Students with food intolerances deserve a safe, free lunch too. Failing to provide that because you think it’s unnecessary is just ableism. “Eating this food causes them pain because their body can’t digest it, but it’s not life threatening so we don’t need to accommodate it” is such a bad take. Yes, let’s just make them sick every day instead of giving them the option of safe, free foods to eat. So poor kids will have to choose every day if they’re going to starve themselves or if they’re going to be in excruciating pain the rest of the day when they’re trying to learn. Makes no sense.
Furthermore, I don’t think people realize what food intolerances entail. It’s not just, “oh, eating this food gives me a stomach ache.” It is often caused by the body’s inability to break down the sugars in the food because the pancreas and/or the small intestine doesn’t make enough digestive enzymes. People with food intolerances can have a number of disabling conditions, especially because of malnutrition and malabsorption. I am dependent on digestive enzyme supplements, as well as vitamins because I can’t eat and/or get the nutrition I need to thrive without them. This is disabling. Yes, even if it’s not going to immediately kill me if I eat the wrong thing.
Don’t put people in places where they’re required to work, promising that food will be provided for free, and then only provide foods that will make them sick.
I had my third upper GI scope today and my anxiety was through the roof but my insides are healed!! no more esophageal ulcer and my gastritis is gone!!! it's been a looong journey to get here.
this might just be me being up past an acceptable sleep time and therefore being upsetti, but i hate being a disabled person who’s not “clean”. i’ve got some lung fuckery that means my airways are almost always blocked by phlegm/air pockets, and i hack and snort and cough and make this gross “cuuur” sound when i clear my throat all the time. and that’s annoying enough, but honestly?
people look at me strange. they give me disgusted looks when i hack or cough (especially in the middle of dead silence). i’ve been asked to leave the room because i was too loud. had people move away from me on trains because they think i’m contagious. my (well-meaning) friends and strangers have laughed at my noises. had people complain about my phlegm-y tissues being gross, like i’m gonna wash my hands every time i breathe.
and no, it’s not the worst thing in the world, and i understand (i think it’s gross too!) but it also really fucking sucks.
Here’s a list of things I keep in my Chronic IllnessTM go-bag.
I have GERD, Intestinal Malrotation, IBS-D, B12 Deficiency, No Gallbladder, and Abdominal Adhesions so my bag is more focused on my messed up digestive/nervous system. I bring my bag with me most places because I struggle to make it through a single week without a flare up of some kind. It cost a lot up front for me to put together, but I really can’t imagine functioning without this now and it’s easy to replace the stuff I use.
Totally recommend it if you’re chronically ill, and I recommend these particular things if you have any of the same conditions as me.
Food Items/Supplements:
BelliWelli Bars - They were developed by someone with IBS. They have probiotics. I usually can’t tolerate probiotic products, but these are also low FODMAP so I can digest them pretty easy. Not available in stores yet. I bought this online from their store. I recommend the Cookies and Crème, Strawberry Shortcake, and Lemon White Chocolate.
Liquid IV - I get extremely dehydrated because of IBS-D which then causes dizziness and tachycardia. This is a hydration multiplier / electrolyte mix you add to water. You can get this at the supermarket.
Powerade - I drink these regularly. Again, I need electrolytes because of IBS-D. I also need B-12 and Powerade contains B-12. You can get this at the supermarket.
Gin-Gins - These are chewy ginger candies. I get nauseous easily. Ginger helps, and these taste pretty good. They have different flavors. The peanut ginger chews are really good. You can get this at the supermarket.
Olly Goodbye Stress gummies - I have anxiety which makes my IBS-D worse and vice versa. My coworker gave me one of these and they did help, so I got a small 10 count bag of them. You can get this at the supermarket, and some retail stores like Old Navy.
B12 Awake Patches - These go on the inside of your wrist or the top of your foot. It definitely works on keeping me awake. The only problem is I get contact dermatitis from putting it on my wrist. It’s okay, but less effective on my foot. You can get this at Target or Ulta.
Clothing Items:
Blisslets - These are fashionable acupressure bracelets. Seabands also work and they’re less expensive, but they’re very obviously nausea bracelets. These are discrete. They really help me avoid nausea without medication.
I keep a change of clothes. T-Shirt and underwear from Aerie. Linen pants from Old Navy. Loose fitting comfortable clothes are important to have if you have digestive health problems. Aerie has comfortable clothing and they’ve been working on inclusive clothes. Aerie also sells period underwear that is less expensive than major brands. I have those in my bag as well.
Bathroom and Hygiene Items:
Public bathrooms can suck, but they’re necessary.
Soap Strips - I got a container of these from the travel section of 5 Below. These are strips of paper-like soap that you can use when there’s no hand soap available.
Poo Pourri Toilet Spray - We all know going to the bathroom stinks literally and figuratively. If you’re concerned about making a stink, I recommend this. I’m very sensitive to smells so it’s a must for me. You can get this in the travel section of most supermarkets.
Potty Packs - What really sucks about public bathrooms is that you can run out of toilet paper and it can be really unclean in there. My local supermarket sells these in the travel sections. They come with toilet paper, seat cover, wet wipes and hand sanitizer. They fit in a small bag or purse.
Flushable wipes - A lot of public bathrooms can’t handle wipes. So I pretty much just have these to clean my body if needed. You can get them at pretty much any supermarket.
Crest Scope Minibrushes - You can find these in the travel section of most supermarkets. Helps keep your mouth clean, especially if you get nauseous like I do or you need to get a bad taste out of your mouth to prevent being nauseous. They have a toothpick on them too.
Grin Floss - This is eco-conscious dental floss. You can get them in different flavors like mint, and I found these at my local supermarket.
I also keep a Wet Brush and extra hair ties to keep my hair out of my face. I separate bathroom items from other hygiene items into two oblong makeup style bags I got from Target. That way I can also take one small bag or another and transfer it to my main bag if I don’t want or need my whole go-bag with me.
I keep two pill containers that are divided into large and small sections I can label with an erasable marker. I got them off Etsy. I won’t list all my supplements / medications because what I need to take isn’t going to be the same as everyone else and I’m no one’s doctor.
Finally, I keep fidget things in my bag to reduce my anxiety!
So I finally noticed that some pizza places (Dominos atm) let you order pizza with NO SAUCE..... I don’t like bbq and alfredo sounded strange so.. omfg im in heaven.... Yes it’s missing something but the fact that heavenly pizza crust and pizza toppings have NOT been taken away from me...!!! I got onions, which are so wonderfully sweet, and feta... The chicken is not great so I think I will sub it out for something else next time....
I think it’s the first food I’ve been overjoyed about in months!
Diet culture hurts chronically ill and disabled people with dietary restrictions because it prioritizes weight loss over health needs.
The majority of "diet apps" I have tried ask me for my weight and weight loss goals, when I need to track my diet for complex medical reasons.
The majority of books in the dietary health section focus on weight loss. There are maybe a couple books out of 100 focused on my condition(s).
Even some of the informational materials and the products that do cater to my condition(s) emphasize weight loss over health needs.
When I ask for dietary accommodations, people ask invasive questions as to why I need it to suss out if I really need it or if I'm just "on a diet."
Even in medicine, weight gain or loss is emphasized over actual nutrition. If you're not at risk of heart disease or "obesity," it's like they do not care.
I could barely eat anything when I was hospitalized because the hospital menu did not account for my specific dietary needs. A damn hospital.
I've been offered the most non-nutritious diet plans and given little to no guidance on my condition(s) by actual doctors who study my condition(s).
So, tell me why there are thousands of diet plans for weight loss but few resources for people like me who end up sicker with vitamin deficiencies.
Tell me why I have to join groups specific to people with my condition(s) just to figure out how to thrive because no one helps us but our own people.
Diet culture is ableist, and diet culture disables people. Diet culture should be about helping people like me thrive, but it's doing the opposite.
This is about accessibility. Diet is ultimately an accessibility issue, and society disables us by not caring if we eat safely or eat at all.
GI specialists will tell you that your chronic condition is treatable with diet and then give you the most impossible, flavorless and non-nutritious diet to follow and then act like this is Good News for their patients.
I think it’s worthwhile to talk about pill swallowing and the importance of different medication options, actually. Not being able to swallow pills is not a sign that you’re either 1) not chronically ill enough or 2) immature. I’ve been accused of both. I’ve been told that it should be easy to swallow pills, and that I simply need to “get over” it (my inability to do so). This has made it very difficult for me to take medication. For many years, I was only able to take medications that were inhaled or suspended in liquid. If pills were the only options, I had to crush them and put them in applesauce or chug an entire bottle of water just to swallow one pill. I am better at taking pills now, but I still have some difficulty taking pill medications and doing so can be sort of… traumatic.
The thing is that I have multiple medical conditions that make it difficult for me to swallow. I have lived with GERD and Silent Reflux for most of my life. This causes acid from my stomach to enter my esophagus and larynx, burning it. This makes it much more difficult to swallow anything. I struggle to swallow soda, and that’s supposed to be an “easier to swallow” soft drink. Additionally, my nervous system doesn’t work quite right. I am B12 deficient, and my digestive system is deformed in a way that prevents me from getting the nutrients I need to have a healthy, functioning nervous system. This also impacts my ability to swallow pills. On top of all of this, I am emetophobic. The possibility of choking and/or inducing v***ting from taking pills, which has happened, will give me a panic attack.
I’ve had plenty of doctors and nurses roll their eyes at me or insist that I am just faking my inability to swallow - I was literal sat down in my asthma doctor’s office as a teenager and told to try swallowing a pill before I could leave. I couldn’t. I was hospitalized from a car accident and there were a few times that the person delivering medication “forgot” that I couldn’t swallow pills, so I had to wait longer to get my medication. My GERD PPI medication was a pill, and the pill was the only option available despite the fact that this condition can cause difficulty swallowing. Most of my medications and supplements for chronic illness have been pills, though my primary has tried to their best to get me on dissolving tablets, inhaled medications, and liquid suspensions. It makes staying healthy harder.
All of this is to say that there need to be more medication options readily available for people with dysphagia. People with dysphagia are chronically ill regardless if we can swallow pills. People with dysphagia aren’t just immature nor do we just need to “get over it” or “grow up.” Multiple tags on that pill swallowing poll highlight that people just don’t understand why swallowing pills is hard - this is why. It is a condition that is often caused by other chronic illnesses. People’s bodies don’t all work the same way.
