Posted 2/9/2007 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
Ensure is a drink they make, namely for older people, that has a lot of calories and vitmains in it. They give it to older people who have trouble eating as much as they should. It's also used a lot for people who can't handle solid food, like people that have had dental work done, people who are sick from chemo, and people who are just not getting enough food for whatever reason (you). So just ask your pharmacist about "meal replacement drinks". You probably have access to Slim Fast too, which contains good amounts of vitamins, but not a lot of calories. You should find that with your medicine and by being a little careful with your diet, you can eat normal amounts of food again, so you shouldn't need a calorie-heavy meal replacement drink, but the vitamins and minerals in Slim Fast and its like probably wouldn't be a bad idea for you for a couple of weeks while you work your way back to normal eating levels. If you find, though, that you still don't seem able to eat enough, then you should consider Ensure, Boost or whatever calorie-rich meal replacement drinks are available in your country.
You will probably find that "normal" for you now is more bowel movements than before your GB was removed. I used to go about every other day, but now I go everyday, oftentimes twice. I define "normal" as a bowel movement that's not hard to pass and not feeling the constant need to go to the bathroom. As long as I am not annoyed by the feeling of constantly needing to go, and I don't have to strain a lot when I do go, then I accept however many poops I have (or don't have) per day. You shouldn't look for consistency or predictibility, because you're not likely to find it; you should just shoot for what you can tolerate.
Seeing how it's getting close to spring here, you guys down under are getting ready for fall, correct? You may find help during the waning of the season with a light therapy lamp. They're pricey, but I really like mine and I can tell a difference in my energy levels since using it. Mine also has a dawn feature, which gradually gives you more light until your wake-up time; that helps me get out of the bed. But I think your energy levels will return best when you get back to eating normally again. Exercise can help, but if you've been real run down, you may want to try and do 10 or 15 minutes of moderate exercise and work your way up. Also, you don't have to do it all at once, so if you did 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night, that would be real good.
As far as I know, calcium supplements have been approved for long-term use, provided you don't get more than 1800mg a day. Long-term use of more than 1800mg a day can damage your kidneys. But many doctors are putting women on calcium supplements permanently in the hopes that it may fight off osteoporsis. Unfortunately, they don't seem to help a lot in that department, but they're better than nothing at all. And there is a tentative link between calcium and a decreased risk of colon cancer, so they're very good on that front.
I don't know about the long-term use of Questran or Welchol. We're not taking it to treat cholesterol and we don't even take it as it is prescribed for cholesterol use, so who knows? I just know that no Welchol = diarrhea. I'm big into quality of life right now, and I can't live well if I have diarrhea everyday. If the use of the Welchol long term increases my chance of getting some dread disease, then I'll just take my chances, because NOT using it will definitely give me diarrhea everyday for the rest of my life. I'm not going to throw away a sure cure for a known problem based on "maybes" sometime in the distant future. Who wants to live to be 100 if you have to live in the bathroom all day and can never go anywhere because you're crippled with diarrhea? To me that's no life and it's certainly not worth living for. I also take a birth control shot that keeps me from having periods, even though it's known to increase your chances of osteoporsis. But, you know what, every woman in my family has osteoporsis AND they had to endure having periods too. If I'm doomed to get it anyways, then why not enjoy the flower of my youth with white pants, swimming pools, and rustic camping? Besides, I have so many gynocological problems among the women in my family, I think it's best if my reproductive organs are kept in hibernation as much as possible; if they had to work, they might go haywire. They weren't doing too well before I started the shot, that's for sure.
Anyways, work on getting your guts straightened out so that you can go back to eating normally again and I think that will get you back to normal. Having diarrhea, even for part of a day, is very draining on the energy levels, even if you do manage to eat enough. I don't know what Spirilina is, but I agree that you should be cautious about what you take with your guts. You should stay away from anything that's touted as a stimulant, especially if it has caffiene in it. Stimulating the body usually includes stimulating your bowels too. You have to think of yourself as being like a pregnant woman who is eating and medicating for two. There is you, and there are your bowels. Like with a fetus, you have to be cautious with what you put in your body becuase the bowels are sensitive and can't handle just anything. Think of your Questran and calcium as pre-natal vitamins which make your bowels healthy. Lol.