten breakfast, ever, in all my 62 years, and have never considered it to be a problem...why is it considered by some to be a problem, I'm sorry but I don't understand If you're hungry then you eat something, if not then you don't?
My issue is that, when taking pred or other meds which need to be taken after food, I now have to eat breakfast to take them. So I have to force down something which I really, really don't want just so I can take meds, pred especially, in the morning.
Bunty x

 

[FrozenGirl]

I am the same way. Symptoms have always been worse in the morning plus no hunger s I just avoid it.

 

[Charlotte.]

Thank you guys for your support and your advice. It's good to know I'm not the only one and maybe I should accept it the way it is, I thought things would improve one day but probably it will never be the way it was when I was healthy. For a few days now I'm experiencing no hunger at all during the day so I'm a bit concerned because normally I could have lunch and dinner when eaten very, very slowly or split into smaller parts but now I don't seem to be tolerating any kind of food, not even potatoes or pumpkin that I used to eat in a flare-up. After a few bites I feel too nauseous to continue and after a while I have BMs and it just feels as if the food just slips through without the nutrients being absorbed.

 

[Greeko]

I hate when I have a few bites of food and a bowel movement occurs instantly. They say smaller meals helps through out a day.

 

[Charlotte.]

Bunty, it probably would not be such a huge problem to me if the rest of the day was "normal" and I could have bigger portions for lunch and dinner but at the moment I'm really struggling with eating at all and for the past year eating is no more related to enjoyment or something positive. I thought that this would disappear but obviously it does not for some people with Crohn's.
Being able to tolerate breakfast again would at least make it easier to get in all the nutrients and enough calories.

 

[JMC]

I struggle with breakfast, either I am not hungry or, if I do eat breakfast, I spend a lot of time on the toilet, which is not good if I am travelling to work on public transport. My solution is basically to have a liquid breakfast of coconut water and pineapple juice and then eat something solid at about 10.30am when my stomach is more settled. Eating breakfast if you can is actually pretty important as it is quite easy to get headaches and fatigue just because your body is under-nourished.

 

[JMC]

Another solution I use, is to eat just before I go to sleep. Basically, you eat what you would normally eat for breakfast, but late at night rather than first thing in the morning. This has worked well for me at times.

 

[Charlotte.]

Thank you JMC!

 

[Bunty]

Of course Charlotte, the whole eating thing becomes a vicious circle doesn't it?
I've just re read my previous post and realised it comes across quite terse, which it wasn't meant to, so I apologise for that.
When I was put on Aza and suffered nausea I started drinking lemongrass and ginger tea, and nibbling on ginger biscuits, which I found mildly helpful...unfortunately I'm now addicted to ginger biscuits!
I hope things settle down for you.
Bunty x

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I'm the same, I've never been a breakfast person even before IBD came into my life. I can recall being little, like maybe 5 years old, and my mom was trying to force me to eat some yogurt for breakfast but I couldn't eat, it made me feel so nauseous to eat that early in the day. I just can't have solid food for the first few hours of the morning, I've never been able to have breakfast. I can only eat after I've been awake for awhile - I've found though that I can have a smoothie and that is a lot easier on me than solid foods. I also get up at 6, and as part of my morning routine I make myself a tummy-friendly smoothie and pack it in my lunch bag, then I slowly sip it after I've gotten to work. That works out pretty well for me. Some days I'm still too nauseous in the morning to have anything besides water or tea, but most days my smoothie goes down fine.

 

[buttER]

Hi Charlotte
When I was in a flare then I also couldnt eat or drink anything in the mornings. Even a few sips of water was too much.
Now I do try and eat breakfast unless my body is really telling me not to. My saviour is anti-nausea meds, so that if eating breakfast was a bad idea (I normally know about 30 mins afterwards) then I can at least take a pill and get on with the rest of the day.
If you have a busy morning then not eating or drinking can really be a strain. I notice it when I have a 2 hour class from 9-11. I don't dare eat anything before but I notice I get very tired.

 

[Charlotte.]

Thank you everyone! King of Orange, I now went back to skipping breakfast in order to avoid symptoms but I feel very tired as well. In comparison with feeling sick and having severe pain for the whole day because of having breakfast it seems to be the lesser evil to me but none of it is optimal.