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Hospital Stays

BlessedMommy

By BlessedMommy
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

I've seen it written a lot of times that you need a diagnosis to get gluten free meals in the hospital and I'm curious about this. I've been in the hospital only once since going gluten free (I stayed with my son in the children's hospital when he had a femur fracture) and they happily let me order off their excellent gluten free menu--no proof of celiac required.

 

Is this referring to hospitals that don't usually accommodate the gluten free diet and don't have an actual gluten free menu? Should I be concerned about what might happen if I were hospitalized in a hospital with no gluten free program since I'm not DX'ed?

 

Feel free to share your hospital experiences, good or bad and how the accommodations were. 

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BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted
  • Author

I found this article and some others and I think that they mostly answered my question. :)

 

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21740/1/Tips-for-Ensuring-a-Gluten-Free-Hospital-Stay/Page1.html

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

My hospital was able to accommodate me, but only in my room. I did testing (they thought I had a heart attack when I really just fractured my back as a result of celiac disease) in the Nuclear Department and they could not feed me (they only had sandwiches). I starved! They could not run down to the kitchen.....really!

I strongly advise that you take in gluten-free food just in case! That or a cell phone to call family and friends to bring you safe food. I still had to make sure the food was gluten-free. I have egg, milk and nut allergies written in my chart too, yet they kept bringing me eggs and milk! They did write that I was allergic to my thyroid replacement (Armour) --- NOT! The doc thought that this was strange. Lesson learned: personally read your chart. Admitting nurses can make mistakes! Especially during shift changes or at night.

BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted
  • Author

I started reading different people's experiences and it seems that the accommodations at the hospital that I was at, was the exception rather than the rule. It is a very large hospital and the area celiac support group meets in their basement.

 

BYOF sounds like a good plan for most circumstances. Either that or the hospital staff could run to the store.

 

When my MIL was in our local hospital and told them that she was a vegetarian, they made a special trip to the grocery store for vegetable broth for her clear liquid diet. Seems like most hospitals could at least go to the store and pick up some frozen Amy's dinners, if nothing else.

1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

I have children that live at home and understand what hospital food would do to me.  Get a friend or your children (if they can do it) to bring food for you. 

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

Many hospitals  are  not  up to par  when it comes to gluten-free...others  got it....same  with  nursing  homes....When I go  to  our  local  hospital  there  is only  a  handful of  foods  that  are gluten-free &  they usually are  terrible.. so  I  have  my hubby  bring  in gluten-free food  that I can enjoy....I refuse to eat  cardboard  bread   &  dried  out  chicken breast...I  have  met  with the  dietician  for  hours  on  end  &  even offered  to  order gluten-free  food  for the hospital...but  again  nothing changes....

If  you are  lucky enough to have a dietician  that is gluten-free  then  it  seems  one  can get  decent  meals.....In the  larger  cities  I find  they offer  many gluten-free  choices  that are  good...

 

What  gets  my goat  is  that  hospitals  are  where  one needs to be  when ill  but  they  don't  care  if  we  don't  have  the  correct gluten-free  food to help us  heal......

StephanieL Enthusiast
StephanieL
Posted

Even when having the endoscopy done, the hospital could not guarantee safe food for my kid. We have a much longer list than just gluten but they still didn't have a clue. This is a "world class" top rated hospital-

 

Take your own food.  If you can't communicate that to them, you most likely aren't in any condition where you are actually eating food anyway.

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beth01 Enthusiast
beth01
Posted

When I was in the hospital in May to get my appendix out, I had to call down and specifically tell them I needed gluten free and they gave me their menu options that I could have that they could accommodate. They didn't have a specific gluten free menu, but they did have dedicated kitchen space. They never asked me for a diagnosis. They only problem I had was after my surgery when I got to my room it was after the kitchen closed and they had nothing on the floor to feed me but Jello. One nurse was so kind as to offer to get me the meat out of a sandwich and throw away the bread. I think she realized just how ridiculous she sounded when I looked at her like she had three heads. Luckily my BF was at work and I called him and he stopped and got me food on his way home. Too bad that was 4 hours later, I was starving after getting my pooh riddled, nausea inducing appendix out.

luvs2eat Collaborator
luvs2eat
Posted

When my super-sensitive daughter had surgery in June, she wore a plastic tiara crown with a sign on it that said, "PLEASE DO NOT FEED ME!" I spoke with all of the staff who touched her, told them how sensitive she is, and provided all of her food myself. Luckily, she was only in for 24 hours!

notme Experienced
notme
Posted

When my super-sensitive daughter had surgery in June, she wore a plastic tiara crown with a sign on it that said, "PLEASE DO NOT FEED ME!" I spoke with all of the staff who touched her, told them how sensitive she is, and provided all of her food myself. Luckily, she was only in for 24 hours!

LOLZ!!!   :D

 

our lions club meets at the community room of the county hospital.  the hospital cafeteria caters the meals.  i went in to speak with them about TWO GLUTEN FREE MEALS PER MONTH and they shot me down immediately.  "oh, no, no, no we can't do that.  nothing here is gluten free"  i was like WOW that is crazy!  it's a freaking hospital, they should be able to do 'special diet' all day and all night!   :o  edited to add:  there were plenty of items on their menu that were gluten-free if they would take care not to cc such items, but i wasn't about to explain the whole thing to them - doubt they even knew what gluten was - i just load up my trusty snackpack when i go to meetings ;)

 

annnd, actually it made me re-think my (in)decision whether to get a medical bracelet - who needs emergency medical personnel hesitating to give you medicine in a critical situation while they are checking ingredients.  nah...  skipping the bracelet.   i wouldn't be eating anything if i was in that bad of shape anyway.)

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted

When you go ask for a dietician and they can order your food.  I had no issues during my stays.

 

Colleen

w8in4dave Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

I wonder what I would do if I had to go. I can look at a Gluten free Menu and pic out what I want, But with Soy,and  Corn intolerance It's hard. I think gluten-free Lover hit the nail on the head when she said "ask for a dietitian." 

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

I  have  spoken to  the  dietician  at  length over  four  hours  on more than one occasion...nope  they  are   not a lot  of help unless they are  themselves  celiac....

Almost  twelve  years ago  when first  dx'd I  was  set up  with  a dietician ,  she  knew nothing nothing nothing.....I walked  away shaking  my head in  disbelief......

I'm  sure  some  hospitals have  trained  there  dieticians  to  understand  celiac most  have  not.... heck we  don't  even  have  doctors in  our town  who can dx'd ...

I  found  finding a good support  group  is  much better....

I actually  have  meetings  at  our  hospital , they ask lots  of questions  but  the  follow0up never  happens... I have  supplied gluten-free  food   to many gluten-free  people  in  our town because  of lack of knowledge in the hospital...

SMRI Collaborator
SMRI
Posted

Hospital food is often contracted out to companies like Sodexo and such.  It's a poor reflection on the hospital that they can't provide food as needed but it's also not generally staffed by trained personnel either.  I mentioned this to the GI dr and the nutritionist I saw at Mayo and they are frustrated with the set up there as well.  Luckily there is a restaurant owned by a Celiac not far away so we just eat there.

Serielda Enthusiast
Serielda
Posted

Blessed Mommy,

My last and semi recent visit to an er and hospital, I was allowed to order gluten-free with no questions. The facility I went to was one of the bigger well know hospitals that even got the whole gluten-free thing with me they even had a separate kitchen to ensure cc was minimized the best they could. They even double checked meds and antibiotics to ensure my safety. I was highly impressed.Likewise I have been to hospitals that was horrible. For instance when Hubby was in the hospital, at a very very well known hospital they didn't get nor understand Vegan and kept giving him "real" chicken soup and jello.I am very serious it was an abomination beyond words in any and all makers such as care style even. I still shake my head at that nightmare. I felt so horrible for him(he was in for an umbiblical hernia that was causing a lot of pain. As I have learned in a short time medical care is seriously a roll of the dice on who you have as a Dr. Surgeon, and other forms of care. It's sad but very painfully true.

I've seen it written a lot of times that you need a diagnosis to get gluten free meals in the hospital and I'm curious about this. I've been in the hospital only once since going gluten free (I stayed with my son in the children's hospital when he had a femur fracture) and they happily let me order off their excellent gluten free menu--no proof of celiac required.

 

Is this referring to hospitals that don't usually accommodate the gluten free diet and don't have an actual gluten free menu? Should I be concerned about what might happen if I were hospitalized in a hospital with no gluten free program since I'm not DX'ed?

 

Feel free to share your hospital experiences, good or bad and how the accommodations were.

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