Protein Deficiency

Ok.. I know I know....

I haven't been getting all my protein in for a few months.. this year has without a doubt  been the worst of my life and eating has just gone on the back burner.  I've been like a hamster on it's wheel and just grabbing bits of food here and there.

I have a swollen stomach, ankles, feet, hands and wrists and I know I need to address this, so I need your advice on getting this sorted asap plllllllllllease!!  I need to go and get my labs done but life has got in the way and I've not had time.  I'm going by symptoms here.  I also feel very tired and drained and my joints hurt like billyo.  Ohh and I'm getting zitty like a frickin teenager!!!!!  That could be hormonal tho as I've got an implanon and also evra patches as I was bleeding like a mofo with it.

As we speak I have a joint of pork defrosting, figure I can just keep it in the fridge and cut chunks off and carry those around with me.

I also have some protein shots, which are 25g a hit, they're small but I can't stand the bigger ones

I've got some Marvel powdered milk which has 5g of protein per teaspoonful which I've started to add to coffee/tea etc and I use it to make a latte so I'm probably getting about 30g there daily but I don't know how much I need to increase to beyond the normal 100g and how long will it take to fix???

I seem to remember someone (Lori B???) having problems with protein a while back too.


Cheers guys.. I'm sorry if it seems I only come here when I want something but I've seriously had a horrible time with family illnesses and stuff this year that time to myself to post etc is a fantasy most of the time, and when I do have time, I just wanna sleeeeeeep.  I will fill you all in soon tho - promise x

I think 120g of protein shakes over an beyond your food intake should get you up and over the hump. That's only 4 - 30g shakes a day and you can have them as meal replacements or snacks. Is it difficult to get a good tasting whey protein isolate powder there? 

I hope you can get this sorted out. You gotta take care of you. ((hugs))

--gina
 

Thanks Gina..

Yup they're  hideously nasty over here.. maybe if I take 4 or 5 of those little shots @ 25g each will have the same effect.  Only reason I sussed about the protein is because I was talking with one of my mum's doctors and she asked if I was pregnant! when I said no, she mentioned checking my protein levels because we'd previously talked a lot about the DS

This is them

Problem is I'm just not home or able to access protein foods much when I'm out... it's all sandwiches and panini over here - I'm either at the hospital caring for my mum or in the office trying to deal with stuff that other people can't cover.  It's rare that I'm home before 11pm and I'm generally out of the house early in the morning too.  The only reason I'm not at the hospital nwo is because I called and the nurses said she's stable and sleeping.

Do you get to the states at all through Port Huron? The Vitamin Shoppe there is great. I love their syntrax nectar dessert protein powders. Also, Costco has Premier Protein shakes already made.

Uh oh :-/. This is bad hon. I'm sorry you've had such a dreadful time of it. But listen, you desperately need to get with doctors who have a clue about malnutrition. You might need some bigger interventions than what you can get in by mouth to build yourself back up.

I carry bags of cheese with me much like you're talking about doing with hunks of pork loin, also hard boiled eggs.

Thank you Elizabeth.. yup I can do that with a bit less headless chicken type behaviour!  I'll go boil up some eggs now and make a big tub of tuna salad too.

I'm not scheduled to see my surgeon til next March but I have the paperwork to go get my labs done, just not had time.  I suspect when I do get them done and he sees the results he'll be on the phone to me sharpish if I am defiicient, hell last year he admitted me for a month cos he felt I was a funny colour, lol

I was on Pabrinex IV and lots of other stuff then, I just can't afford to be admitted to hospital again cos there's no one else to care for my mama and the hospital she's in isn't the greatest.

If you don't take care of yourself, my dear, there is going to be genuinely no one to take care of your mom.

Look for an unflavored protein product through medical/home health supply places. If you get a diagnosis of protein malnutrition, this should be fairly easy to obtain and might even get paid for by insurance. One such USA product is ProCel. This is a kind of product that goes in feeding tubes.

Get in touch with your surgeon NOW and let him know you just MUST have a solution that does not involve being hospitalized. You're being foolish to put this off.

I agree with Gina.  I think you need a very digestible form of protein to get you through this.  That means a whey-based protein shake, multiple times per day, on top of the food you eat. 

The protein shots have variable amount of digestibility, but many of them are just not as good as the protein in the good ol' protein shake.  You are probably going to need 4-5 30g shakes per day.

I think it would also be helpful to go back to basics, so to speak.  No carbs in the mouth unless you get your protein in for the day.  It'll really force you to focus on the high protein foods.  Hard boiled eggs, beef jerky, nuts/seeds, and cheese for snacks.  Crispy/baked cheese crisps when you need crunch.  Carbs aren't outlawed, of course...getting adequate energy in the form of carbohydrate should help your body utilize the protein better for what you need it for instead of relying on amino acids for energy, but don't eat them at the expense of your protein.

And, contrary to typical DS rules, I do remember Dina/Dr. Baltasar recommending LEAN protein sources when you have reached a protein malnutrition state, as higher fat sources will be more malabsorped.  Just something to keep in mind! 

For accountability's sake, you might also consider posting to one of those "what did you eat today" threads.  When you're checking in with us daily, it can really motivate you to make sure you are reporting that you ate lots and lots of protein and made a lot of shakes.

Good luck, keep us updated, and please get your labs done.  :)

Great advice, Kayla - I always love reading your well-informed posts.

try cosco brand it is called premier protein shake it has 30 grams in it, lot like chocolate milk, cold it is the best 3-4 a day with vits works for me hope this helps   Scott