Can You Trust Hospital Food?

[Guest cassidy]

I'm getting closer to my due date and we took our hospital tour last week. I asked about them supplying gluten free food for me. The woman said it isn't a problem and that I just need to tell them when I check in and tell my nurse and everything will be fine.

I really don't eat in restaurants because I am very sensitive and get sick most of the time. I just don't find it enjoyable because I wonder if there will be consequences to my meal. If I do eat out I talk to the chef and explain about cc and ask for something very simple.

So, do you think that I can trust hospital food? I doubt that when I'm in labor I'll be able to track down the hospital chef to make sure this person understands about cc. On the other hand, I would hope that hospitals deal with all types of food allergies/intolerances and take things seriously.

I'm thinking about bringing my own food. I shouldn't be there long and that might make me feel more comfortable.

Anyone have experiences with this?

[darlindeb25]

It truly depends on the hospital and the staff. My sister is a dietician for a small hospital in Michigan and she has trained her entire staff to cook for a celiac. Her hospital is affiliated with Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, which is one of the best hospitals in the US and they have asked her to come teach their staff. So, I will say, it is getting out there. Go to the hospital before hand and ask to speak with the dietician personally. Feel that person out. Be firm with the dietician and make them understand the importance. That's about the best you can do.

[ArtGirl]

I'm thinking about bringing my own food. I shouldn't be there long and that might make me feel more comfortable.

Anyone have experiences with this?

I've no experience at all ... but, I've read on this forum from several who have taken their own food with them. Others have relayed very bad experiences with dietiians who just have no clue about making gluten-free food - and if they don't, then the cook staff who prepare the food certainly don't.

I think that bringing your own food for the short amount of time you'll be in the hospital is the the safest way to go. You certainly don't want to be sick.

[blueeyedmanda]

At the hospital where I work, I saw they accomodate special diets and celiac is one of them, I just don't have any experience with actually "staying" here long enough to get a meal. So not sure, but I would probably bring some of my own food, like others said you really don't want to be sick especially at such a joyous time.

[hstevens]

I would not wait until you are admitted. I think you could approach this just as you would going to a restaurant. Call ahead and ask to have a meeting with the head of food services. Others to contact would be the dietician and even the customer service rep. Most hospitals have a drive to be patient-centered and want your business. You may still want to have your own stash of food (maybe you could arrange this with food services) , but it may be a good wake up call for the hospital if they don't have a gluten-free plan for their patients. I think the world of nurses, however they are very busy and I would be worried that it might be a low priority in their workload or you might get a nurse who doesn't get it.

Good luck!

[kevsmom]

I was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks after a hysterectomy with complications. I did speak with the dietition before I was admitted, and was very pleased to say that I was not glutened. They even had a gluten free menu! I did avoid the pasta dish that they had on the menu because I was afraid that they did not have a dedicated colendar. The only complaint that I did have was that because I was in the hospital for so long, I got bored with the limited selections on the menu.

When I was discharged from the hospital, I was sent to a rehab center. I spoke to the dietition and the cook. I thought I made my needs clear to them. I was very disappointed with the food that they brought to me. One day they brought me a turkey sandwich! Another day they brought a brownie (I'm also Diabetic - One way or another they were trying to kill me). For one dinner they sent me a chicken breast, rice and broccoli - covered in gravy. They didn't have anything else to serve me, so they went to the grocery store and bought be a large salad (I told them EXACTLY what to put on it and what type of dressing to buy).

Good Luck!

Cindy

[happygirl]

cassidy:

i'm sure patti will jump in soon. she brought all her own food (she has multiple food intolerances).

I am extremely sensitive like you and get sick at restaurants often. My family already knows that if anything happens to me, I am NOT to be fed by hospital staff, under any circumstances, even if they claim it is gluten free.

Personally, when I hopefully (one day!) am in the same position as you, I don't want to be worrying one tiny bit about food and even the possibility of cross contamination. Life is crazy enough at that point, and I can't risk being that sick for that long. The only way that I know not to get sick is to eat my own meals .... and that is what I do in normal life, so it certainly applies to important situations like this:)

I'm excited for you! When is the due date?! :)

Laura

[jerseyangel]

I was recently in the hospital for 2 days. I opted to supply all of my own food.

At my pre-op appt, I spoke to the nurses about it, and when I explained the CC issue, they agreed it would be a good idea.

I just didn't want to take the chance of having a reaction at the same time I was recovering from major surgery.

It worked out fine--they gave my husband the use of a microwave on my floor. I had prepared meals in the weeks before, so there were things all set to go in the freezer (as well as meals for after I came home and didn't feel up to cooking).

Definately speak to the hospital about it beforehand--I found mine to be very cooperative and sensitive--on the food issue and with the medication.

[Guest cassidy]

I think I will go and talk to someone soon. I can judge pretty well if someone is taking me seriously or just blowing me off so I guess I will see how I feel after I talk to them. If they convince me that they understand and take this seriously, then I might give it a try. If I don't feel safe then I will just bring my own food.

Luckily now when I get glutened I only have D and I don't that feel terrible, I don't know if that will change the second the baby comes out or not. It would be nice if my glutening symptoms stayed reduced.

I don't really like meat and I'll only eat boneless, skinless meat so I was planning on asking for gluten-free vegetarian meals - I don't know if that makes it better or worse. They will probably think I'm the pickiest person in the world. My husband would probably rather me not say anything to them and let him eat whatever they bring and he will just bring me food from home.

[kbtoyssni]

I would also talk to the cooks before you go into the hospital. You might also want to print up some informational cards for the nurses (kindof like the Triumph) dining cards that emphasize the cc issue so you won't have to explain it all. You might have to recruit your husband to do the talking for you in this case.

[jayhawkmom]

I would NOT trust a hospital!!!!

My daughter was hospitalized in December. When she was admitted, we told everyone who would listen that she is gluten free. It was on her chart, it was on her wrist band, it was on the sign outside her door. It was recorded with the dietitian and nutrition staff as well as the kitchen staff.

I was "assured" that if something were not safe for her, they would NOT let her have it. Period.

Well, after having hash browns with her breakfast and fries with her lunch, I was told that she could not have tater tots with her dinner because they were not on the safe list. Ok, no problem.... she'll have fries then. I was then told that the fries were not on the safe list.

After going back and forth with the kitchen, her nurse, and the dietition - we all came to the same conclusion. The person managing her "menu" for the better part of the day paid NO attention to the fact that she was on a gluten free diet. So, foods that were NOT approved were served to her.

Nothing that was served to her for the first two meals of the day, as well as one snack, were on her safe list. NOTHING.

I have already filed a complaint with the hospital, and have been working with the nutrition staff to assure that something like this NEVER happens again!!!!

[lonewolf]

Unless you are VERY sure that the dietician knows about Celiac, bring your own food. I wrote about my experience in September with day surgery, so I won't go into details here. To sum it up - I did all the RIGHT things, had flags on my chart, an allergy allert bracelet, told EVERYONE how careful I'd have to be. The first nurse said, "Oh, it's okay. They won't give you wheat crackers, they only have saltines." After my surgery, a different nurse brought in some pudding (I'm dairy free too). I asked her if it was dairy-free and she said, "Does pudding have milk in it?" No way would I trust that hospital!

[chrissy]

one of my girls spent 3 months in the hospital this last summer. she was transfered from one hospital to a children's hospital after the first 2 weeks. the dietician seemed very knowledgeable about celiac disease----she had worked in a GI clinic, and they said that they had alot of celiac kids come through their hospital. after she had been in there for awhile, i suspected she was getting gluten in her diet---her rashes had gotten really bad again and there had been a couple of times she had been given things she could not eat. the dietician assured me that they knew what they were doing and that they were special ordering things for her and that the kitchen staff knew all about CC issues. i asked to have a Ttg test run. when she went into the hospital her Ttg levels were at about 10. when she left the hospital her Ttg levels were over 100. i don't know where they screwed up, but they REALLY screwed up. she was in the hospital for an eating disorder and they said she was gaining weight kind of slow------no wonder----they were poisoning her!!

i was told that after this happened the dietician held a meeting with the kitchen staff. i doubt that they had ever had a celiac child in their hospital for that long of a time. they probably had never had anyone with blood work done right before entering their hospital and then again before they left.