My Husband Can’t Eat Anything!

Summary

The author's husband developed Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and a dairy allergy as he aged, leading to significant dietary changes including a low acid diet and the avoidance of dairy, which has impacted their family's meals and his health.

Abstract

The author shares her family's experience dealing with her husband's sudden onset of GERD and a life-threatening dairy allergy as he got older, which forced him to adopt a strict low acid, dairy-free diet. The article highlights the challenges faced in adjusting to the new dietary restrictions, including giving up favorite foods like garlic, onions, tomatoes, alcohol, and dairy. Despite these challenges, the author, who enjoys cooking, has managed to create enjoyable meals within these limitations, such as a special New Year's Eve pizza made with dairy-free ingredients for her husband. The lifestyle changes have had positive outcomes, such as significant weight loss for her husband and the discovery of dairy-free snacks like Oreos. The author also points out the difference between non-dairy and dairy-free products and plans to elaborate on this in a future story.

Opinions

The author views GERD as a serious condition that can lead to severe health issues if not managed properly, referencing the Mayo Clinic for credibility.
She expresses surprise and dismay at the development of a dairy allergy later in her husband's life, considering their longstanding relationship with dairy products.
The author is optimistic and resourceful, finding ways to accommodate her husband's dietary needs while still enjoying meals as a family.
She shows a degree of frugality and practicality by choosing to make homemade boneless wings instead of buying expensive chicken wings, even when they are on sale.
The author seems to appreciate the availability of non-cheese cheese and other dairy alternatives that have improved in quality, making the dietary transition easier.
She endorses an AI service as a cost-effective alternative to ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4), suggesting it as a valuable resource for those interested.

Reflux and Sudden Allergies — The Gifts of Getting Older

A slice of my New Year’s Eve Pizza

We always try to do something fun on New Year’s Eve. And it usually involves staying home and having something good to eat. Both my husband and son decided they wanted me to make pizza and wings. Okay, no problem. Wait, yes, problem.

See that good looking slice of homemade pizza up there in the cover photo? Looks awesome, doesn’t it? I can tell you, it was if I do say so myself. And I do. And if this had been NYE 2020, my husband would have eaten and enjoyed it. But not this year.

Nope, not this year. His days of carefree munching on all the delicious things we take for granted came to a screeching halt right around his 51st birthday.

First, there was the lump in his throat and incessant horrific clearing noises he made to clear it. Then there was the disrupted sleep, the feeling of choking or like his throat was somehow obstructed. And then the chest pain. THAT got our attention fast! Something about chest pain over 50, it instantly fills you with abject terror!

After countless trips to the emergency room and every test known to humanity, we found out he had something called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). And it’s no joke! It can cause chronic inflammation of the esophagous which in turn, can lead to ulcers, Barrett’s Esophagous and even Esophageal Cancer (source: Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/symptoms-causes/syc-20361940).

To combat this, and to repair any damage already done, my husband was required to go on a low acid diet. Suddenly, most of his favourite foods were gone, garlic, onion, spices, tomatoes, alcohol. That was tough! But hey, it wasn’t terrible, we adjusted. And he still had cheese and white sauces and ice cream.

But wait, there’s more! A few months later, he ate something and found he couldn’t breathe. We called the ambulance. Well, well, well, wouldn’t you know it, the mid-life beast reared its ugly head again. This time they decided to give him a potentially fatal dairy allergy.

We were stunned. I mean come on, dairy? We were born and raised, almost in a literal sense, on dairy. Now, it wanted to kill him. So, now, he’s not just avoiding spices, tomatoes, garlic, etc., he’s avoiding all things dairy. And let me tell you, that IS NOT easy! They sneak it into all kinds of stuff (and PS: non-dairy and dairy-free are not the same thing, more on that in an upcoming story).

Thankfully, he has a wife that can cook and didn’t mind making 2 separate pizzas. The one pictured above was for my son and I. Carl’s was a chicken pizza with veggies and an alfredo sauce made from almond milk and vegan Parmesean- like cheese as well as a dairy-free mozzarella. Thankfully, they make pretty good non-cheese cheese these days. Here’s his plate:

Dairy-Free — Low Acid Fun Food

As you can see, none of us had wings. That had nothing to do with Carl. I’m just never, ever going to pay $4.99 a pound for chicken wings! Never. Not even if the store puts a big sign up and tries to tell me it's a sale. So I made boneless wing-type things from chicken breasts I had on hand. I cut them up and marinated them in something his tummy could tolerate. They turned out pretty good.

Cooking 2 separate meals isn’t something I do often. However, it was a special occasion. And on a positive note, he’s lost a ton of weight, and Oreo’s are dairy-free!