My Hospital Experience

[lonewolf]

I had day surgery on Tuesday and made sure (thanks to Debmidge) to tell them that I needed everything to be wheat/gluten free in the recovery room. (The anasthesiologist was great about all my allergies/sensitivities and chose appropriate medication.)

The two main nurses I talked to were a little clueless about food though. When I explained my dietary restrictions, the first nurse said, "Oh, don't worry. We don't have wheat crackers in recovery - we'll just give you saltines." When I explained that saltines were made of wheat she looked at me with a shocked look and said, "REALLY?" I told her about wheat flour and how bleaching it made it white and she said that she "never knew that!"

The nurse in the recovery room was very sweet too. She told me that she knew I couldn't have wheat or dairy, so she brought me chocolate pudding. I said, "Wow! You have dairy-free pudding?" She said, "Oh, I don't know, let me look." Sure enough there was skim milk in the pudding. She was surprised that it had milk in it.

My sister-in-law, who is a pediatric nurse, said that it was "embarrassing" that a nurse wouldn't know what was in a saltine cracker or a pudding cup.

I know that there was a recent thread about hospitals, but just wanted to remind people to NOT trust that the nursing staff has any knowledge of special diets.

[GFBetsy]

Another thing to be aware of (especially if you've got DH) is that sometimes the "glue" they use to close incisions can have wheat in it. My cousin called to check up (after her entire abdomen broke out with a crazy rash) and she said the Dr. checked on the glue and said it had wheat in it . And that was AFTER she told him repeatedly that she had celiac. So my advice is to get your doctor to check on the darn stuff long before you go into surgery (and then remind him that he/she needs to use the gluten-free glue to close you back up) (or else just do it the old fashioned way with stitches).

Doctors (and nurses) deal with a lot of issues at one time, and they aren't as aware of this disease as we are, simply because we are dealing with it daily and they aren't. So just make a nice long list of all your qustions / needs, tell all the staff, and just sigh when a nurse (who has at least 2 years of college) doesn't know that white flour comes from wheat!

[Guest Robbin]

Good grief, these nurses not only don't know anything about special diets, they obviously don't know anything about food period. What an educated healthcare system we have, wow.

[Ursa Major]

I sure hope that I won't have to spend any more time in a hospital EVER again. I'd be toast with all my intolerances (and not gluten-free toast, either ). They'd kill me if nothing else would.

[debmidge]

A person shouldn't be allowed into adulthood unless they know where food comes from. Like sugar comes from sugar cane, white flour is wheat, vanilla is from an ochid bean, ham is from a pig, most carbs are found in food that grows from ground (vegetation) except for milk which is high in carbs; shortening is vegetable fat, butter comes from cream, cream is milk, yogurt comes from milk, ice cream is dairy, geesh I could go on!

It seems that there's a basic "disconnect" with our education system both in a school setting and at home (a lot of food info I know is from my mother teaching me to cook). People should know more about the foods they consume before they leave high school. This is rudimentary education.

No wonder people have no clue to eat healthy (unless they are celiac, then they KNOW the basics). Obviously these nurses do not read labels in their personal lives at all.

[momandgirls]

The fact that people do not realize that pudding is dairy or that saltines have wheat seems ridiculous, I agree. I have run into this over and over again with all sorts of people. People do not realize what ingredients go into food. Most people just don't think about it and, if my family and I didn't have food issues, I'm not sure I'd think about it very much either. Nursing is an extremely hard job and nutrition and special diets are not generally taught in nursing school. Should it be? Maybe... Hospitals would not run without good nurses. Personally, I only had a vague idea of what Celiac Disease was until my daughter was diagnosed (and now I feel like an expert!) though I have always known that saltines are made from wheat and that pudding is made from dairy. I don't feel like I know it, however, because my daughter has Celiac or because I'm a nurse...I know it because I cook and I'm interested in health and because I happen to look at food labels. I understand your frustration but please do not blame the nurses - hospital nursing really is one of the hardest jobs out there and I'm sorry that you had such a frustrating experience. I've seen it said over and over again on this board, you have to be your own advocate. Unfortunate, maybe, but it's true... If you happen to be in that situation again, the best thing to do is to make sure that you ask lots of questions and make sure that everyone knows what your intolerances are.

[eKatherine]

I don't know if commercial pudding has wheat in it, but most of the recipes I made at home in the past called for wheat flour.

[Saz]

One thing I reccomend you do if you know that you have to go to hospital is tell in advance.

I had to have an operation at the end of 2004. It was on the Monday and on the Tuesday morning when I could eat I was told "Sorry it will take 24 hours to organise a meal for you" Lucky I am not super sensitive and wasn't up toeating much so I was able to eat a sandwich from the canteen. The next thing that annoyed me, The lunch and dinner meals when I did get them were meat and veg, now this is fine but not when thats all you get. I did get some quiche on the last day though. Also the apperentely didn't give salad, so imangine my annoyance a month later when I went back for a check up and young boy in the bed opposite had celiac and had salad with his meal.

What shocked me most was this hospital was one of the major ones in my state and It seems to be something that realated to only this hospital as last year I had go to Emergency at a far smaller hospital and got a friendly meal in about 20 mins. *sorry for the rant*

[Michi8]

Last I was in the hospital was for a cesarean in January 2000. At the time, the only food issues I knew I had to worry about were peanut allergy and lactose intolerance. Well, the lactose intolerance got marked on my alert sheet so the kitchen was aware of it. Because of that, the only food they were sending was jello. Apparently they were unable to make me any foods without dairy! I told them I could take Lactaid with the food, but they would not prepare any other foods for me, because I wasn't "allowed" to self-administer my Lactaid.

Michelle

[Nancym]

I've had similar conversations with food workers. They didn't know what wheat was. Man, our school system is terrible.

How do you get out of high school with that lack of fundamental understanding? Good grief!

[aaascr]

The food industry has the general

population right where they want it:

Eating processed foods so that cooking

is minimal; and ignorant of the ingredients,

just as long as it tastes good...

Unless of course there is a medically

dietary issue at hand.. but even with

that they summarize the carbs, sodium,

etc - so who really looks (except people

like us)?

[lonewolf]

I understand your frustration but please do not blame the nurses - hospital nursing really is one of the hardest jobs out there and I'm sorry that you had such a frustrating experience. I've seen it said over and over again on this board, you have to be your own advocate. Unfortunate, maybe, but it's true... If you happen to be in that situation again, the best thing to do is to make sure that you ask lots of questions and make sure that everyone knows what your intolerances are.

Like I said, the nurses were very nice and helpful. They did their jobs well. But I still think that it is inexcusable for someone to go to college to become a nurse and NOT know that saltine crackers are made with wheat flour or that pudding contains milk. I took nutrition alongside all the nursing students when I was in college. We learned things like that. If I can remember it, then why can't they? I was my own advocate. I had a red wrist band that said "No wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs or soy" and I had it written on every chart and told everyone that asked any questions. I never expected them to know what Celiac was, so I didn't even mention it - I was clear about wheat flour and milk especially. My sister-in-law is a nurse in a busy hospital and, as I said before, was embarrassed that anyone in the nursing profession wouldn't know something that simple.

My point in this post was to warn people (again) that hospital staffs can't be trusted to know anything about nutrition. I was very polite to the nurses and they listened to me with respect and seemed to appreciate the "new" information. I tried to use the opportunities with the two nurses as "teaching moments", since the teacher in me can't help but come out, even when I'm on morphine and codeine.

[2Boys4Me]

A person shouldn't be allowed into adulthood unless they know where food comes from. Like sugar comes from sugar cane, white flour is wheat, vanilla is from an ochid bean, ham is from a pig, most carbs are found in food that grows from ground (vegetation) except for milk which is high in carbs; shortening is vegetable fat, butter comes from cream, cream is milk, yogurt comes from milk, ice cream is dairy, geesh I could go on!

The first thing I thought was: No it doesn't! Sugar comes from sugar beets. Same result...different plants. All sugar beets in Canada are grown in southern Alberta. It's too cold here to grow sugar cane.

[Generic]

I know the feeling, I had a surgery July 05. The nurse who checked me in also had celiac. So as a precaution she put the no gluten /wheat allergy band on me. In the recovery room another nurse tried to force me to eat saltines! I was trying to explain I couldn't eat it (was still heavilly sedated). Luckily about that time the nurse who had celiac intreviened. The other nurse hadn't even checked my band!

Serously! I find it unacceptable to not know that wheat is flour, etc. What do you think it is made of AIR? I knew when I was 4 years old!

[debmidge]

Last I was in the hospital was for a cesarean in January 2000. At the time, the only food issues I knew I had to worry about were peanut allergy and lactose intolerance. Well, the lactose intolerance got marked on my alert sheet so the kitchen was aware of it. Because of that, the only food they were sending was jello. Apparently they were unable to make me any foods without dairy! I told them I could take Lactaid with the food, but they would not prepare any other foods for me, because I wasn't "allowed" to self-administer my Lactaid.

Michelle

sometimes it's best not to mention the Lactose intolerance then.....like Lactaid is a "controlled substance"!

During my last operation I brought in Lactaid, Gas pills, motrin, asthma meds, - I hid them in my pocketbook as I knew the "drill." The lactaid and gas pills came in very handy 'cause if I had to wait for the overworked nursing staff to bring them to me , well it would be hours at least. They don't have to wait on me hand and foot.

The first thing I thought was: No it doesn't! Sugar comes from sugar beets. Same result...different plants. All sugar beets in Canada are grown in southern Alberta. It's too cold here to grow sugar cane.

Ok, sugar beets (I was looking for the most popular source and I didn't want to confuse any novices that sugar can come from a beet plant) but you get it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Also, when you make pudding at home, even boxed pudding, you put milk into it. I knew that from when I was a kid and instant pudding was introduced. We drove our mother crazy with it. It was so easy to make and she gave up and let us make it ourselves.

It's frightening to think that adult people of normal intelligence do not know where the food ingredients come from.

[Saz]

The chocolate pudding story is awful! Even if you make it from scratch most recipies generally call for milk! Then there the issue that puddings/ cakes contain flour! It is like the major dry ingredient!