Intuitive Eating Challenge

[Guest guest]

I face another test of my intuitive eating resolve during the next 10 days.

Tonight I start another 10 day course of flagyl to treat an intestinal bacteria

(clostridium difficile or 'c-diff') infection. I took flagyl to treat c-diff a

month ago, but the c-diff symptoms returned within a week. Some people need

several rounds of treatment to eliminate c-diff.

Flagyl side effects (nausea, loss of appetite, strong metallic taste, stomach

pain, headache) challenge my intuitive eating commitment. I could still eat when

I feel nauseas, because eating actually decreases my nausea, but I never feel

stomach hunger sensations of empty or gnawing feelings while on flagyl. During

my last 10 day course of flagyl, I eventually realized that intense nausea,

lightheadness and chills usually meant that I needed to eat. Perhaps those were

actually low blood sugar symptoms. However, about every 4-5 hours, when I

normally get hungry, I got the intense nausea.

Although the flagyl side effects decreased slowly within 3-4 hours, I dreaded

meals, because I had to take the flagyl with meals and start the side effects

all over again. So I disliked eating meals, because I had to take the flagyl

pills 3x a day with meals. However, not eating made the nausea really intense.

Fortunately, I quickly learned that I didn't like to overeat meals when I took

flagyl, because I more easily got horrible reflux and especially the strong

metallic taste of the pills.

So the good news was that I easily resisted overeating while on flagyl. However,

the bad news was that I felt tempted to eat for nausea, rather than hunger. I

also wanted to eat to get rid of the horrible metallic taste. I learned to drink

ginger tea to cope with nausea. I also learned to take the pills with a little

hazelnut milk (I have dairy and soy allergies) to mask the taste.

Maybe the flagyl side effects won't be as intense this time (is that wishful

thinking or what? LOL). However, I'm committed to do whatever is necessary to

eliminate C-diff (which is a potentially fatal bacteria). I'm also taking

probiotics during the treatment and doing a high dose probiotic treatment after

I finish flagyl to repopulate my gut with good bacteria (since flagyl kills

everything).

SUE