Hungry in Hospital, what to do?

Thank you for suggesting a delivery service, I did look at them. There was a bagel burger bar and two pizza sellers. I am a vegetarian, and the pizza toppings were meat or fish. I do not eat pizza since I have a hiatus hernia, and they are very indigestible. But it was a lovely thought, and thank you for the idea.
Today a friend arrived with a lovely salad for me, with brie. Such things really boost the spirit, and fill empty spaces. It really made me feel better. I missed hospital supper as a result. It was Salad Nicoise with potato, green beans, boiled egg and ham. However the dessert was cold tapioca pudding and I ate that.

You are a treasure.

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Hello. I understand what you are saying, and you really have all my sympathy, and I think you have had some advice from here. But I do have a slight concern, as a nurse
you said you have diarrhoea. You may have to be on a very bland diet (ie rice and little of interest) until the diarrhoea stops, otherwise you will continu to lose weight. You will lose much weight with diarrhoea. Sorry this doesn’t sound helpful. Maybe you could ask them is your diet due to the diarrhoea?

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Thank you Vicky, I can assure you that my haphazard diet has nothing to do with the diarrhoea. My diet has certainly not be designed to do anything. No one is remotely interested in the behaviour of my bowels I am afraid.

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When I was in hospital in Macon the behaviour of my bowels and bladder were of extreme importance, I was continually asked about them!

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Yes Jane, when I was a nurse, a long time ago, all patient’s “movements” were recorded, and urine frequently measured. Not so here. I would have thought they ought to take samples for analysis by now. At first they put it down to the trauma, but the accident was 15 days ago.
Things move very slowly here.
On a good note, a dietician came to see me with a menu for me for next week, and I mentioned that fresh salad would be a useful addition to the tinned haricot beans. She took notes.

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Did you have any luck with La Vie Claire? I thought they would be good because you are vegetarian and they have things like tofu and seitan and all sorts of nut butters pulses, cereal bars etc which would supplement the hospital stuff so you have enough varied protein. I don’t see why they couldn’t bring you a tuck box!

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Yes I have been on their site. I need to generate a large order in order to have it delivered. Much of what they offer needs cooking of course, but I would like hummus, cereal bars, nuts, and maybe cheese. Oh and those little wiener sausages. Tofu itself is something I would use in stir fry at home. My normal diet comprises more pois chiche, pulses, lentils, and loads of fresh fruit and veg, for the fibre texture and nutrition. I also eat some cheese and eggs.
There is a problem here. A friend brought a quiche and tabouleh which was taken and put in the fridge. Last night when the meal came it included the hospital provided omelette and a box of sliced carrots. It also included an entire family sized quiche, warmed up, and the box of tabouleh, none of which I wanted or expected. It seems it is up to someone else, what I am allowed to eat of the things which are actually mine. It is reminiscent of being at boarding school, when the stuff sent from home would be edited.
I have asked that they don’t do that. I am not sure though if my words fall on deaf ears.
Ah lunch has arrived, same as last night, box or carrots, omelette, and a banana, but today the banana is not over ripe. There is also a sliver of Emmental cheese.

We are non meat eaters and when my husband was in hospital with cancer he had a right strange diet. One day a plate of green beans, another purĂ©ed potatoes. Given that he had to be careful what he did eat because of his condition he lost 12kgs in weight. Ian did have the choice each day of what he could eat though and they did try very hard to accommodate his needs. I did sneak him in scrambled eggs with HP sauce because he was starving. Luckily, he came home after 5 weeks and ate me out of house and home. I sympathise with you, as they don’t even have the option of takeaways here. Get well soon.

When James was in Bayonne in 2013 for a week, he complained about being hungry all the time and I had to bring in food every day. I really do feel for you and just wish we were near enough to pop in.
Hope you get this sorted soon xx

Surely being in hospital is one of those times that, if you have no family nearby, you have to rely on your friends and neighbours for support.

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Hello Lois,

I’m a long way away and can’t visit but please ask the nurses for DELICAL CREMES.
This is protein, looks like yoghurt, is covered by the social security, is for medical use.
There must be volonteers who can at least stop by to chat with you even if it’s once a week.
Have you at least got telly?

Best wishes,
Anna

No I do not have TV. I have my lap top, and that keeps me amused.

Unless you have had an accident, and suddenly been removed from your home, you are unlikely to have a clue what it is like.

I came in with a mobile phone and the USB cable, and that is all. I rarely use the phone, and it is not up to date with contacts.

A local woman, who I had thought of as a friend, phoned me in the ambulance to tell me she would go at once to the house to rescue my dog, and she would feed my cats. I was so grateful.

My house is actually let as a gite throughout the summer and the first guest was due in a week’s time. I had been in the process of clearing out my things to my apartment, when I had the accident.

My friend cleared everything from the house, apparently in a series of bin liners. I arranged someone to do my changeovers for the guests for me and told her of this, when she became very cross. She had decided that it would be a good job for her boyfriend to do. I said that I preferred my own arrangements. At that she became very cross, and told me she no longer intended to look after my animals. Happily, I managed to get kennels to take them.

She then sent me an invoice for 25 euros per day for looking after them for the week.

A friend has been to the apartment and cannot find my clothes, or much else for that matter. So here I am in hospital with no clothes, and of course no cash. My bag was found, but she had taken my money from my purse for her expenses. So I have no cash either.

I have been very lucky, two ladies from my French group have been to visit me, one bought me a pair of pyjamas so I have something decent to wear other than a hospital gown when I go to the Physio department. Another took the clothes that I arrived in and washed them for me. They have brought food also, and toiletries. One has lent me 40 euros, so I can pay to use the hospital Internet, another lady from the village found my laptop and brought it in for me. These people are my friends.

I don’t know many other people, I haven’t lived here that long.

I have sent for some things from Amazon, but sometimes the deliveries can take a couple of weeks.

The dietician has been and I got some fresh lettuce this evening to go with my boiled pasta, so things are improving.

Thank you all for your useful suggestions. I have been grateful for your time, and interest. I still have a few weeks to go in here, but I feel less despondent than when I wrote the initial post. I even have a wheel chair now, which gives me some independence, so things are looking up!

I have been reading the thread (story) Lois, and can only empathize with you. I am glad that there are now some people who can help, and also your diet seems to be gaining momentum too, so fingers crossed for that.
I am not impressed with the friend who initially helped then took money without asking; but at least the animals were initially ok.

This is wholly unacceptable! ALL hospitals offer a vegetarian option, albeit often rather limited. If you are not getting it, then you should complain to the Hospital Users’ association.
In the meantime, try asking to see the almoner, they should be able to put you in touch with some of the volunteers, hospital visitors, etc. who could bring in some food for you.
All hospitals i’ve been in have had vending machines that sell things like cheese sandwiches; they all also have a snack bar for visitors and patients, you should be able to find SOMETHING there you can eat; if you are not mobile enough to get there, ask someone like a nursing auxiliary if they could be so kind as to buy you something as they start work, for example.
Failing that, I’m sure some of the nursing staff would be kind enough to run the errand for you and bring you something from the supermarket.
If necessary, I’ll drive down to PĂ©rigueux for you; but as I’m quite a long way away (1 hr) you’d have to contribute towards my fuel costs (it would be about €15)
Get well soon!

By the way, WHICH hopsital is it? The main one?

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Tony they do have vegetarian food. The computer is programmed to provide for such a diet, the only problem being that the computer believes that fish is vegetarian, and so is ham and pork paté. I have yet to see a paté tree, but apparently they exist in France, along with Ham bushes, and fields of fish blowing in the wind.

The only vending machine here provides coffee. There are no sandwiches in the SSR. The boutique is in the main hospital, and one has to be able to get there to make a purchase.

Nurses and Aides du Soin are reluctant to run errands in their own time, and are not allowed to in hospital time. They are very busy with their duties. It is not a matter of being kind.

Thank you for your good wishes.

I have no advice but I do have sympathy. I’ve been in hospital twice for hip operations, 10 days each time (Fougeres, Bretagne). I’m vegetarian and told them so but they had no idea what to give me so my meals mostly consisted of purĂ©e and tinned green beans. My partner brought stuff in from time to time but as I was there for such a relatively short time I survived though was very bored with the diet. Clearly from the comments there are hospitals where they take more care of peoples’ diet but such was not the case where I was. Hope all the advice you are getting will be helpful. Wishing you the best.

I have asked to leave the hospital. I spoke to the physiotherapist and she spent some time usefully telling me not to stress the fracture, and to be prudent, which I will be. I will be in an apartment with kitchen bathroom and bed close together. I will rest and eat properly. I don’t intend to go out, or risk damaging the joint. It will be another three weeks before I can put weight on it she said. But I will eat nourishing food for those three weeks.

The doctor was not happy, it is his responsibility he said. He said there is nothing wrong with the food, its what you get in institutions.

The physiotherapist said the doctor would prescribe a walking frame and crutches, he said he wouldn’t, and I told him it made no difference I was going anyway.

For some reason he wont let me go until Monday, but will allow me a day pass for Saturday. Don’t see why I cant simply stay home once I get there on Saturday. He doesn’t intend to prescribe any aids, so why am I coming back? The only drugs I take are pain killers I can get in any pharmacy.

Why don’t you just eat what you’re given, get well, go home and then eat what you choose.
There are people starving who’d give anything for the stuff you’re rejecting.

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That’s a bit heavy, Joan. This lady has more problems than a simple choice of menu! Hiatus Hernia I know about! And NOOOO!! do not say it’s ok to eat whatever is given
if that includes meaty things and bread, or anything greasy or lumpy!! 
I do feel that a bit more useful information about the hospital and how it works, could be helpful
If it was me
I would check out pronto, online
all that the hospital says about itself, and ask that only those stated patient conditions, should be kept. I don’t know which hospital this is, but there’s one in Perigueux that has a small food /snack shop on one floor, and it offers numbers of contacts and the availablity of phones, available for patient use, delivered, in the wards
etcetc. If that was me, in hospital and hungry, there is no way I would be so quietly tolerant of starvation! Without being rude or angry or taking anyone’s valuable time, I would make sure I ate healthy food! If I was anywhere nearby, I’d be glad to deliver a food parcel, and Im sure there are many people who would do that, if they understood this ladies circs. There are sure to be a long list of willing helpers from charity orgs, churches, local friendly organisations, that would bring food, if refunded for doing so.