Thanksgiving—How To Cope When You Have to Cope Everyday

It's probably safe to say that Thanksgiving is everyone's favorite holiday because, well, it's the day about everyone's favorite subject:: FOOD! The house is filled with the sounds and smells of FOOD being made, decorations that represent fall and Thanksgiving (which often times is FOOD [think pumpkins, corn-on-the-cob, and various cords]), family chatting and catching up, drinks being had. It's a wonderful time! For some, though, it's a time of anxiety because they are thinking about all of the things on the Thanksgiving table that they cannot eat due to their Gastroparesis.

Gastroparesis does not allow a person to eat most vegetables, fruits, breads, and fats that are found in a Thanksgiving spread. But, not wanting to cause a problem, stand out, or be a burden the person with Gastroparesis will just make due with what is found before them...and then suffer the consequences later. For some people this can be “minor”--early satiety and the inability to enjoy any dessert—to disastrous—severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Whatever the case may be, people with Gastroparesis tend to not relish (some do) the holidays any longer due to the food-centricness (Oh! I think I just made a new word!) of it all.

Speaking for myself only, I have learned to adapt without having holiday food anxiety. I pick and chose the food, as wisely as I can, that I can eat. I know that I have to eat in moderation and just KNOW that I will not have a heaping plate of food like my family members and not feel sorry about it. My family does not have to worry about getting hugely bloated afterward, nor do they have to worry about throwing it up a short time later, or feel nauseous, but I do so; therefore I have to do what's right for me in this scenario. Mashed potatoes and I are besties (on any given day, honestly), I splurge on stuffing because I just LOVE it, and I a small piece of turkey. I have all of the essentials (I can't have cranberry sauce, but I don't like it, so problem solved!)

My policy, though, is:: if I am having a flare day, I am having a flare day and I will tell you and I just will not eat. It's not something I can control, it's not something I can predict, and I'm not going to feel guilty about it. I know making a turkey dinner takes a quadrillion hours and I appreciate that, but I'm not going to make myself sicker just to sample your food. My family will love me, tasted turkey dinner or not. There's always Christmas dinner!