To anyone who was on a liquid diet

08-26-2009, 04:07 PM

I've been on a completely liquid diet for almost a month now due to fears of choking on solid food because it felt like food was getting stuck in my throat due to my reflux. My endoscopy was normal and my biopsy was negative for H. pylori. I had an esophagram done yesterday for my swallowing issues and it showed everything was completely normal. It took me forever to chew and swallow the solid food I was given. I could only let myself swallow it after chewing it to absolute mush and mixing it with my saliva. I felt so silly sitting there while the technicians waited for me to swallow. But the speech therapist who was feeding me the barium meal said there are no obstructions and my food is going down properly. It was only a bite of tapioca pudding & barium, watermelon & barium, and a small piece of graham cracker & barium. She didn't have me eat the scrambled eggs because she thought it would be easy for me.

So now I'm left wondering if this is all in my head or something. Or am I letting my anxiety keep me from eating?

I'm not getting much in me as far as calories go. Ensure doesn't always agree with me because it's got so much nasty stuff in it. I water it down and it's easier to drink that way but I can usually only get one in me a day. Otherwise it's just water and almond milk. I've lost 20 Lbs. since this started.
I can't afford to lose much more and I feel really weak most of the time.

I really want to try to eat, but I just don't know where to start and I almost feel like I need to learn how to eat all over again. I definitely don't want to swallow chunks of anything. And I'm not really sure of what will agree with my stomach. I usually get more of a regurgitation feeling than an acid feeling
after I get something in me that causes problems. I had some Carnation breakfast powder mixed in almond milk last night...not as nasty as Ensure, but not as calorie filled either so maybe I should stick with the Ensure. I've been taking digestive enzymes also. I don't get pain or burning, just the feeling of stuff coming back up or sitting in my stomach. And lots of burping.
I think I may have too little acid, but I don't want to go through the testing to find out. I've already spent way too much on tests that have just come out normal.

Has anyone been on a liquid diet for as long as I have or longer and then started eating food again? If so, how did you go about it? I feel like I should be able to eat knowing that there actually isn't anything going on in my throat that should be stopping me.

08-27-2009, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by libragrrl

I've been on a completely liquid diet for almost a month now due to fears of choking on solid food because it felt like food was getting stuck in my throat due to my reflux. My endoscopy was normal and my biopsy was negative for H. pylori. I had an esophagram done yesterday for my swallowing issues and it showed everything was completely normal. It took me forever to chew and swallow the solid food I was given. I could only let myself swallow it after chewing it to absolute mush and mixing it with my saliva. I felt so silly sitting there while the technicians waited for me to swallow. But the speech therapist who was feeding me the barium meal said there are no obstructions and my food is going down properly. It was only a bite of tapioca pudding & barium, watermelon & barium, and a small piece of graham cracker & barium. She didn't have me eat the scrambled eggs because she thought it would be easy for me.

So now I'm left wondering if this is all in my head or something. Or am I letting my anxiety keep me from eating?

I'm not getting much in me as far as calories go. Ensure doesn't always agree with me because it's got so much nasty stuff in it. I water it down and it's easier to drink that way but I can usually only get one in me a day. Otherwise it's just water and almond milk. I've lost 20 Lbs. since this started.
I can't afford to lose much more and I feel really weak most of the time.

I really want to try to eat, but I just don't know where to start and I almost feel like I need to learn how to eat all over again. I definitely don't want to swallow chunks of anything. And I'm not really sure of what will agree with my stomach. I usually get more of a regurgitation feeling than an acid feeling
after I get something in me that causes problems. I had some Carnation breakfast powder mixed in almond milk last night...not as nasty as Ensure, but not as calorie filled either so maybe I should stick with the Ensure. I've been taking digestive enzymes also. I don't get pain or burning, just the feeling of stuff coming back up or sitting in my stomach. And lots of burping.
I think I may have too little acid, but I don't want to go through the testing to find out. I've already spent way too much on tests that have just come out normal.

Has anyone been on a liquid diet for as long as I have or longer and then started eating food again? If so, how did you go about it? I feel like I should be able to eat knowing that there actually isn't anything going on in my throat that should be stopping me.

I am sorry you are having so much trouble I use to have the problem with swallowing but all test were neg too I found that I was just thinking to much about it i know makes me sound crazy right . I hope this helps But i do have a hital hernia and acid reflux so bad at times it feels like a heart attack I worried alot and I stress over everything I wish I had a cure lol for it all . But I wish you the very best . Please feel free to ask me any ? you might have . Ill answer themthe best I can ANGEL

08-27-2009, 03:17 PM

Thank you for your reply, angel

(I tried accepting your friend request, don't know if it went through or not...not sure how that works lol)

Yeah, I definitely think about it too much. It's just about all I think about. I went to my PCP this morning to let her know what's happening since I haven't been to see her since before this started. She wanted to put me on a motility drug. I said I'd rather not take any more drugs. I'll just try to start eating somehow...I have to. I find my stomach tenses up a lot when I try to eat or drink anything. I'm trying to keep that from happening as it seems to make things worse.

I tried to eat a little bit of some steamed zucchini last night and drank some almond milk afterward. It eventually came back up on me. I should have taken a digestive enzyme with it, but I thought since I was eating such a small amount so slowly that it wouldn't do much. I also didn't take my prevacid yesterday so maybe that had something to do with it.

I really do think I'm not producing enough acid since my food (and liquids) seem to not be digesting properly. I want to try the raw apple cider vinegar but I'm a little afraid to. Just want to make sure I dilute it enough. I bought some DGL but haven't tried that yet because I absolutely HATE the taste of black licorice. I keep hoping I'm going to wake up from this nightmare and be normal again...just as quickly as it started, it would be gone haha...that won't be happening, though.

Hmmm...been reading about eosinophilic esophagitis. I wish I would have known about this before my endoscopy. They could have tested for it.
Ah well...another possibility to worry about.

08-28-2009, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by libragrrl

Thank you for your reply, angel

(I tried accepting your friend request, don't know if it went through or not...not sure how that works lol)

Yeah, I definitely think about it too much. It's just about all I think about. I went to my PCP this morning to let her know what's happening since I haven't been to see her since before this started. She wanted to put me on a motility drug. I said I'd rather not take any more drugs. I'll just try to start eating somehow...I have to. I find my stomach tenses up a lot when I try to eat or drink anything. I'm trying to keep that from happening as it seems to make things worse.

I tried to eat a little bit of some steamed zucchini last night and drank some almond milk afterward. It eventually came back up on me. I should have taken a digestive enzyme with it, but I thought since I was eating such a small amount so slowly that it wouldn't do much. I also didn't take my prevacid yesterday so maybe that had something to do with it.

I really do think I'm not producing enough acid since my food (and liquids) seem to not be digesting properly. I want to try the raw apple cider vinegar but I'm a little afraid to. Just want to make sure I dilute it enough. I bought some DGL but haven't tried that yet because I absolutely HATE the taste of black licorice. I keep hoping I'm going to wake up from this nightmare and be normal again...just as quickly as it started, it would be gone haha...that won't be happening, though.

Hmmm...been reading about eosinophilic esophagitis. I wish I would have known about this before my endoscopy. They could have tested for it.
Ah well...another possibility to worry about.

try not to worry it does make things worse i am the queen of stress and worry so I know it hurts us more than we know the friend request was sent again it didnt wrk t

he first time and feel free to write me anytime if you need an ear YOur New Friend Angel

08-29-2009, 12:16 AM

That sounds so much like my friend with food not going down and bringing it back up. however she had a condition called achalasia which is where her esophogus was closing up by her stomach which did show on her barium swallow. She could hardly get liquids down but they found a physical reason for it. I don't know what to say...it is strange to have swallowing problems like that when they can't find anything wrong. So is the peristalsis actions working correctly, could it be spasms or would they have seen that as well during your test.

Quote:

Originally Posted by libragrrl

Thank you for your reply, angel

(I tried accepting your friend request, don't know if it went through or not...not sure how that works lol)

Yeah, I definitely think about it too much. It's just about all I think about. I went to my PCP this morning to let her know what's happening since I haven't been to see her since before this started. She wanted to put me on a motility drug. I said I'd rather not take any more drugs. I'll just try to start eating somehow...I have to. I find my stomach tenses up a lot when I try to eat or drink anything. I'm trying to keep that from happening as it seems to make things worse.

I tried to eat a little bit of some steamed zucchini last night and drank some almond milk afterward. It eventually came back up on me. I should have taken a digestive enzyme with it, but I thought since I was eating such a small amount so slowly that it wouldn't do much. I also didn't take my prevacid yesterday so maybe that had something to do with it.

I really do think I'm not producing enough acid since my food (and liquids) seem to not be digesting properly. I want to try the raw apple cider vinegar but I'm a little afraid to. Just want to make sure I dilute it enough. I bought some DGL but haven't tried that yet because I absolutely HATE the taste of black licorice. I keep hoping I'm going to wake up from this nightmare and be normal again...just as quickly as it started, it would be gone haha...that won't be happening, though.

Hmmm...been reading about eosinophilic esophagitis. I wish I would have known about this before my endoscopy. They could have tested for it.
Ah well...another possibility to worry about.

08-29-2009, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angel011089

try not to worry it does make things worse i am the queen of stress and worry so I know it hurts us more than we know the friend request was sent again it didnt wrk t

he first time and feel free to write me anytime if you need an ear YOur New Friend Angel

I'm definitely trying not to worry. Today was actually one of my best days so far. The only solid food I got in me was some feta cheese that I nibbled on. It was soooo tasty. But I drank a couple Ensures which gave me some energy so I felt relatively normal and didn't have any reflux that I felt...just some burps.

08-29-2009, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tammykinz

That sounds so much like my friend with food not going down and bringing it back up. however she had a condition called achalasia which is where her esophogus was closing up by her stomach which did show on her barium swallow. She could hardly get liquids down but they found a physical reason for it. I don't know what to say...it is strange to have swallowing problems like that when they can't find anything wrong. So is the peristalsis actions working correctly, could it be spasms or would they have seen that as well during your test.

Sometimes it does feel like achalasia but the barium swallow showed everything going down properly and emptying into my stomach. At the time of the test though, it was early in the morning and that's usually when everything is pretty calm in my stomach and esophagus. Once stuff is in my stomach though, I don't know how well it's moving along from there. Digestive enzymes definitely seem to help.
I'm seriously considering stopping the prevacid because I think it's causing my blood pressure to go up. I never have high blood pressure and suddenly I'm borderline high. I've also been having a few other side effects.

To anyone who was on a liquid diet

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