To expect that a hospital should be able to meet my dietary needs?

[Balloonsandroses]

Pretty sure I’m not being unreasonable! Been in hospital 24 hours now and just been to eat a meal for the first time (my choice). There is nothing gluten free. I have coeliac disease which they’ve known since admission. Gluten makes me vomit. So I can literally eat pepper, cucumber and lettuce. To add insult to injury this is a psych ward and I was admitted under section (still furious about this) so I can’t even leave and go and buy some food.

I love how the stereotype is that vegans always bring veganism up, yet it's always random vegan-haters that insist on bringing up veganism on a thread that has absolutely nothing to do with veganism. Very weird behaviour.

OP your situation is ridiculous, what a joke! I'd be furious. I don't know what to suggest as I'm not familiar with these things - is there any way anyone can bring you food in?

I’ve talked to one of the healthcare assistants who says sometimes there are supply issues but they should be able to order in… so we’ll see. Husband who is lovely is going to bring me a sandwich and snacks tomorrow (he offered tonight but I don’t want him to drag the kids out). It’s tricky because I’m already struggling with real anxiety that the food and drink is contaminated and too risky to eat or drink so to have someone offer me a scotch egg and sandwich that I know I really can’t eat has not helped that aspect of what is apparently paranoia.

Which anti depression ants mean you have to avoid cheese and marmite?

That's an awful attitude. People can't help being intolerant to certain foods!

My DH is coeliac and him being admitted to hospital is one of my greatest worries. It's not just whether or not they can provide gluten free food. It's also whether their kitchen staff and the support workers serving the food have the knowledge about cross contamination. To illustrate, we were in a cafe today where gluten free cake was offered. We had to ask about how it was made (using same equipment as the gluten cakes?) and whether they were using seperate tongs to select the GF cakes (no they weren't!!). DH couldn't have the cake as just a crumb from a gluten cake would see him in bed for 3 days like he had the flu. Plus would undo 10 years of gut healing that has hopefully been happening since he was diagnosed and stopped eating gluten.

It is very serious!

Hope this gets resolved for you OP. You have my every sympathy.

That weight loss is frightening!

MAOI antidepressants. They are old antidepressants that are not used so much these days. There is a list of foods that need to be avoided.

@tothelefttotheleft MAOIs. Not used very much these days (my consultant had to get special permission to prescribe!) but they’ve worked for me in the past 20 years ago or so so I’m desperately hoping they do again. The diet is a pain though, see attached leaflet! marmite and cheese are just the start…
www.leedsth.nhs.uk/assets/Patient-Catering/Factsheets/404de743a6/diet-factsheet-MAOI-v4-April-19.pdf

That's awful, and hope it is sorted soon.

Have you always understood that your antidepressant makes it impossible to eat cheese or marmite, or are some of these food restrictions more recent/ have they coincided with you becoming ill? It's not a typical restriction, and if there's a misunderstanding somewhere along the line with these or other foods, it could be causing you further difficulty and distress unnecessarily.

I’m sorry you’re in this position. You’re not being unreasonable

Ah sorry, our posts crossed. So sorry you're gong through this, and hope it's sorted soon.

That sheet says lots of cheeses are ok, just not some cheeses. It's a pretty short list of mostly unusual foods to avoid due to the MO drugs.

OP: are you judged to be at risk of self harm ? They won't let you open tins if yes, and anyway lots of baked beans aren't gluten free anyway.

I hope better meals come to you soon.

On the antenatal ward there wasn’t anything gluten free and I only got food because a cleaner asked why I wasn’t eating and then went away and came back with a whole gluten free loaf still in sealed packaging. No idea where she got it from but I was very grateful to her.

What were the options?

Could they not have mixed and matched to make a gluten free meal like a jacket potato and salad?

I’m really surprised they don’t have a gluten free option or some way to make the meal gluten free.

I’d definitely give DH a shopping list and ask him to bring it in tomorrow.

I was held on a psych ward for 4 days and I was not offered a single drink or item of food. I wasn't even told when it was meal times or encouraged to go eat. I was on 15 minute obs for the first 2 days so not as if the staff weren't there! On day 3 my mum brought me some drinks, fruit, snacks etc. We had no idea how long I'd be there as they wanted to keep me in (but in the end they needed the bed). Hope they sort you something out soon!

It’s not exactly unusual foods - it includes cheddar cheese for example!

suspect you’re right that I wouldn’t be allowed near a tin opener / open tin though 😞. All so crap and horrible.

mostly unusual, like Gouda (I eat that when I can find it).

Cottage cheese would be ok, I think? Yogurt? Bananas. Cashews or nut butters?

I had this and I’m gluten free (coeliac and diabetic) and they couldn’t cater for me and I was in a week so I had to get my husband to bring food in for me as they said I needed to see the dietitian and I’m Eh why they hell do I want to see a dietitian for my dietary needs. I know what they are and there is nothing in the menu I can actually eat. They thought I was being fussy till they actually looked at my notes.

how’s vegan and keto a fad diet if it works for someone isn’t that a good thing and it’s their choice after all.

Cheese and marmite both have tyramine. Some of the older MAOIs may be still be prescribed for various reasons, and eating a high tyramine food can have bad side effects.

I’m sorry you’re going through this, OP. Hospital catering should be considered another ‘treatment’ department, like pharmacy, but not in the NHS. How will it help me recover from a major operation if you give me diarrhoea from feeding me a cheese omelette? (I’m lactose intolerant)

I have just been inpatient at a large hospital they have a seperate menu that tries to cover allergens etc but you have to ask for it, given it no problem. BTW all the main menu main courses are bulked out with whey.

Unfortunately people with diabetes are frequently given food that is difficult for them to manage and may not be allowed to administer the insulin that they need to take with the meal. Most people I know with diabetes are very very scared of going into hospital because of the high rate of harms through inappropriate care.

To the OP's question - not being unreasonable at all. They should be able to cater to your medical need. Can someone bring you some GF food in?

That happened to my dad too. I saw his kit and grabbed it to give to him.

They were also trying to take his CPAP machine off him as well. I stopped that.

But it meant my brother and I had to be there constantly, taking it in turns over the couple of days he was in, to make sure he was okay.

@SnackSizeRaisin
Absolutely the menu should be vegetarian / vegan in the main in hospitals. It would be cheaper for the NHS and fewer worries re storage and the religious aspects of meat eating.

I've been a strict vegan since 2005. It's a protected belief, not a faddy diet.

I have a friend who was brought up vegan from birth. He's about 40 now, and hardly going to start eating non-vegab food. If nothing else, I can't imagine it would help him feel better if he were unwell.