Herbal Health
Herbal Remedies Blog
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POST-OPERATIVE DIETS IN GASTROINTESTINAL SURGERY: DIET FOLLOWING GASTRIC RESECTION
Following gastric resection, the period of readjustment to eating follows no predictable pattern; the diet needs to be adjusted frequently to meet the patient’s increasing tolerance.
Gastrointestinal
The troublesome feature is the dumping syndrome.
Dumping syndrome is caused by a reaction to the hypertonic stomach contents which have passed into the ileum with abnormal rapidity. In this, the following dietary considerations are important:
1. Milk often causes difficulty, as in many gastrointestinal disorders.
2. Concentrated sweets and carbohydrates in general are poorly tolerated.
3. Volume of feedings, especially liquids should be limited.
4. Proteins and fats should be used in increasing amounts according to the individual tolerance.
The diet should be adequate in calories, high in protein and low in carbohydrates. The diet regimen is outlined in three steps for the convenience of the physician and the dietary personnel.
After gastric section patient should follow the following regimen:
1. Clear liquid diet.
2. Semi-solid diet (no milk, no cheese).
3. Regular diet, i.e., high protein, low fibre.
Avoid milk as beverage, raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and
concentrated sweets.
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DIAGNOSING EPILEPSY: REFERRAL TO A SPECIALIST
Once it has been decided that what happened to you was, in all probability, a seizure, your doctor will want to discover whether it was due to some underlying cause that should be treated, and whether the fits are likely to recur.
Epilepsy
It is possible that if this is your first fit the doctor may adopt a ‘wait and see’ policy. But they may – and certainly if you have had one or more previous attacks, they will – refer you to a neurologist.
Doctors, like gardeners, have their own fields of expertise. Medicine moves so fast nowadays that it is virtually impossible for a GP to be up to date with every new development in every field of medicine. Unless your GP has a special interest in epilepsy it is quite possible that their ideas about treating the condition may not be right up at the frontier of current thinking. Your GP may, for example, want to start treating you without referring you for further investigations. It is not unheard of for a GP to say to a patient, ‘You’ve got epilepsy. Go away and keep taking these tablets.’
This used to be normal practice because it used to be thought that the cause of epilepsy was unimportant. Indeed, in most cases it was believed that there was no cause to be found, and that most instances of epilepsy were ‘idiopathic’, that is, that there was no known cause for them. Investigations were pointless because so far as treatment was concerned the end result was much the same: ‘Keep on taking the tablets.’
Things are rather different now. New methods of imaging the brain have been developed which can produce a highly detailed picture of our most complex organ. The use of these new methods has shown one thing very clearly, and that is that epilepsy usually occurs for some reason. The old concept of idiopathic epilepsy, epilepsy without a cause, no longer holds true.
A neurologist will carry out tests to detect abnormalities either in the structure of your brain or in the way it is working. You will also be given blood tests, which can indicate whether there is any medical reason which might account for your seizure. These routine tests are all quite straightforward and painless and carry no risk. Usually the tests will give detailed information about the cause of the epilepsy.
Discovering the cause of your epilepsy is important for two reasons. To begin with, it may affect the choice of treatment. Until you are certain what is causing the epilepsy it is not possible to choose the appropriate treatment. And secondly, it helps most people who have epilepsy to know why it developed. It helps their families too. Whenever a child is ill, for example, parents tend to blame themselves, however illogical this may be. They want to know how it happened, and to be able to explain it to themselves.
Whether or not you are referred to a neurologist may also depend on whether or not you ask for a referral. Some people feel easier if they have as much information as possible about what is wrong with them; others are happy simply to accept what they are told and to leave all decisions up to their doctor. Neither approach is either right or wrong; it is very much a matter of your own particular personality. However, if you ask to be referred to a neurologist who has a special interest in epilepsy and your doctor seems reluctant to do so, it is reasonable to ask why. If they continually refuse to refer you, it might be worth changing your doctor to one who has a broader understanding of epilepsy.
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COPING WITH SIDE-EFFECTS OF DIET THERAPY FOR CANCER: VOMITING
Vomiting may follow nausea and may be brought on by treatment, food odours, gas in the stomach or bowel, or motion. In some people, certain surroundings, such as the hospital, may cause vomiting.
Cancer
If vomiting is severe or lasts for more than a few days, the doctor can help.
Very often, if nausea can be controlled, vomiting can be prevented. At times, though, one may not be able to prevent either nausea or vomiting. Some relief may be found by using relaxation exercises or meditation. These usually involve deep rhythmic breathing and quiet concentration and can be done almost anywhere. If vomiting occurs, the patient should try these hints to prevent further episodes:
1. Ask the doctor about medicine to control nausea and vomiting.
2. Do not drink or eat until the vomiting is under control.
3. Once vomiting is controlled, small amounts of clear liquids may be tried. Begin with 1 teaspoonful every 10 minutes, gradually increase the amount to 1 tablespoonful every 20 minutes, and finally, 2 tablespoonfuls every 30 minutes.
4. When patient is able to keep down clear liquids, a full-liquid diet should be tried. Continue taking small amounts as often as he can keep them down. If feeling okay on a full-liquid diet, gradually work up to regular diet. If having a hard time digesting milk, try a soft diet instead of a full-liquid diet. When feeling okay on the soft diet, should gradually add more foods to return to regular diet.
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