POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Nutrition & HIV => Topic started by: safford on December 15, 2006, 08:53:58 pm
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hi all--
i recently suffered a painful bout of pancreatitis this summer with subsequenr (less severe) flareups. The doctor believes it was caused by TMC 114 (Prezista). I have lost a good amount of weight and am having trouble finding the right foods to eat. I know I need a high calorie diet for the weight issues, but was told to stay away from fat as it irritates the pancreas. Most high calorie foods also seem to have a high fat content.
Many thanks,
Paul
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Hello,
Are you, by chance, taking pancreatic enzyme capsules (by prescription only, such as Pancrease) to help with digesting food and perhaps ease the strain on your pancreas? It might help a bit with your dilemma. Just a thought.
Gerry
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hi --
thanks for the tip. no, i am not taking pancrease but wil be seeing my dr next month and will ask him about it. do you know by any chance what foods might be high calorie and low fat?
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Hi Paul,
Try checking http://www.thefruitpages.com/contents.shtml
Am wondering if anyone had asked you to stay away from all dairy products ??
Suggested more boiled vegetables and fruits ??
Siang
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Hi Paul, I also suffer from pancreatitis. I agree with Gerry regarding the pancreatic enzyme suppliments. I take them with most meals, the brand I'm on is called Creon and it has helped me get back to my normal weight, I lost half my body weight after my first attack of acute pancreatitis.
I remember when I was recovering it was hard to force myself to eat, but a little and often did the trick. I tried to incorporate lots of milk, milkshakes or protien shakes between meals and gradually could manage to eat more and more.
High triglycerides can cause problems with the pancreas so my doctor advised me to get my levels down, I did this quite quickly over about 2-3 months by cutting right down on my refined sugar intake. I only drink diet drinks and chocolate/sweets are a treat of maybe once a week, apart from that I can eat pretty much what I like, oh and I have sadly had to give up alcohol totally as it's the pancreas's worst enemy. Nicotene is also a pancreatic irritant.
When I was stick thin and desperate to gain weight I had scrambled eggs every day for breakfast and ate a lot of pasta, bread and fruit cake (maybe the cake should be in moderation due to the sugar). I've not been too worried about my fat intake but I try to avoid saturated fats.
Hope you feel better soon :o
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thanks for your support and kind words. I feel best between 165-170, i am now floating between 145-155. it is depressing but my appetitie is good, I just need to find those foods i can tolerate and are weight gaining.
i might try the shakes as you suggested.
cheers,
Paul
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Just one more thing,
My doc has me on some antioxidant vitamins he thinks should help my pancreas (Selenium ACE), when he suggested them I thought to myself 'is a vitamin the best you can do for me' but I've been really surprised.
It could just be that my pancreas has settled down but the vitamins could have helped too, I'd recommend it as it seems to have worked for me. ;D
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how much selenium ACE do you take? is selenium ACE the same as regular selenium supplements?
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Hi,
the selenium ACE vitamins I take contain the following, and I take one pill a day:
Vitamin A 450 microgram
Vitamin C 90 mg
Vitamin E 100 microgram
Selenium 100 microgram
I did take some selenium tablets when my normal pills ran out, they were 200 microgram and didn't contain any other nutrients. Like I say, the above pills seem to have helped, check it out with your Doc, you may have similar luck and at very least it'll do you no harm.
Gary :P