Mother in law had sickness and diarrhoea a fortnight ago ...?!
Question: She's been to the Doctor's but, seems to have lost interest in food ... what can we do to build her up?
Answers: She's been to the Doctor's but, seems to have lost interest in food ... what can we do to build her up?
The norovirus making the rounds in the UK can hang in for up to two weeks, and it is really hard for the elderly to recouperate from viral illness. It may be she finds it just tiring to eat at the moment, and you would have better luck offering her fairly easy to eat, nutritionally dense foods. There are nutrition drinks which do the job well, although taste sometimes can leave a bit to be desired and everyone has a favorite flavor. You can also offer homemade broth based soups, with very soft meat cooked in along with a good selection of veg. Those sort of things are usually fairly easy on the stomach and easy to eat. Also, don't worry if she just can't face a full cooked meal. If she finds smaller and more frequent snack meals more appealing, that's okay. Sometimes when you don't feel your best, a full plate just seems to be the Mount Everest of meals. Unless her weight is so low that you fear starvation or malnutrition could be a problem, don't get too upset if she is off her feed for a while yet. Just keep offering small amounts of her favorite things and encourage her to try. Bring her small snacks through the day, and leave it where it's easy to get at. Encourage her to at least take a few bites, and don't push so much to clean the plate. She's still in the virus recovery period, and it's not quite time to worry too much. Just keep a positive outlook and remind her that she needs to push eating a bit, and the appetite is sure to follow. Good luck, and hope she gets back to her self soon.
You must take her back to the doctor.
It's been two weeks she will be very dehydrated.
Please make an appointment today....
Are you in the UK? Here we have a drink called COMPLAN which is a meal replacement drink and is full of vitamins...it is like a milkshake and people who have been ill can drink it easier than they can eat....ask at the chemist for a similar drink.
I had the same over Christmas to New Year. Got over it now, Started to eat the last couple of days
if she has a stomach bug then it will have to run its course. losing an appetite for food is normal and part of the virus. make sure she gets plenty of fluids to keep her hydrated. gatorade is good for this. once she gets over the bug her appetite will return to normal!!
a pint of Guinness
that cures everything
You could try these build up meals from nestle from supermarkets or chemists you just add milk