[Question] Food Aversions

[Squidleybits]

hi everyone!!

I've been having some issues with appetite and food lately which concerns me because I just started a new medication that could make it worse.

My stomach got trashed last year by a very strong anti-inflammatory and I see the surgeon next month. My stomach is bleeding and is very painful without the stomach protection medications I take. The stomach protection med isn't always enough anymore, but it still helps a lot. I will be having an upper GI for sure and from there I'm not sure. My pharmacist is concerned that I could have an infection because of the amount of pain and that it's getting worse over time.

Either my stomach issue or one of my medications is causing me not to have much of an appetite. This has gotten worse over time. I'm also having trouble tolerating more types of food. I got ill mid bite last week at the table when I was having meatballs and I nearly threw up again tonight after eating a small piece of steak. It tasted rancid when I ate it even though I prepared it well and the family loved it. I'm even feeling pukey again typing this.

Have any of you had this happen? I've bought protein powder and the stuff to make shakes but that's not a long term solution. Or a complete solution. I guess I could have a shake every day for breakfast, but they can't be all I have.

I have just started a scary new medication that can cause weight loss and is sometimes prescribed for it so I'm worried. If my headaches weren't so hideous, I wouldn't risk it, but I need them to stop.

Have any of you had this happen? Or have any suggestions for food or supplements I could try?

 

[Ravenpoe]

The rancid reaction to food makes me think you might be reacting to some sort of infection instead, but I'm not a doctor so I'd probably believe them before some guy on the internet.


As for supplements, you could try soylent. Soylent is not made out of people, but it's designed to be a full food replacement. People have tried using soylent as their only good source and seemed to be OK with it, so it could be a temporary solution until your stomach is able to heal.

 

[Squidleybits]

Like a stomach infection?

 

[PatrThom]

Hmm.
Keep in mind of course that I'm no doctor, and you should run this by someone who is, yadda yadda.

If meat protein is causing you trouble, but you want to supplement your protein intake, I would NOT recommend nuts/seeds. If you are having problems with your digestive tract, you probably shouldn't risk tacking diverticulitis on top of your other issues. Also test see if it's confined to red meat, see if you can stomach small quantities of fish or chicken.

I would check with your doctor to see what other types of protein you might be able to tolerate. Gluten, whey, soy, brown rice, even crickets...there are lots of alternate protein sources.

I'm worried you might have more ulcers than you can shake a stick at, here's hoping the GI sheds a light on things.

--Patrick

 

[Squidleybits]

I had a spicy crab roll last week and I had no problem with it. When the family had hot dogs the other night, I had a black bean burger with no issues. The protein powder I bought is whey and I drink the chocolate with water and use the strawberry for smothies.

I'm disturbed that it took so long for me to see the surgeon. And it's not the procedure that's next month, it's just the consult. Who knows when the actual procedure will be and if the upper GI will be able to fix me as well as diagnose me.

The new medication is going to cause weight loss, appetite suppression, food aversion, taste changes or all of the above. And kidney stones, glaucoma, babies with cleft palates etc etc

 

[Gared]

I've recently had an issue, also with beef, also with a stomach ulcer - but just one, thankfully. I've been using marijuana to treat it, first as an appetite stimulant, and more recently as a gastroprotectant.

Spoiler

I'm a little hesitant to recommend it, given the Project Gator raids across Canada over the past couple days, but they seem to be confined pretty much to one company so far - Marc Emery's Cannabis Culture. I use a very low THC, high CBD strain (I use Medihaze but there are a lot of options) in the mornings to settle my stomach from the overnight build-up of stomach acid (and help out with some of my anxiety), and a strain that's high in caryophyllene (hash plant) before bed as a gastroprotectant. The medihaze has an added benefit of being good for pain (ymmv) and the hash plant is an indica so it helps me sleep. And for hunger I prefer something middle-of-the-road like Cherry Pie.

I don't recommend smoking marijuana, necessarily, because when your stomach is a little queasy coughing can make you vomit, and that sucks, but there are other options. Vaping works well, you need a lot fewer hits because it's very highly concentrated, but it's still an inhalant and can still make you cough. Vaping marijuana is also a lot more discrete than nicotine vaping, you don't have the massive clouds of vapor or the big obvious tanks. Edibles can be a good option as well, but I don't know much about edibles as medication. There are also sublingual tinctures, activated oil capsules, and more. I mostly stick to smoking through a bong, because the high from every consumption method is different and this is the one I like.

 

[Squidleybits]

I have a lot of questions about medical marijuana and would be interested in trying a non smoked variety. The problem here is that I think the doctors here have forgotten that our PM wants to legalize it and if used medically with a prescription, it's already legal!! My issue is that I'm scared to ask about it. We are on our way out soon and I have to pack, but I can expand more when we get home. I am scared that I'll lose my spot in my pain clinic and/or what little pain relief I have now by asking. Most of the pain doctors I've seen here are old school dudes and quite nice until you bring up opiates or anything else that they consider taboo.

 

[Ravenpoe]

I have a lot of questions about medical marijuana and would be interested in trying a non smoked variety. The problem here is that I think the doctors here have forgotten that our PM wants to legalize it and if used medically with a prescription, it's already legal!! My issue is that I'm scared to ask about it. We are on our way out soon and I have to pack, but I can expand more when we get home. I am scared that I'll lose my spot in my pain clinic and/or what little pain relief I have now by asking. Most of the pain doctors I've seen here are old school dudes and quite nice until you bring up opiates or anything else that they consider taboo.

I am totally understand doctors being wary of opiates, that can be dangerous stuff and the pros and cons need to be carefully considered. But marijuana? That's way safer than opiates.

 

[PatrThom]

As I understand it, THC is an option, but it is one which must be discussed, otherwise your physician will get upset at you for spoiling testing results AND possibly feel a little hurt that you rushed ahead into a form of treatment without consulting first.

--Patrick

 

[Gared]

Obligatory I am not a doctor, nor am I a medical professional in any way, and bear in mind that I am still researching, but I am a medical marijuana advocate. Not just THC, but also CBD and the terpenes Limonene, Linalool, Caryophyllene, Pinene, Myrcene, Humulene, Bisabolol, and Trans-Nerolidol - which is why more and more people are advocating for whole plant medicine, instead of just CBD from hemp and THC extracts. Terpenes are organic compounds that interact with endocannabinoid receptors in the brain and help define how THC interacts with your brain and body chemistry. Here's a Google Doc I put together on individual terpenes, their reported medical value, and strains that tend to express those terpenes.

I recommend discussing medical marijuana use with your doctor, but because there can be such a stigma surrounding its use, you can always do some research, find a patient advocacy group, and see what kind of resources they have. Frequently, they'll have lists of doctors and specialists who are MMJ positive. At the very least, always make sure you tell your anesthesiologist before a procedure. Marijuana can react to anesthesia in various ways, including reducing the efficacy (people wake up mid procedure and surgeons don't appreciate that). Also, I have no idea what the medical marijuana laws are in Canada, but Leafly keeps a list of medical marijuana doctors in Canada (and the US).