Getting a Grip - Food

The advice that I have had from the hospital regarding food intake can only be considered as being based around a short-term requirement to get me into theatre.

It has been set upon the simple premise that it is very difficult for me to eat and the need to get calories in.  In this situation fortified milkshakes have been the central focus but processed foods have also been key.   Given that it is difficult for me to get enough calories into the body processed foods are considered better because the body absorbs them more easily (hence the reason why so many people get fat on that kind of diet).

This type of diet may be considered for the short-term but I don't want to base my life on such a structure going forward.  I can't see that living like that is going to increase my life expectancy and I hope that the stent will provide some physical benefit in widening the scope of the diet.

So, where to from here?   Well, the objective is to try and get a better base to the diet but I will have to see how well things improve from here with the stent.  There is also the option of supplements, whether mass manufactured or herbs.  I have received some good advice in this department from a number of people and it is an area with which I am already familiar.

I have been a regular visitor to the gym for much of my adult life, but during my late teens and early twenties I enjoyed pushing free weights (i.e. barbells and dumbbells) and reading around the sport including nutrition and diet.  My sister and mother and wife are also well versed in the area of diet.  My mother has been involved in alternative medicine for twenty five years and that is before it became a media circus.  Not only does she harbour a wealth of knowledge but she is also well connected.  There is also a family illness based knowledge of diet because of the degree to which coeliac disease runs through my mother's side of the family.  There are others, such as the Mad Canadian osteopath, who are wise in these areas.

What I need to do is to find out what I can eat and take a structured approach to diet and supplements to get the best possible base.  I will be exploring this with my family and other connections.

It is this sort of action which I think of as being positive.  From a medical perspective I am now a terminal case and have been told by the best people that there isn't any recognised medical treatment for my particular condition.  However, that does not mean that I have to roll over and let the disease tickle my tummy.  I certainly don't intend to do that but, at the same time I have to respect it and know that if it rears its head with venomous intend the coming period will be a real test of mettle.