04/12/2019
MY GASTRO JOURNEY! Diet has been one of the most important changes I’ve made since being diagnosed with EDS.
As anyone who has struggled to obtain a diagnosis will understand- receiving a diagnosis itself does nothing to change your physical symptoms; but, it does give you the knowledge to make the appropriate changes in an attempt to ameliorate those symptoms.
Finding out I had Gastroparesis, after struggling with digestion issues since infancy, was a game changer. I had known for some time that I was lactose intolerant and celiac; however, there was no explanation for why I was unable to tolerate certain foods, that I should have ostensibly been able to digest. Or, for why I would be able to digest a food one day, but not the next.
Gastroparesis gave me the answer. My digestive tract is broken, it doesn’t move food along like it should; therefore, I find it impossible, to digest anything that would be even slightly difficult for those without motility issues to digest; and, what I was able to digest one day might not be digestible the next.
With this knowledge I cut out large swathes of food groups: no more raw nuts, no more uncooked vegetables or fruits, no more vegetable skins or seeds, nothing high in fat or oil, no red meat, no white meat that wasn’t pureed (later removed), only well cooked fish (later removed entirely and only recently reinstated, due to a need to increase my protein intake and in consideration of the fact that vegan proteins are by nature harder to digest), no alcohol or caffeine (recently reinstated- HARD), no soy, no lactose, no uncooked grains…. the list is long; but, it’s worked for me. That’s not to say it will work for everyone with gastroparesis. But sharing is caring- so hopefully this will resonate or help someone else, struggling with the essential act that is eating. Fingers and gut crossed. BUT most of all, hoping that everyone can approach their journey with more self compassion and patience than I did mine!!!
