We went out to dinner last week. It’s been cold and rainy in Santa Monica, which calls for real Fall clothes.
Bump peek-a-boo. Now you see it, now you don’t.
We went to True Food Kitchen, an easy choice as it’s within walking distance and the menu accommodates all dietary needs.
We shared the kale salad to start (parm on the side). And I got “the natural” to drink (a sweet ginger fizzy drink).
Not wanting to be predictably repetitive, I DIDN’T get the TLT sandwich or the tofu rice bowl, and instead went for a new dish.
After going back and forth between two curry dishes, I decided on the panang curry with tofu. It also had potato, broccoli, ginger, carrot, mushrooms, and brown rice with a coconut curry broth.
It’s way bigger than it looks in the photo (this is a massive bowl).
FYI, my backup was a green curry dish that has peas, shirataki noodles, cauliflower, and a coconut cashew broth. I’m not a huge fan of shirataki, but I was willing to give it a shot with a restaurant’s preparation. Both dishes are gluten and dairy free. What swayed my decision was the waitress’ opinion. She said the panang is their most popular dish and it’s less spicy than the other dish.
Well holy [expletive] if that’s their version of “less spicy”. My lips were on fire, and I couldn’t stomach more than 10 bites. Seriously. Kyle tried some and swore they must have mistakenly dumped the entire bottle of spices in it.
Since I hadn’t been feeling that great prior to dinner, I figured I shouldn’t push it. My appetite has become shockingly poor these past couple of weeks. I just don’t have any more room. And I feel pretty crappy after almost every meal. Blah.
So I just boxed the leftovers up, thinking I’d have a second dinner later that night.
An hour later, I tried again. This time I added peas and almond milk (in an attempt to mellow out the heat of the dish).
But it was just too much for me. I picked out the peas and broccoli and the rest went into the fridge.
Hindsight is 20/20.
Now that I’m blogging about this a few days later, it all seems so clear.
As usual, I woke up several times throughout the night. I was able to get back to sleep most of the times, but between 4:30 and 6 am I just tossed and turned while wide awake and uncomfortable. When I woke back up at 7:30 I felt like crap (no surprise). But unlike previous mornings, I never got better. I felt queasy as I got into the shower…and the whole time I was making breakfast. Normally food helps me feel better, but after I ate breakfast I felt more nauseous than ever.
I wanted to lie down, but I felt like I’d throw up if I got horizontal. I felt horrible. Restless. Lethargic. Unable to figure out what was wrong or how to fix it. I was bored and frustrated and uncomfortable.
I did nothing all morning but lie on the couch propped up with pillows.
A little after noon I decided to try something bland for lunch (oatmeal).
And again, I felt awful. I’ll spare the details but the next couple of hours were spent over the toilet. My throat burned and I knew something was out of the ordinary.
Fortunately I have an amazing husband and primary care doctor. Kyle came home from work early and took me to the doctor’s office (I was going to go to urgent care, but my MD called me on his day off to set up an appointment for me with another MD in his practice).
Long story short, I’m now on antacids (plus I have a prescription for anti-nausea meds that I may or may not need).
I already feel MUCH better. I had no idea that acid reflux could affect more than my esophagus and stomach. All the other systemic symptoms I was feeling have already abated significantly. Last night I actually slept!
I don’t want to get TOO ahead of myself though. For now, I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that reflux was the thing that’s been the lead contributor to my blah feelings.
In the meantime, I’m paying extra attention to what I eat. I don’t want anything that loosens my LES or makes my upper GI more acidic. No caffeine. No greasy/fatty/fried foods (gee, darn). No citrus. No tomato. And definitely no spicy curry dishes.
And I’m staying upright after meals. Not eating large portions close to bedtime. The obvious stuff.
There seems to be a learning curve with every step of pregnancy. As I finally hit my stride with one thing, something else comes along and throws me for a loop. Sheesh. Why can’t eating just be a simple act? I am starting to really get sick of food and all the time and energy I have to put into determining what I can have/want/feel like/etc.
Alright, enough whining. I have a few recipes coming your way, including some that aren’t very reflux friendly (that I made and ate prior to this antacid fun all began).
Like these cauli buffalo wings with tofu dip.
Whats on the toast in the second-to-last pic?
oh i am so sorry. I am not preggo and i have been there with reflux. Its the worst, especially with a spicy meal and then laying down. Glad you got meds!
p.s.
belly is cute.
Oh man that sounds so awful. I don’t have acid reflux, but I do know that being nauseated is the worst feeling in the world. You handle throwing up like such a champ! (Ha. What a funny sentence…) I know this sounds odd but vomiting is probably one of my least favorite things in the world. When I was little, I prayed every night before I went to sleep, and at the very end of my prayers, I would close with, “and please can I please never ever vomit again, please please please.” This makes for good laughs nowadays. Feel better please!
Pretty sure it’s just avocado.
Awwh I’m’ so sorry you went through that.
Yup. Just avocado. 🙂
aw I’m sorry that you had such a rough past few days. I’m glad that you’ve gotten some answers and have a game plan for moving forward!
i had no idea it was so awful! ive had GERD before, but never this acidic reflux. im just so surprised that it caused so many other symptoms!
ha! thats such a hilariously odd thing to pray about!
im not sure i handled it like a champ but at least its (hopefully) over now.
Oh Elise, I hope you are okay. Just remind yourself that this discomfort WILL pass, & keep your eye on the eventual prize- a baby!
Plus I’m pretty sure pregnancy gives 24/7 whining rights. Heck , I’m using that right at the moment cos my darn wisdom teeth are growing in( uggh, sore , achey face).
Whoah, I need those cauli wings( I totally just imagined flying cauliflowers with wings) & tofu dip in my life SOON:).
Xxx
oh man. youre really getting slammed! complain away 🙂
Preganancy really does prepare you for parenthood! Just when you “hit your stride”, you get thrown another loop.
I hope you are feeling better – I experienced the same thing when I was pregnant with my son, and it sounds as if you are doing all the right things. Hang in there!!
Oh you poor thing – reflux SUCKS…. I had it for the first time in my life when pregnant, it’s seriously awful, I feel for you 🙁
Hope you feel better SOON 🙂 Hugs,
So sorry to hear about the reflux. Hopefully it’s under control now! Interesting on the sleeping symptoms. I’ve been recently diagnosed with it and will keep an eye on my sleep to see if there is any correlation between the two. Although…I am a night shifter so that may be a lost cause 😉
Oh hunnie, that sounds awful. I am so happy that you were able to see the doctor & get put on some medicine to help. Hope you continue to feel better =)
Poor you! I’ve started getting acid reflux but so far i can control it with diet.
Glad you’re feeling better xxx
I have acid reflux and if I don’t take my medication I’m in so much pain! It can really make you nauseous, and bloated. Hope you get a handle on it and it doesn’t last long!
Ugh, sorry you went through that! I’ve never been pregnant, but I used to have reflux like that. I used to take Prilosec every day (per doctor), but luckily it is mostly gone now. Caffeine used to really mess with me. I hope you feel better now that you have the antacids!
I can speak about it in late pregnancy, but I know that feeling all.too.well. YES, it can make you feel sick all freakin over. I’ve been dealing with this very issue for over a year now. Since they ruled out celiac, I’ve finally found someone to do IGg food sensitivity testing for me. You may be surprised what will trigger this to get worse other than spicy meals. Coffee and red onions/shallots are the worse for me. I find that eating little meals (like you are already doing) is the BEST thing or I am nauseous from it, even with a PPI. I am so sorry you are dealing with this!!!
UGH, sorry you felt so horrible! But I’m glad you figured out what the problem is. I feel like I have acid reflux or indigestion 90% of the time nowadays, and I have no idea what’s causing it. My doc doesn’t seem too concerned, but wtf?!
i swear, if theres one thing ive learned from working in the hospital (and being a patient) its how important it is to be your own advocate!!! health care is a tricky field and its easy to get overlooked or mismanaged. especially if you have vague symptoms that arent particularly emergent or life threatening. it sounds bad, but seriously, if you dont speak up for yourself you can really go under the radar.
i tend to be one of those people who brushes things off and dismisses symptoms. and with pregnancy it seems like everything is fair game. so i just ignore a lot of stuff. but this makes kyle nervous and it can get to be too much…so better be safe than sorry!!
after your crazy year, id be so freaked out and overly cautious too. demand to be heard. if you dont have a good MD, switch!
Thanks Elise. I actually already switched doctors once- the first one wouldn’t take my calls when I was literally dying of meningitis- so you’re right, I’ve got to be more proactive about this. I’ll call today. Thanks for the encouragement!