here i find myself again. i always seem to get pointed back to this way of living although I have yet to adopt it. i was in the er three days ago for intestinal blockage. a result of my cooked diet. not too bad. but tons of hard to digest veggies, oils, animal products, etc. i then got a test back indicating that i have chronic pancreatitis - meaning one step away from diabetes type 2. i also am showing very high levels of undigested fats in my stools - makes sense since my elastase is so low. so the prescription is a low fat vegan diet. and i knew it all along yet let the voices of my doctors persuade me otherwise. argh!





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2008 02:35AM by dancerinthenight.

Sounds very frustrating. Still...it's all on the learning curve. Many need to feel what's wrong 'way down deep in their gut' before they find the motivation to do what THEY think is right. Your REAL motivation level is something no person can EVER lie about.....to themselves (and it pays dividends to be honest in this respect). You are in my prayers for quick recovery and speed in your pursuit of your dreams.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Ali,

Diabetes, more than anything else, is about over nutrition, or over-consumption of food. It seems that there are foods you are drawn to, and that seem to work better for you. If you could eat these foods at a moderate level, you wouldn't get into the over consumption situation.

Or, going to low fat vegan could work, as you have to eat a lot of volume to get significant calories, and again this could work.

Getting the gastric bypass also is known to heal diabetes, but this is because people are forced into eating lower volumes of food. In this case, there are not necessarily better food choices, just lower volumes of food.

I’m sorry about the test results. Maybe some of these random suggestions will help:

A very low fat vegan way of eating is really important for you. The first thing you have to understand is your old way of eating will only cause pain and further damage. So put it in your mind that that stuff is poison to you, and don’t even consider it food. This mind set is very helpful, because eating all raw, or mostly raw, 100% vegan is the way to live relatively pain free without the use of numbing pain killers. It will also restore your energy, so you can get back to a normal life.

Try juicing only some days; it’s very restful to the digestive system. Make simple juices, with one or two veggies, or fruits.

Melons are very easy to digest.

Eat simple meals. Enjoy mono eating fruit or veggies in small to medium size meals. Eat as often as you need. Make simple combinations, with only a few ingredients. But DON'T use any overt fats at all for a while.


Here is a simple smoothie that is healthy, and easy to digest.
The quantities are can vary to your taste.
1 cup of water
2 bananas
During transition, while you’re regaining your strength, I suggest a supplement to begin getting you back to health. Maybe try a product called “Vitamineral Green”,
or a similar RAW VEGAN meal replacement product There are several on the market.
This will help you get needed nutrition without overtaxing your digestive system.
Add a date if you need it to be thicker or sweeter.
If it is too sweet, add a small pinch of dulse or sea salt to balance the flavor.
Vary the flavor by adding a second fruit sometimes.
A couple of mint or basil leaves blend in real well to give it a different tone.
After you are feeling better, add leafy greens to the smoothie, and reduce the use of the supplement.

Also, take some high quality vegan digestive enzymes with your meals, take a fist full if you have any meals that are complex combinations, non raw meals, or raw gourmet dishes.

Oh yeah, VERY important! CHEW your food as much as you can. Chew every bite until it’s completely dissolved into a warm wet mush. This does not matter if you’re eating a salad, banana, smoothie, or a juice. Chew, chew, chew! Chew at least 30 times minimum for every bite. If you eat anything cooked, chew it 60 times or more. Put down your fork and enjoy every part of each bite while you chew. At first your jaw will ache, but that will pass as the muscles get stronger. This is important because the digestion process starts by breaking up food and mixing it with the enzymes in your saliva. This is both a mechanical and a chemical process that our bodies were designed to use when eating. Not chewing enough puts a lot of stress on your pancreas and liver. This would help anyone digest better, healthy or not.

Hope this helps some...
Peace and health to you.

I have done my reasearch and seem to have some pancreatic issues as well..I know and understand you frustration..I on the other hand, do not have heatlh insurance right now, so I am not able to get the tests done that I feel I need to have..I have a lot of intestinal gas, kinda oily/shiney sticky stools which are usally very very soft stools and/or diareaah, and am often bloated..I also have a continuous pain in my lower right abdomen and feel my right portion of my tummy is sometimes inflamed..near/around my pancreatic area..Were thse your symtoms at all dancerinthenight? I just need to know from soemone who may have the same problems because I wont have health insurance for another month, and these symptoms are consistant for me. Thank you SO MUCH! And hang in there, were all here to spport you





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2008 05:59PM by ashleekanaan.

Thank you all so much for your compassionate and helpful responses. As always I feel so much love on this board.

Ashlee:

I am sorry to hear that you are in pain. I have a lot of things going on at once and my symptoms are thus related to more than one thing. What I think is related to the pancreatitis per se is

abdominal bloating that is quite severe the moment i take a bite of food
a bulging and ropey lower right abdomen and bulging under the right ribs
constant nausea
foul smelling stools
stools that are light in color and very unformed
stools that are sometimes very scanty considering how much i eat
pain on my right side and right above the pelvic region


i think i am going to juice for a while and give my body a break. who knows. it could be a day. it could be a month. all i know is that the pain of illness is taking it's toll. i yearn for freedom. i am ready to do what it takes. even if it means feeling!

dancerinthenight Wrote:
> i think i am going to juice for a while and give
> my body a break. who knows. it could be a day. it
> could be a month. all i know is that the pain of
> illness is taking it's toll. i yearn for freedom.
> i am ready to do what it takes. even if it means
> feeling!

That's the idea! Whatever it takes! I understand, and can relate. you CAN do it.



Ashlee,
I'm very sorry. Please try following my suggestions. I might help.


There are a few suggestions I forgot. But I'll post them later, I don't have it in me today. (please see my thread about my dad on the other topics page, and you'll understand)