# Feeling afraid to eat



## S-Pained (Jun 17, 2012)

This is the first day I'm feeling hungry since last Thursday when I went into hospital with acute abdominal pain and vomiting. I have cleared out my system now with Movicol but am feeling rather nervous about eating. I do not want to go through the pain again and I want to be fit to return to work in 2 days max so I need to build up my strength - I have eaten next to nothing the last few days. What should I eat to get started?


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## Clarice Dietitian (Feb 24, 2012)

S-Pained said:


> This is the first day I'm feeling hungry since last Thursday when I went into hospital with acute abdominal pain and vomiting. I have cleared out my system now with Movicol but am feeling rather nervous about eating. I do not want to go through the pain again and I want to be fit to return to work in 2 days max so I need to build up my strength - I have eaten next to nothing the last few days. What should I eat to get started?


It would be great if your doctor / specialist or surgical dietitian in the hospital gave some advice. You might want to phone them and ask if there is someone to speak to. Otherwise, here are some general guidelines that I hope help. Start with some clear fluids such as herbal tea (peppermint or fennel are good) , clear soups (miso, clear chicken or beef soup), diluted fruit juice (not more than about 100ml of fruit juice per 3 hours). If you feel good on these and are beginning to feel hungry, then go onto some other fluids such as thicker soups, oat meal, a thin puree of fruit and / or yoghurt. Then after a day or two try some easy to digest foods such as oat meal, cornflakes, white or wholemeal smooth textured breads, egg, fish or tender chicken with potatoes, rice and easy chew root vegetables.If you are struggling to eat much and feeling tired, perhaps take a chewable, powdered or liquid multivitamin and mineral supplement and a good liquid meal replacement. A great smoothie you can make yourself is a banana, 2 Tablespoons of flaxseed oil, 3 heaped dessertspoons of whey protein powder and an optional teaspoon of spirulina or barley grass powder. Blend the banana first with 1/2 cup of water and then add the remaining ingredients with another 1/2 cup of water. Relax before eating (take a few deep breaths) and chew foods well. Wishing you all the best.


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## S-Pained (Jun 17, 2012)

Thanks - I've been eating better the last 2 days and made a fruit smoothie. Yesterday I even managed some sea bass coated with oat bran and some new potatoes and wilted spinach but now I'm starting to get bunged up again. My colon just doesn't seem to be shifting anything on and even a week of taking Movicol hasn't decisively cleared me out.


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