When I was in hospital I was nil by mouth for 4 weeks. since getting out of hospital, many friends have asked me if I got hungry at all. So many people have been curios about this part of my experience that I've decided to share about it.
First things first. Any one who knows me well, knows that I'm a huge "foodie" I LOVE FOOD. I'm not to keen of fast foods or junk foods, fatty or fried foods, but serve me good tasty 'clean' cuisine, from any country and I'm an enthusiast! I'm well travelled, love to meet and embrace different cultures and when I do, I always try to taste the typical cuisines of the region. In my 20's, my singing voice became my ticket to travel and explore the world from Europe to Asia. I swore back then that I was going to eat my way around the world, tasting regional signature dishes as I learned about the country I was visiting.
In falling ill in January, I spent about 6 weeks unable to eat at all. Such a basic human need, that sometimes we don't even think about this need when we satisfy it. For the first 9 days in agonising vomiting, nothing would stay down, not even water. Food couldn't have been further from my mind. The rest of the weeks in hospital were mainly nil by mouth. My blocked bowel meant that nothing could go in and trapped fluids were constantly being drained out. "Electrolyte IV drips and nil by mouth!" bellowed Dr Sledgehammer after he'd first assessed me. I didn't know then that I would stay "nil by mouth" for many weeks to come.
My sense of smell became keen. Even hospital food smelled great. When it would arrive on my ward, I would take a step out. As part of my self-designed recovery strategy, I would often take my drip for a short walk down the corridor. I would stand and gaze out of the window for a while, peering into the constantly moving streets of London. In comparison, I had somehow been frozen in time. I had been taken out of action. After these musings I would walk down another corridor, stop to rest. Sometimes I would repeat these mini journeys for as many times as my strength allowed. Mobilisation after bowel surgery is a hugely important recover tool if you want to get out of hospital, and I wanted out!
I'll give more tips on recovery aids in another chapter. But back to my story for now. On one of my corridor strolls, I walked the short distance to the Day Room, a little bright side room with a TV and magazines for visitors and patients. I had noticed it was so rarely used so I would take my IV drip, my colouring book and my phone and sit there for a change of scene. If patients were complaining or being noisy on the wards, this was where I would go for calm and solace. The panoramic view was pretty impressive. I would play Rachelle Ferrell's album 'First Instrument', and stand and sway to the magic that is her voice. Not only would the music transport and elevate me, the movement was in effort to wake up my bowels. Afterwards I would sit and colour. Other days I would watch a little TV. There were many channels, always showing a lot of rubbish. I could always rely on the Food Channel to show me something interesting. In almost sadomasochistic torment and delight, I would watch amazing meals being prepared or perhaps the crazy American man trying to eat his body weight in food. After a while fatigue taking over, I would slowly wheel my drip and myself back to my ward.
On one such day I was enjoying the Day Room to myself when, someones visitor came in. Having my headphones on I didn't taken too much notice of the lady, but suddenly, a perfectly delicious aroma swamped the room engulfing my nose and setting my senses ablaze. She was eating buttery popcorn! I snapped my head up from my colouring book, nearly giving myself whiplash. With saucer-like eyes I stared at the lady and her huge bag of popcorn. With a fresh mouthful of popcorn she muffled apologies for something or other. I told her no problems but I swiftly left the room, for fear of snatching the whole darn bag of buttery popcorn and shoving it into my face.
Sadly, with the awful, highly uncomfortable NG tube invading my throat and causing an obstruction in itself, the popcorn heist would never have come to much. I often couldn't bare even swallow my own saliva. I knew I would have to wait a while to eat pop corn, or any food for that matter. Till this very day, I am still waiting for a time when I can reunite with my beloved popcorn. I LOVE popcorn. I love it so much that I used to buy the seeds and pop it at home. I love it so much that sometimes I would forgo eating dinner and just have a popcorn evening. How awful to find out that popcorn is too fibrous for me, even 3 months after discharge. Let's hope that this changes soon! I MISS POPCORN. I'm Miss Popcorn. (Sorry I couldn't resist that one)
So the answer to your inquisitiveness about being nil by mouth...yes, you do get hungry...and then again, mostly not at all. You live with a permanent bad taste in your mouth and forever fuzzy teeth and a furry tongue. Mouthwash and constant brushing of teeth will become a necessity, an obsession, but they will bring no more than momentary relief. Nil by mouth is a strange existence. After 5 weeks, I was just longing to taste things again, to experience flavours and their textures. So deep was that longing that sometimes I would actually dream of food. One night I dreamt that I ate a whole roast chicken like a cartoon character.
With 2 hands I popped the whole chicken into my mouth and in one deft movement I pulled the chicken carcass out, bones all still in tact but totally gleaned of any flesh. "I hope that Dr Sledgehammer doesn't find out" I thought to myself in the dream, holding a hand over my mouth and looking around like a naughty school girl.
How sad that on waking up, I was still staving...literally.
Another night, I dreamt of a huge 3D slice of hot, very thick-cut toast. Rich yellow butter and ruby raspberry jam melted and dripped down the sides. I could almost touch it but... then the dream morphed to being in the car with my girl Janine. She ordered Big Mac drive through meal. Now, I consider myself one of the lucky ones who don't care for Big Macs. In the dream, I still didn't care for Big Macs, but I fair nearly wrestled my poor friend for her fries. I got hold of them and whilst we chatted I 'accidentally' ate every last one of them! On returning the empty container to Janine, I noticed there was one soggy, floppy fry, stuck at the bottom. In a scramble between the two of us, I quickly shovelled that last pathetic fry into my mouth before Janine could. We laughed together, falling about in our car seats. She didn't mind. On waking I could imagine it happening in real life.
When you've been nil by mouth for so many weeks, devoid of any flavours, you long for, almost fantasise, about taste. When you are eventually allowed to eat you start on very little and very soft. After fluids like herbal teas and water, semi fluids (free fluids) are best. Yogurts, custard, smooth soups root veg soups (like sweet potato soup) and jelly (or "jell-o" to my American friends). Avoid Vegetable soup! I learnt that the hard way after my first bowel operation.
So, coming out of nil by mouth treatment, soft, non-fibrous foods come first. I will tell you now that that the dairy-free chocolate yogurt that my dear sister brought for me fair nearly blew my toes off. It took me around an hour to eat it. I took many breaks. I had to take my time. It was the best I had ever tasted.
After being nil by mouth, nearly everything you put in your mouth will be the best you ever tasted. You will experience unbelievable taste sensations. The stronger the flavours the better (e.g. blue cheese, spreadable herb cheese, pesto, smoked salmon, chocolate truffles). Others tastes will be so lethally rank that you will swear that they are poisons and not food (e.g. hospital jelly. What is that?! The taste of saccharine nearly burnt my mouth out). I had my soup angles Funke, Art Terry and Miss Helena on soup-alert. They rescued me from eating the hospital food that I was so not looking forward to...apart from the hospital's fish and chips. I would've have tried that had I had the chance. Best that I didn't get a chance. Greasy foods should be avoided and anyway, it would have been far too difficult to eat. My gut was still seriously inflamed.
Patients recovering from stomach surgeries, Crohn's Disease flare ups, bowel obstructions and diverticulitis all rely on a low fibre diet for bowel recovery, for as long as it takes. The gut will need to avoid fibrous foods. Yes we've always learned that eating lots of fibre and roughage is good for our health and for our bowels. Fibre however is the part of fruits, vegetables and grains not digested by our bodies. Fibre can make it harder for the intestine to pass stool after operation. It can cause pain and vomiting if your bowel is partially obstructed by inflammation as mine was. A low fibre diet is best in this case. This is often called a "low residue diet".
This has been a new world for me. I had been 10 stones and I dropped to 8 stones! I love fruit and almost every veg under the sun (apart from celery and aubergines. They're just weird). To get the gut gently back into eating, I followed a four stage method that my sister found online. This document helped me test what foods my partially inflamed bowel could handle. At each step I discovered taste sensations and I would gleefully holler out to my friends "Party in my mouth!" Remember to make your recovery fun for yourself and your loved ones. It can be a difficult journey. It will not be easy. Your loved ones will help you to get creative with your eating. They may suggest things or strategies that will help you. My friends and family certainly did, so get them involved. Let them have a look at your stages and where you are. I know my friends and I fell about in guffaws of laughter to find out I could finally eat "smashed crab meat and avocado" and taramasalata. It's important to know when you can get back to eating your smashed crab meat. Haha! I think it's fair to recognise that the food stages were designed for patients in one of London's more affluent regions.
So, now I test one food type every so often when my gastric pain calms. My beloved and veggies, salads and popcorn are still an eating goal that I aspire to. As my eating repertoire steadily improves, I know that there will be plenty of time to try the things I love.
To read other peoples nil by mouth experiences can be read here How it Feels to Be Nil By Mouth
