I'd like to say I started the diet right away, but I didn't. I was a little scared to start this new prescribed diet. I had researched this rare disease and it terrified me. If I started actually eating the prescribed diet, that means I actually had this disease. I didn't want this disease! I felt like it was better to live in my own little world and deal with the consequences than it was for me to accept this new illness I had. I mean seriously, nobody ever told me this was going to happen if I didn't control my diabetes. They told me I would lose my feet, go blind or die early from a heart attack. I was never told that I wouldn't be able to be a foodie ever again, because my stomach didn't digest the food like normal people....
Normal people.....well that is a whole entire post. But let's just say it took me several days before I was ready to eat this prescribed diet.
So, my prescribed diet for the first three days. NO FOOD and NO COFFEE!!!! What, no coffee??? I owned a bakery and coffee shop! I bought a fancy espresso machine so I could make my own gourmet lattes and mochas in my house. Yes, I am a coffee snob, I admit it! But, for three days I wasn't allowed any coffee or solid foods. For the first three days, I was allowed the following items: Apple juice, Grape Juice, Cranberry Juice, Chicken Broth, Beef Broth, Vegetable Broth, Hard Candy and Clear Gelatin. What? That was it? For three days, that was all I was allowed to eat?
So, for the first three days I did great! I tried really hard to eat what was prescribed to me. The first day I had something in my mouth every hour on the hour. My blood sugar dropped drastically and once again I had felt like my diabetes was out of control. Every hour I was low or high. I just couldn't figure out how this new diet fit in to my diabetes. I was checking my blood every hour on the hour, thank goodness for Continuous Glucose Monitors!
I decided to start the diet on a Thursday. I would be home all day for the next three days. I could focus entirely on me and not worry about trying to get enough calories in me while going into town. If I didn't have energy due to lack of nutrients it was okay, I could sleep all day if need be. I'm not sure what I was thinking, except for the fact that I didn't want to admit that this was my diagnosis, seriously, what would a couple days hurt?
Well, the Wednesday before made me realize that I truly needed to start the prescribed diet the minute I got home from town. You see, I had a meeting on Wednesday where we eat lunch if we want to. Of course I wanted to eat lunch! It was the last "real" lunch I was going to eat for six weeks! Not just the last "real" lunch.... it was the last solid food I was going to be able to eat for four weeks! Heck yes, I wanted lunch! So, I ate lunch......
The amount of food I ate was minimal. I understood that I needed to eat every two hours and eat small amounts during this time. But apparently my stomach didn't like the food I ate. I had 1/2 cup of chicken noodle soup and about 1 cup of a salad. Hmmmmm, you think that amount I could digest properly.
Within ten minutes my stomach started gurgling. It gurgled so loud that a couple of the people at my table started making fun of the noise. I hadn't even accepted this new disease and I already had people making comments about the noises my stomach made while trying to digest the little amount of (so called healthy) food. I didn't know what to say.... I was humiliated, depressed, frustrated and angry! I felt like I was in third grade again, getting picked on for an invisible disease. Seriously, what is wrong with people. I wanted to hide away and never see people again. Thankfully I was able to hide at home for the next couple of days to start this new prescribed diet, the only outing I had was with my friends. Friends that are very supportive and wanted to know what I was able to eat....
My reply......... J-E-L-L-O
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