Feeling bloated

[Never_falter2]

Sorry for posting to much those days... it‘s just stress. He has stress, I have stress. I stress about his stress. Trying netto meddle into his life and this is not so important... but I thought that may be you have an easy fix that does not add stress to his life... because feeling like this is actually also not so pleasant for him.

My guy is having trouble eating real food because he feels so bloated, has not felt like eating much for a few days but replaced most meals with milkshakes. Really wants to eat but feels soulmates and without appetite he ends up having mostly milk shakes (or sometimes chocolates with coffee or energy drink or healthful stuff like that). With the normal meals: he currently has to force them down because he does not feel like he wants to eat. This is also true for the things he typically enjoys.

Maybe you have an idea. Thanks!

 

[bellbird]

How is your guy's fibre and water intake, @Never_falter2 ?
I find I bloat when I've been slacking on those two things.

That, and exercising also helps. Going for walks or doing yoga, to get the food moving through your gut better.

If he doesn't feel like eating more fibre, you -can- buy high-fibre drinks to try reduce bloating.

Also, the gut-brain connection is something to stay mindful of.
Stress -> increase in "bad" bugs -> gastro(and other) symptoms. A probiotic could be worth looking into as well.

 

[Never_falter2]

I think he drinks enough, water but also stuff that is not as healthful such as soda or energy drink or coffee.
His diet is unfortunately not that great and currently it is very lousy (like I described above). How is he supposed to have a great diet when he does not feel like eating?
But he sometimes add psyllium husks or linseed to a drink or a pudding to make it more healthful.

What do you other guys eat when you do not feel like eating?

 

[Sweetpea76]

The fact that he is getting anything down at all is good, especially if he is stressed or more symptomatic. My vet went years with horrible eating habits and gut issues. He pretty much lived on milkshakes and smoothies for quite a long period of time. It was either that or not eat at all.

If your worried, perhaps make sure he’s getting some multivitamins in daily, and try to make more healthful smoothies instead of milkshakes.

 

[bellbird]

What do you other guys eat when you do not feel like eating?

Smoothies/liquid food drinks from the supermarket, like you've mentioned above.
I think the best thing at this stage would be to make sure those are as healthy as possible. Adding in psyllium husk is a great idea.

 

[Never_falter2]

@Sweetpea76 you say your vet had gut issues and horrible eating habits. Do you mean to say that he does not have gut issues anymore and his eating habits are okay now. How did this happen?

I think I mentioned on this board that my vet saw a doctor and the doctor told him he was having a horrible, horrible diet (talking about his normal diet here) and that he should change his diet.

I am happy that my guy adds vitamine supplements and minerals.

Not so happy about this milkshake thing but then maybe I am looking at it from the wrong way. Unhappy about the milkshakes instead of being happy he is getting anything down... and it isn’t a long time. That has been going on for a few days now. It has happened before but not very often.

Often I look at him thinking “WTF are you doing? Boy, you are lacking discipline“ and then I have to remind myself he is doing the best and most self disciplined he can do.

(Anybody has a recipe for making vanilla milkshakes healthy as possible? Must include vanilla ice)

@bellbird do those high fiber drinks have a brand name? Not sure if they sell them here.

BTW sorry for the typos in the posts above, my autocorrect, I am happy you understood me nevertheless.

 

[bellbird]

My GP recommended me this one, for after I have an operation next year Home | Kiwi Crush but it looks like it's only in NZ.

Looking online, there's also https://www.metamucil.com/en-us/products/metamucil-fiber-supplement/sugar-free-orange-smooth but the main ingredient is psyllium husk anyway, so he might be better off putting psyllium husk directly in his vanilla smoothies?

I don't have any tried and tested smoothie recipes but looking online there are some interesting ones.
E.g. Healthy Vanilla Milkshake (with a secret ingredient) - Laura Lea Balanced
You can always modify based on his tastes :)

 

[Sweetpea76]

@Never_falter2 he still has gut issues. He had crush injuries to his digestive tract from blast compression and is currently going under a battery of tests for “gulf war syndrome” stomach issues (parasites, diseases, what-have-you). He was on opiate painkillers for a decade, and when his PTSD is very symptomatic he cannot eat. All that combined has made for a lot of issues. We’re actually waiting on results from tests he had last week.

He is currently doing much better with his PTSD symptoms, so his appetite is much better... but there have been long stretches of time that I’ve been glad he was able to even get a milkshake down. He most definitely still has gut issues, and I think he always will, no matter what, because of the PTSD.

 

[Never_falter2]

A bit hard for me to accept the fact that X (having a milkshake in this case) is sometimes a best in his case when everybody else (everybodywho does not have ptsd) acts different. Know what I mean?

I hope those test find what‘s wrong with your vet’s gut and that doctors know a way to fix it. That would be cool, wouldn‘t it?

 

[bellbird]

A bit hard for me to accept the fact that X (having a milkshake in this case) is sometimes a best in his case when everybody else (everybodywho does not have ptsd) acts different. Know what I mean?

Yeah, I completely understand.
I'm not sure what to say, other than that neither of you are alone, and I really hope that things will get better soon :hug:

 

[Never_falter2]

Thanks it is good to know you are not alone but you know, I am a practical minded person who like to do things and do not know what to do about it.

 

[bellbird]

Yeah, I get you. I'm sorry I'm not able to help any further.