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I'm Carole, living in London, happily married and mum to two amazing boys.I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Rectal Cancer in April 2010. Surgery took place in November 2010 and I now have a permanent colostomy...Spinal mets were then diagnosed in October 2011...In January 2012 I was told of further spread to the hip area (multiple lesions)..My life expectancy is now 6-9 months. Walk alongside me on the last part of my experience with this..

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Messing with my diet now......Arrrggghhh!

First they are going to mess with my body so I will no longer be able to do 'normal' things such as crap in the toilet like normal people do...

NOW they are going to mess with my diet - which is the one thing that has made me feel better, normal and healthy.

Included in all the paperwork I 'have' to read before my operation is a list of foods to avoid once it's taken place..
Things such as;
Nuts, cereals, fruits, pulses and seeds
Fruit smoothies
Lentil, pea and bean soups
Wholemeal flour including Rye bread, granary bread, chapati
Bran flakes, museli, porridge, shredded wheat
Brown rice
Anything containing Rye and whole grain - including crisp breads, oatcakes

Allowed:
Rice Crispies, Frosties, Coco pops (YUK!) :-(
White Rice :-(
White Flour, White bread, :-(
Tea/Coffee/Cocoa, clear soups
All milk and Dairy products :-(
Red Meat and Poultry
Clear soups

Then onto fruits and Vegetables which along with pulses makes up the main part of my current diet....
Avoid Allowed
Apples Bananas
Apricots Cherries
Berries (all) Citrus fruits
Damsons Grapes
Figs Melons
Mango Strawberries
Pears Nectarines
Plums Peaches
Dried Fruits (all) Pineapple
Guava
All currants (fresh and dried)
Prunes

Peas Potato without skin
Beans Bean Sprouts
Brussel Sprouts Asparagus
Chick Peas Bamboo Shoots
Lentils Beetroot
Okra Cauliflower
Parsnip Celery
Spring Greens Cucumber
Spinach Lettuce
Sweet Potato Mushroom
Sweet Corn Peppers
Turnip Pumpkin
Potatoes with skin Radish
Aubergine Swede
Broccoli Tomatoes
Cabbage Watercress
Carrots Courgette
Leeks

And they said this was going to be 'simple' and easy to adjust to..."Once it's done you'll be able to carry on exactly as normal Carole"....apart from learn to live with a bloody bag, change most of your wardrobe, buy new underwear, change your whole eating habits, eat white processed foods again, drink coffee and eat tons of dairy and meat....

If this is what they intend on feeding me in hospital I shall definitely come out weighing less than when I went in...all these months working on my diet, regaining weight and feeling healthy for them to feed me White bread and Coco Pops!........ I *don't* think so somehow....

I strongly suspect I will not be sticking to the recommended diet sheet once I escape from hospital. Trial and error will be the deciding factor on my diet - not this sheet.

Also, everything I've read up on about colostomy's says that people struggle like mad with Asparagus, mushrooms, Cauliflower - mainly due to excess gas caused..
Asparagus in particular seems to be a culprit of smelly gas and they stick this onto my 'allowed' list....Bah!

Wait til they find out I'm drinking grass - wonder what they'll make of *that*.....LOL

10 comments:

  1. Now you've really gone and done it this time Carole - Prompted by that last comment I cannot resist it any longer:

    "You assured us all along that there was no way you were a Mad Cow!"

    Love and hugs in return for a pail of milk please LOL

    David [X]

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  2. Moooooo! That's what I say David...just one big MOOOO! :-))

    And just to set the record straight, I said I wasn't going to *get* Mad cow from the blood but I didn't actually say I haven't *got* Mad Cow already :-)

    Luv n hugs back to ya xxx

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  3. Good for you, surely it is up to you what you eat, like you say trial and error is the way forward....sod the sheet....you know what is best for you!!!

    Paula xx

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  4. Thanks Paula :-)

    If I'd listened to them in the beginning I'd be living off Ice cream and sugar Donuts by now...

    You're right of course, I'll do my own thing and work it out for myself along the way.

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  5. There is some method in their apparant madness, though. Most of the stuff on the banned list is very high fibre that your gut may not be able to cope with for a while, or potential creates a load of gas in the gut. And with the latter, and the previous warning that some foods will make you go off like an Icelandic geysir, I think they may be thinking more about your family and friends than you. ;-)

    Asparagus: don't know about gas, but it makes your wee smell funny!

    xx

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  6. Yes, yes, but I *can't* go back to eating white bread, meat and dairy - so my gut will have to learn to cope and fast.
    I'm definitely not eating rubbish food like Coco Pops (sorry Kelloggs but it IS rubbish)...

    From listening to people who have colostomy's - (rather than medical people) I'm hearing that those who pissed around eating low fibre stuff from the beginning then found it difficult to change back to a normal diet...so trial and error is my way forward.
    I came across one lady that only eats chicken, white rice and toast because 'everything else upsets me' :-(

    And Asparagus definitely makes the bag smell - even the Stoma team told me that back in May.

    As for my family and friends, they'll have to learn to love me gas or no gas...this isn't about them :-))

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  7. Blimey, Carole - you really did set yourself up for David's quick wit! He has an udderly wicked sense of humour!

    Seriously though - you're right - adapt, improvise, overcome - remember? Find the right foods for you, and use the list as a guide.

    When I was recovering from my op, the physio gave me a sheet which gave me tasks that I could and couldn't do as the weeks progressed. Each task was a 'domestic chore!' So I could start by doing a little light dusting in week one, followed by gentle ironing in week 3, followed by hoovering in week 5. It really made me hoot with laughter as I don't do any of that now, and certainly didn't intend to take it up whilst recovering from my op! Instead, I adapted it for playing cricket, going for walks and messing about with the kids...and it worked for me.

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  8. LOL at the very *idea* of being told to resume 'domestic chores'...If they give me ANY list like that, I'm hiding it :-)

    "Sorry honey, I'm not allowed to hoover, cook, clean, wash, iron or boil the kettle just yet"

    The list will be burnt beyond recognition.
    I intend on using my recovery time for ME, not getting back to the dusting :-)

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  9. They should damn well give you a list of things everyone else should do for YOU!

    xxx

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  10. Too true Sis.....

    Hmmm, I might compile my own list of jobs to be handed over - on hospital headed note paper :-))

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