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[Rosie9876]

I am in hospital following major surgery. After morning surgery, I was too poorly to eat or drink. The next day, breakfast was just carbs. I tried to explain that I was on a low carb diet - I'm not trying to lose weight, just to control my blood sugar. Cheese, eggs or any protein was not on the menu, but they made an exception and gave me brown toast with thin slices of processed cheese. My blood sugar shot up. Subsequent meals were equally problematic. Now, Day 3, and I am starving and BS and BP still strangely high. Nurse suggested I stop worrying about carbs and just eat. I don't need to lose weight. I have no-one convenient to bring me food. Of course I can leave the carbs, but it leaves me with a very small meal. What do you think I should I do? TIA.

 

[Pipp]

I am in hospital following major surgery. After morning surgery, I was too poorly to eat or drink. The next day, breakfast was just carbs. I tried to explain that I was on a low carb diet - I'm not trying to lose weight, just to control my blood sugar. Cheese, eggs or any protein was not on the menu, but they made an exception and gave me brown toast with thin slices of processed cheese. My blood sugar shot up. Subsequent meals were equally problematic. Now, Day 3, and I am starving and BS and BP still strangely high. Nurse suggested I stop worrying about carbs and just eat. I don't need to lose weight. I have no-one convenient to bring me food. Of course I can leave the carbs, but it leaves me with a very small meal. What do you think I should I do? TIA.

I have been in similar situation, @Rosie9876 . Probably will be again, as I have surgery pending. It is frustrating and annoying.
In the past I have chosen the least carby option, which is not easy.

Stress of surgery and the trauma to body, plus the amount of drugs used all added to the raised BP and blood glucose levels.
Depending on how long you will be staying in hospital, I wouldn’t think a few days of higher than usual carb content meals will impact long term on control. It didn’t for me after my last major surgery with a stay of 6 days. Is there a shop in the hospital or nearby? Or a hospital cafeteria? Alternatively, there are all sorts of online food delivery services from supermarkets, restaurants etc. If I have difficulty with hospital menu, for my upcoming inpatient stay, I will avail myself of whatever delivery service I can to provide some decent grub.

Hope you can be discharged soon, and make a good recovery.

 

[Pipp]

I would also add that sometimes the medical team want to see that you can eat, and that bladder and bowels are in good working order before they discharge you.
In order to get home I would eat whatever is put before me, regardless of what it was. I remember once it was a cold overcooked, dried up burger, and some instant mash . Vile, but it served the purpose of the tick box, for ‘eating normally’, and enabled my release from captivity.

 

[Hopeful34]

I hope your surgery went well, and you'll soon be home @Rosie9876

 

[MrsA2]

. Of course I can leave the carbs, but it leaves me with a very small meal

In some hospitals it is possible to order more than 1 of each item, so say 3 cheese sandwiches rather than 1 so more protein for you. And to order several items rather than just one in each menu section.
You may also find a kind person, either care staff or another's visitor, to go to the hospital shop for bags of nuts.
But as the others say, off plan for a few days isn't going to do too much harm long term.
Hope you are feeling better soon

 

[Rosie9876]

I am in hospital following major surgery. After morning surgery, I was too poorly to eat or drink. The next day, breakfast was just carbs. I tried to explain that I was on a low carb diet - I'm not trying to lose weight, just to control my blood sugar. Cheese, eggs or any protein was not on the menu, but they made an exception and gave me brown toast with thin slices of processed cheese. My blood sugar shot up. Subsequent meals were equally problematic. Now, Day 3, and I am starving. Nurse suggested I stop worrying about carbs and just eat. I don't need to lose weight. I have no-one convenient to bring me food. What should I do? TIA.

1I have been in similar situation,

@Rosie9876 . Probably will be again, as I have surgery pending. It is frustrating and annoying.
In the past I have chosen the least carby option, which is not easy.

Stress of surgery and the trauma to body, plus the amount of drugs used all added to the raised BP and blood glucose levels.
Depending on how long you will be staying in hospital, I wouldn’t think a few days of higher than usual carb content meals will impact long term on control. It didn’t for me after my last major surgery with a stay of 6 days. Is there a shop in the hospital or nearby? Or a hospital cafeteria? Alternatively, there are all sorts of onlin food delivery services from supermarkets, restaurants etc. If I have difficulty with hospital menu, for my upcoming inpatient stay, I will avail myself of whatever delivery service I can to provide some decent grub.

Hope you can be discharged soon, and make a good recovery.

Thank you Pipp. It's comforting to know you were in a similar situation and will be again. I have large staghorn kidney stones on both sides and the other side will have to be done. I'm bleeding profusely, and can't even move for the pain, so suspect I won't be home soon, but I'll accept the carby option.

 

[Hopeful34]

Bless you, that sounds horrible. Have you asked for more pain medication?

 

[grantg]

try ask for the alternative menu's hospitals should have the following menu's available at a minimal

Gluten free, generic menu covering main food allergies, low fibre, low salt, kosher, halal there should be symbol next to some meals which they say are suitable for diabetics. perhaps something more suitable for you maybe on one of the other menu's. last month i ordered food on several menu's just told the caterering staff sorry allergic to main meal choices and asked for alternatives....

 

[Deleted member 596235]

I am in hospital following major surgery. After morning surgery, I was too poorly to eat or drink. The next day, breakfast was just carbs. I tried to explain that I was on a low carb diet - I'm not trying to lose weight, just to control my blood sugar. Cheese, eggs or any protein was not on the menu, but they made an exception and gave me brown toast with thin slices of processed cheese. My blood sugar shot up. Subsequent meals were equally problematic. Now, Day 3, and I am starving and BS and BP still strangely high. Nurse suggested I stop worrying about carbs and just eat. I don't need to lose weight. I have no-one convenient to bring me food. Of course I can leave the carbs, but it leaves me with a very small meal. What do you think I should I do? TIA.

I hope by now you're a bit further down the track recovery-wise Rosie.

Here in Australia, hospitals employ a dietician/nutritionist on
staff who will tailor a suitable meal(s) for the specific clinical
requirements of patients' foods pre- and post-op.

Do you have access to one of these specialists in your hospital?
It just seems strange to me that they don't or can't prepare
special meals to suit your condition—particularly as you've asked
specifically.

 

[becca59]

I hope by now you're a bit further down the track recovery-wise Rosie.

Here in Australia, hospitals employ a dietician/nutritionist on
staff who will tailor a suitable meal(s) for the specific clinical
requirements of patients' foods pre- and post-op.

Do you have access to one of these specialists in your hospital?
It just seems strange to me that they don't or can't prepare
special meals to suit your condition—particularly as you've asked
specifically.

Sorry @ausGeoff it’s the NHS. Mass produced, cheap and little flexibility.

 

[lovinglife]

Sorry @ausGeoff it’s the NHS. Mass produced, cheap and little flexibility.

Also hospitals get a budget around £15 a day depending on the authority to feed a patient 3 meals a day, all drinks, staffing costs for all those involved in the food prep & kitchen equipment & maintenance

 

[oldgreymare]

After being hospitalised for DKA, my BGs were relatively quickly normalised, but my breakfast choices the next morning were toast and cereal. A nurse helpfully suggested that if I needed gluten free, then scrambled egg could be made available. What appeared was tasteless and didn't much resemble eggs, but hopefully a lot lower carb than the initial offerings.

 

[Outlier]

I feel for you - this is so common and so unnecessary.

When I was last in for something completely different, being diagnosed with diabetes at the same time didn't make any difference to the type of food I was offered. Luckily I already had a working knowledge of suitable food due to a relative being T2. Breakfast was impossible - toast or cereal, as said above. Lunch and dinner usually offered a salad option or meat/fish with vegetables, but I could have cried the day the veg. were carrots, peas and sweetcorn. I had to go with what there was, but if there is next time I will see to it that I have enough money to buy a fry-up at the caff (relies on being mobile so not for everyone), take some items such as nuts in with me, and ask visitors to bring suitable food. And a flask - though we had water on offer, normal fluid otherwise was 1 cup of tea or coffee twice a day. That is arguably good enough, but doesn't encourage spoilt little first-worlders like me to drink!

 

[Hopeful34]

And a flask - though we had water on offer, normal fluid otherwise was 1 cup of tea or coffee twice a day. That is arguably good enough, but doesn't encourage spoilt little first-worlders like me to drink!

Friends that have been in my local hospital at different times, found that they were often without water for hours, as none of the nurses had time to refill their water jugs.

 

[Rosie9876]

I have been in similar situation, @Rosie9876 . Probably will be again, as I have surgery pending. It is frustrating and annoying.
In the past I have chosen the least carby option, which is not easy.

Stress of surgery and the trauma to body, plus the amount of drugs used all added to the raised BP and blood glucose levels.
Depending on how long you will be staying in hospital, I wouldn’t think a few days of higher than usual carb content meals will impact long term on control. It didn’t for me after my last major surgery with a stay of 6 days. Is there a shop in the hospital or nearby? Or a hospital cafeteria? Alternatively, there are all sorts of online food delivery services from supermarkets, restaurants etc. If I have difficulty with hospital menu, for my upcoming inpatient stay, I will avail myself of whatever delivery service I can to provide some decent grub.

Hope you can be discharged soon, and make a good recovery.

A belated thank you for your reply. I was in hospital for 7 days. I chose the hospital menu over semi-starvation and haven't felt well enough to respond to the kind replies, including yours. I am back in hospital now, this time for minor surgery, so will survive menu. This time I brought low-carb protein bars to supplement. Thanks again.

 

[Rosie9876]

In some hospitals it is possible to order more than 1 of each item, so say 3 cheese sandwiches rather than 1 so more protein for you. And to order several items rather than just one in each menu section.
You may also find a kind person, either care staff or another's visitor, to go to the hospital shop for bags of nuts.
But as the others say, off plan for a few days isn't going to do too much harm long term.
Hope you are feeling better soon

A delayed thank you. Please see my reply to Pipp for my comments which apply to you all. I would add that I ordered a cheese sandwich but it had one slice of processed cheese. I don't think 3 would have been an improvement! x

 

[Rosie9876]

Bless you, that sounds horrible. Have you asked for more pain medication?

A belated thank you for your response. I had morphine for pain relief and of course had to try to keep it controlled. Please see my reply to Pipp today, which is meant for you all.

 

[Pipp]

A belated thank you for your reply. I was in hospital for 7 days. I chose the hospital menu over semi-starvation and haven't felt well enough to respond to the kind replies, including yours. I am back in hospital now, this time for minor surgery, so will survive menu. This time I brought low-carb protein bars to supplement. Thanks again.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and hope you get back home to a more comfortable environment, where you can feel more in control of your diet.