If you're on diets like SCD, paleo, etc., how do you manage in hospital?

[UnXmas]

I'm not on any of these diets, but I'm currently in hospital and the NHS food is appalling. Getting something edible is a real challenge, and on a gastro ward, they are incapable of catering to all the various diets people are on. So I was wondering, if you're on SCD or Paleo, or any other diet that involves giving up lots of processed foods, or grains or something, what do you do if you're admitted to hospital? I would think that unless you have someone visiting you who will prepare and bring you your food each day, you'd pretty much have to give up on the diet for the duration of your hospital stay? I'm just asking out of curiosity,

 

[hugh]

I had an overnight stay for something unrelated and you are right,
they have no clue.
Fruit in sugar syrup was just fruit to them.
Wheat crackers were the gluten free option,
Hopeless

 

[InkyStinky]

Sorry to hear you're hospitalized! Hope you can go home soon!

Thankfully I haven't been hospitalized for several years - I'm not currently on any specific "diet" plan but I'm gluten-free and try for "real foods" as much as possible. Past hospitalizations I've just eaten the crap they give me, as my Crohn's isn't the sort where I have immediate distress from eating crap.

I have no idea what folks do who are on SCD/Paleo/etc. because they have immediate distress from stuff like hospital crap.

I was reading a "real food" blog, and the writer was advocating bringing "real food" to family/loved ones who are in the hospital (gelatin snacks, bone broth, etc)... am trying to imagine how this would play out in real life... would hospital nurses really allow this? Would the patient have to have a "special diet" order from their doctor?

 

[VeganOstomy]

The hospital I was at had a terrible time even accommodating a vegan diet, despite it being in a very multicultural city with many strict vegetarians. You're better off having someone bring you approved food or you're gonna have a bad time.

 

[Clash]

Last time C was hospitalized, one of the other teens on the IBD floor was paleo and his mom said the food staff had been wonderful with it, to her surprise. She said the options were of course a bit more limited than when at home but they hadn't brought anything from home yet.

 

[UnXmas]

The good news for me is I'm going home today after a whole, very long month! Looking forward to eating something I like, when I like. My plan is get home, 1. cuddle my dog; 2. have a long bath in a clean bathroom. 3. Eat exactly what I feel like eating.

This hospital doesn't even offer low-fibre options. :ybatty:

 

[SarahD]

That's great news UnXmas!

When I was in hospital at Addenbrooke's I was on the Lofflex diet. The hospital had a separate booklet of special foods for people on diets like gluten free, dairy free, low salt, etc, which I could choose from. In the end though I only had one meal (breakfast) which was perfectly fine - gluten free rice cereal and rice milk, which was spot on. The rest of the time I was on a diet of Fortijuice only, so I didn't have to worry about what food I was going to be delivered. I think I could have managed to Lofflex, as they offered things like plain rice and plain jacket potatoes, although it would have quickly become quite boring.

 

[macminer]

Inside many hospitals in my country there are little shops or bars, so if one can't eat the food that is provided at the ward, there is always a chance they will be able to buy something in the shop.

In my case, I was in two hospitals - one after appendectomy, so basically I ate nothing for a couple of days and diet wasn't an option. But the bar there also wasn't an option, it was certainly not aimed at people with gastric problems. In the other one (where I was for different tests) there was a little shop where I could at least buy some juices, yoghurt etc. This wouldn't be exactly what I eat at home, but at least I wouldn't be starving. The food given at the ward was mostly inedible, even for healthy people. Theoretically there were 6 different menus (low residue as well), but in practice this wasn't provided unless someone made a lot of fuss about it. And the low residue was everyday just jelly and watery pudding (every meal!), so basically it wouldn't provide even half the calories one needs.

One thing I haven't thought about then, but could be quite funny, would be to order food from a store to be brought to hospital. I wonder what the doctors and nurses would do if they saw someone from Tesco come to the ward with my purchases?

 

[UnXmas]

One thing I haven't thought about then, but could be quite funny, would be to order food from a store to be brought to hospital. I wonder what the doctors and nurses would do if they saw someone from Tesco come to the ward with my purchases?

A girl with Crohn's who was on the same ward as me part of my stay, and was also (supposed to be) eating low-fibre, ordered a pizza! I'm not sure the pizza was low-fibre, but she was on prednisone and had a crazy appetite, and got desperate. Her family were bringing meals in, she was always going to the coffee shop in the hospital (no restaurant or cafe, just some little shops and vending machines - the vending machines sold only chocolate bars and fizzy drinks; yes, the NHS takes healthy eating that seriously :ybatty: ), and getting massive pieces of cake there instead of the meals the ward served, then she'd be eating packets of crisps and biscuits (also brought by her family), the rest of the time. She even ate during her colonoscopy prep. :eek2: (Her colonoscopy was unsuccessful, because the doctors couldn't get the scope far enough into her bowel, and she had to be rescheduled to have another one as an out-patient. I'm not sure whether this was because she ate during the prep or not though!)

I was thinking of setting up a take-away next-door to the hospital, specialising in various diets - low-fibre, gluten-free, lactose-free, vegetarian, vegan, etc. - I think I'd make a fortune! :lol: