What do you eat...

[purpleteacher]

What do you eat after you know you have been exposed to a SV? I mean, do you only eat "safe" things or not eat at all. Just curious because I'm positive I have been exposed to the SV teaching recently and I am spazzing about what I'm eating. I don't want to ruin my safe foods, but I am not willing to try and eat things I deem unsafe either.


I pretty much stopped eating for a few days, which put me into ketosis (which is utter HELL!), so now I'm trying to eat more carbs to get myself out of it. I'm scared though because what I'm eating to get out of my ketosis are my safe foods, which I am afraid to V* if I do actually end up with a SV.


Suggestions?

[crimgoddess]

The only thing I really stay away from is rice, because its hard to throw up (trust me, you probably don't even want to know the details). I pretty much eat normally- just more liquids than normal. I have become addicted to Gatorade propel water- but the flavour I like best isn't available in Canada (Arg!).


<< I don't want to ruin my safe foods, but I am not willing to try and eat things I deem unsafe either. >>


With all respect, this right here kind of makes anything someone suggests kind ofirrelevant. Either you won't deem it 'safe', and will thus not consider it- or it's one of your safe foods, which you are scared of eating anyway. I'm not trying to be rude or anything- I'm just not really sure what you're looking for....You seem to have placed yourself in a catch-22.


Hope you feel better,


*amber*

[andee]

Hi Purple Teacher,
Don't know if this helps but I start eating really healthy foods and take my vitamins, hoping the healthy stuff will ward it off. Also, is anyone familiar with echinacea? At the first sign of any illness (or even maybe) I take this. It is supposed to boost your immune system. It at least seems to make colds less intense. Keep eating because you don't want to tax your system either, right?

[purpleteacher]

I have such few foods that I will eat to begin with and then combining that with knowing I have been exposed to a SV makes me go nuts! I have ruined some foods I will eat because they have made me sick or I have gotten sick after eating them in the past.


I guess eating nothing is better than something because later on down the line, a night full of painful dry heaves is better than losing a "safe food".

[tink]

I've heard banana's, applesauce and mashed potatoes. It sounds like anything you would feed a baby.

Please eat, at least a little at a time. I swear you will feel better.

Take Care,
--Kim

[purpleteacher]

I ate my "infamous" pb&j this morning. I honestly see no point to eating if I have been exposed to something because I refuse to V* up the precious amounts of food I trust my body to consume. I was feeling sick this morning with ketosis, so I tried to eat, but I have only been feeling worse.


Ketosis is better than eating and feeling this way and at least ketosis goes away.


Edited to add: Yes, I'm in a bad mood right now. I feel sick and miserable and I'm angry because I feel like I have NO CONTROL over my body right now. I cannot stand this feeling and I feel like I'm going crazy! I am not trying to take it out on everyone on the board either, I'm just being honest --- so please forgive me if I am sounding harsh.Edited by: purpleteacher

[crimgoddess]

Then you must forgive me as well if I sound equally harsh, because that is not my intention-


You feel sick due to not eating....but then continue to not eat for fear of feeling sicker? You body was probably shocked that it got something substantial in there, which does happen if you haven't eaten in awhile. The only way to really get over that is to eat more- and more regularly. You literally have to train your body how to deal with food. (As an aside: I know you also have body image issues- but what you are doing now is ensuring that your body is holding on to everything it eats because it isn't sure when it's going to get fed again. If you ate more, and more regularly, your body wouldn't think it is starving, and would let the food pass through your system. I know for myself, I eat more now that I did when I was really heavy. When it comes to weight, often the issue isn't how much you eat, but what you eat.)


You can't automatically assume that if you have been exposed to something you will automatically catch it- or even that eating/not eating will have any effect on whether or not you catch anything or vomit. I don't understand the logic of "I'm not going to eat because I would rather not lose the precious food I do eat"- so instead of eating, and having the slim chance of losing it, you would rather just not eat at all and feel sick as a result ofsomething thatwas your choice?


I'm sorry that you're going through such a rough time- I really am- but killing yourself is not the answer. And what you are doing is suicide- but a long, painful drawn out form of it. The inevitable end to not eating is that your body literally runs out of the fuel it needs to function and it shuts down. You can rigt now be doing irreparable damage to your internal organs.


I know that your passion is teaching, and that is where you find your solace from your problems- but if you continue not to eat, eventually it will catch up on you and you may find yourself physically unable to do what you love. Do you really want to risk that?


Once again, I really don't mean to sound harsh. I just hate to see someone who has so much promise (it is obvious that you have found your passion in life, and are probably quite good at it, if schools are requesting you)- risk it all.


I sincerely hope that you feel better soon- and that you find the strength to do what you need to do in order to get healthy.


*amber*

[SimplyMe]

I agree w/ amber, your body needs to adjust to eating. When I was in 5th grade I refused to eat lunch at school (mind youthats missing only one meal) and when I started again I had to start slow and healthy.


Plus not eating lowers your immune system. When I feel I have been exposed, I eat things that are easily digested and pretty much my normal diet w/ the exception of spicy, acidic things. That said I try to drink a glass of cranberry juice a day (haven't lately) since soemone posted on here that it's good at fighting sv off. You're scared and mad and that's understandable but really try to eat right, your body and health will be better off for it!

[aar13]

If I have been exposed to an sv* I usually stick with oatmeal, crackers, lots of liquids, soup, and anything that seems like it would be easy to v* if I had to. Sometimes I don't eat at all because the anxiety about getting it from my daughter makes me n*, but that's not something that anyone should do since your body needs food to function propertly and stay healthy.

[japa]

Amen to everything that crimgoddess said. It's so true.


By not eating, I firmly believe that you are training your bodyto feel nauseous more and more often because it is not going to be accustomed to taking in and processing food.


When I don't eat for a long time, I reach a point at which I feel so hungry and then the feeling turns to a feeling of nausea. But I know that it will not actually cause me to vomit. I have to go ahead and get something to eat and eat it slowly, and then my stomach is soothed.


You have to consider that as an emetophobic, there are going to be many times that you believe you have been exposed to a stomach virus, when in fact you are just being overly sensitive due to this phobia. So you are constantly going to be curtailing your eating in an unhealthy manner when you there was really no chance of catching anything. What an immense squandering of your own energy and disrespect to yourself.


You think that you are helping yourself by not eating, but it's not true. I don't want to sound harsh either, but I do want to be honest about what I think. I think that you are indeed going to end up doing horrible damage to your body, and you could even kill yourself.


It sounds like you are nurturing to the students you teach. What about being nurturing to yourself by feeding your body properly?


Edited by: japa

[kylie_0607]

I also had a time where I didn't eat lunch as im small anyway I took it badly. it had been going on for a while until i got so weak i fainted and had to go home. it took my ages to build myself back up again and i felt horrible and low. after an sv i dont eat for 24hours only liquids then start on plain toast or crackers, rich teas, soups etc.