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I was not sure where to post this, but need some understanding of a geat concern I have for my mother. Maybe Jim/Thyroid or Lisa/Lo Carb might be able to help also for I know they are very knowledgeable on nutrition matters. Anyway, here goes:

My mother is 85, has had colon cancer and succesful surgery for it about 4 years ago. She recently had a blood clot that settled in her left lung and gave her symptoms of a heart attack so we rushed her in to the hospital. All tests proved it was a blood clot and that she is in very good health, heart, lungs, all organs are functioning very well for her age. She is active, works 6 hours a day walking all over a casino greeting guests. She is in very good condition. My brother and I though are concerned about her strange eating habits.

It is typical that if we go to another family member's house for dinner, that mother wants to stop on the way home to get a fast food hamburger, fries and a rootbeer. Like the other night, we had a very heavy dinner of meat loaf, potatoes, gravy, fresh green beans with carmelized onions and bacon (I know, very hi carb!) and strawberry shortcake with whip cream for desert. Mom ate a huge portion of everything! An hour later, on our way home she had my brother stop to get her hamburger, fries and rootbeer and kept saying that "you kids really should eat something". I do not know why this shocked us so much because she does this often. We just sit with her and drink coffee while she eats. She is a perfect weight for her size and age and never seems to gain weight from all this extra food.

What do you think could be at the bottom of this strange (well it is not strange for her) eating habit? Could she be lacking some nutrient that her body is craving? Her doctor told her she is not to have salt or too much vitamin K because of the medicine she is on for the blood clot issue (the medicine is something like 'cumadan', phoenetic spelling.)

Sorry to ramble here, but I am really concerned. She is eating more than ever and even later at night. eek Any opinions on this?


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Phyllis Doyle Burns
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I'm not very knowledgeable about nutrition matters, not by any means, but my instinctive response is to talk to her doc about her meds. It sounds like something is a little off on a chemical level.


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Yes, I think we should discuss this with her doctor. Mother is back in the hospital with a very low heart rate. They took her off the medicine she was on for blood thinning because they could not find the right dosage for her. Also, she has to have a pace maker now and needs to be off that med for 3 days before they can install the pace maker. This is a good time for us to discuss her eating habits with her doctor - especially since last night, when she was settled in her room after being in emergency for hours, she drove the nurses nuts getting her something to eat and everything brought to her did not satisfy her. One nurse finally found a TV dinner of salsbury steak, gravy, potatoes and veggies that seemed to make Mom feel much better. I know she was very hungry, but she was just being so picky. She is on a cardiac diet now and that will not sit well with her. There are differing opinions in our family about this. The "elders" (all the siblings) feel that since she is 86 she should be able to eat whatever and whenever she wants. The younger generations feel she needs to be treated like a child and told that "this is what you have to eat and when" (not that they are being cold-hearted and cruel, just that they think she must follow doctor's orders). It is really becoming a frustrating issue for all concerned. We all love her and just want her to be healthy and content. She is not the type to be "told what to do".


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Phyllis Doyle Burns
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The thing with eating high carb food is that it causes your blood sugar to spike - and then it plummets sharply and you feel starving again. The classic example of this is Chinese food. It's really starchy so you are starving again shortly after you eat it.

So in a way she is acting "normally" based on what she is seating. But that being said, if she's supposed to be on a low salt diet, she is not doing that!!

It is nearly impossible telling parents what to do smile They are likely to dig in and entrench if you try. Instead, try subtly altering things so they aren't high sugar like that. Really nobody should be drinking sugary soda - it's not good for anybody. So try starting with diet drinks at dinner, and put out water. That's healthy for everybody. Put out a larger percentage of vegetables and smaller amounts of things like mashed potatoes which are pretty low-nutrition high-calorie. If you do it slowly she might not even notice, but it'll really help her blood sugar.

Start each dinner with a salad - they're very good for you, fill you up healthily and are not salty smile


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Plus (like Lisa has said in I don't know how many other threads) - if the sugary, carby drinks and foods aren't there for her to have, then she can't eat them.

Can't drink a coke if it's not in the house to drink!


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You know, although it isn't exactly the same, this sure reminds me of my grandmother in the later years. She was petite, but an eating machine, as my cousin put it. And she got, well, funny attitudes about food. My mother told me of one time, when my uncle and aunt were visiting (my gm lived with my folks), before the bowl made the rounds, my grandmother dumped the entire contents onto her plate. And she ALWAYS sat after dinner, waiting for dessert. To her, the meal wasn't complete if she hadn't had dessert.

She also was eating things that she wouldn't have before -- unless she was at my mom's house. My aunt could make something, Gram would rave over it, my mother would get the exact recipe and make it -- and it wasn't as good. She was like a little kid in many respects, and like little kids, treated her primary caregiver (there was no way she could have lived on her own at this point) worse than anyone else.

I suspect it is less dietary and more psychological -- and perhaps related to the aging process.


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You all have made some very good points and provided great info! Thanks for your help - I understand a little better now why Mom is acting so wacky! It is getting to the point when she can no longer do all the cooking herself (which she always preferred) so now we can take your advice, Lisa, and make subtle changes in her diet.


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Phyllis Doyle Burns
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I think part of the key is not to make a big deal about changes. Don't bring out the diet sodas and say "OK we're all going to drink this diet stuff!!!" Just put out water glasses and then pour out the sodas. I mean long term you should try to wean yourself off of soda but for now just pour the diet soda. Most diet sodas in modern times taste just like the regular soda - especially with fruity flavors like orange and root beer - so my guess is that nobody will even notice.


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That makes a lot of sense, Lisa, thank you. It might be easier than we think now, since Mom is kind of giving up total control over cooking and serving. She is finding out that she loves to be looked after and taken care of. I am going to the hospital this morning to give her a shampoo and style and manicure. She is so excited about that.


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Phyllis Doyle Burns
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