Clear liquid diet

I went to the doctor after four days of diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea, and dizziness. Anyway, she put me on a clear liquid diet for three days. Although I have no real dersire to eat food, I worry about starving to death and have felt tired and fatigued all day. I feel a little better now, having eaten broth from some Chinese take out wonton soup and 2 popsicles. Earlier in the day I had only drank fruit juice and soda. Anyway, I have two more days of this before I can eat toast and bananas. My boss was concerned about me and said he never heard of such a restricted diet and thought that I should at least eat some crackers. Business is booming in the short term so I have to work tomarrow also. I figure that I should stick with this because then the doctor will be more cooperative with me if I stay sick (The doctor's around here tend to not want to do medical tests and refer to specialists) and I will be traveling out of state beginning mid week and need to get better soon. Does anyone have any recommendations for surviving a clear liquid diet while being forced to actively function? I am close to my ideal body weight for my height and build so I do not have a lot of excess fat to burn.

Should really help to take the edge off, and it elevates the mood of everyone around.

you get some potassium with your water.

I had a nasty intestinal virus that lasted most of May and June. If you get tired of soda and what not, decaf tea (hot or cold) is good also.

Three days of clear liquids isn't much, and it's better to add foods back slowly rather than risk screwing up your GI tract... again.

edit: stick with the doctor's orders over what you're boss has heard of. A clear liquid diet is NOT, repeat IS NOT, unusual at all. In fact, it's SOP for healing from GI upset.

get yourself some Pedialyte - it's used for babies with problems such as yours and it saved my life a couple of years ago - restores your electrolytes.

I had to do that once to give my system time to heal itself.. It's tough to do but your intestines must need a break of the Dr. wouldn't have recommended it.

As far as work goes... put your health first. :-) At the very least take a day to get some real rest.

Gatorade (or equivalent), chicken broth, and/or Vodka. :9

Really; you'll be OK. Doctors know everything.

I ate these while I was sick. Now I know why kids like them. LOL!

I've had to do it before and I felt sooo much better when it was over. I felt cleansed. I recommend some of those fancy waters with minerals and vitamins in them. I don't particularly like sports drinks like gatorade or propel, but they atleast add some flavor :-)

The first 24 hours are a little shakey but after that you will feel better and better. Your head will clear and you will have some energy. Most of all you will be giving your body a much needed rest.

I know things are busy at work but if not following your doctor's advice puts you back where you were, you won't be working anyway. Take a hint from your body and scale back.

Something about gatorade - it didn't make me feel shaky like sprite or clear sodas did. Get the clear gatorade stuff, that should get you through pretty well. Also, it does get a little easier on Days 2 and 3. Day 1 is always a bit of a shocker.

They told me I could eat clear jello, too. But it never tasted very good. x(

Also, avoid television. There are more food commercials on TV than you realize, and when you can't eat any solid food, every one calls to you.

I've done the clear liquid diet a couple times now. I generally feel a lot better at the end of it. Day 4 is actually the hardest part - eating only bananas, crackers, apples and rice for a whole day (and gatorade). But if you go back to normal eating on Day 4, it could be a little painful in the plumbing.

Thanks for the recommendations. I have been trying to stay hydrated and consume things with electrolytes. I can do some more shopping. Your right, it is better to follow the doctor's orders and give my digestive system a rest. I'd rather be safe than sorry as far as recovering. This is not fun at all.

When i was a child in the 4th grade i developed the same symptoms and the doctor said i had a stomach flu(virus) i could only have water that had been boiled for 10 minutes clear broth and banannas. It took about four days for me to begin to feel better and by the time a week had passed i was able to eat a poached egg with dry toast. But it was a good 2 weeks before i was ready for my regular meals.