Hi coeliacs and other food intolerant,

I came across this abstract and it’s brilliant. NO TOLERANCE FOR FOOD INTOLERANCE.

The study aimed to assess the documentation of food intolerances in a hospital setting. A chart review and surveys were conducted on patients with celiac disease and lactose intolerance, residents, and kitchen staff.

The results showed that a significant proportion of patients did not have their intolerances documented in the electronic medical record (EMR) system, and the kitchen staff only tracked food allergens if listed in the EMR’s “allergens” section.

The majority of residents had never entered a food allergen into the EMR.

The study concludes that awareness of food intolerance in hospital settings is poor and can lead to significant distress and health complications, and highlights the need for EMR-based interventions and provider education to raise awareness.

Personal experience:

Last year I fell off my bike, in front of my workplace. The floor was really slippery and I couldn’t control the bike. It’s the first time that’s happened in 7 years of cycling in Ireland🤷‍♀️. My work colleagues called the ambulance. I was feeling a lot of pain, but I was okay, I still could talk.

Before calling my husband, the nurse asked me “What would you like your husband to bring you?” and I said: “My FOOD and my Nintendo” 🤣The ambulance guys laughed. I was not laughing, I could barely move my mouth. I was feeling terrible pain and could not stop thinking “what I’m going to eat?!”

My husband arrived in the hospital with my requests. Guess what. I stayed 9 hours in the hospital, did all types of exams like x-ray of my face, my arm, hands, etc… I was only offered food once and there were NO GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS available. YEP. The biggest hospital in Galway/Ireland (Galway University Hospital), Ireland: the country with the highest incidence of coeliacs in Europe …

Anyways, I sprained my wrist, broke some teeth, scratched my legs and knees but I was fine 🤣 and I didn’t starve because I was prepared and had someone to ask to bring me something.

I’ve seen many histories of food intolerant people starving in hospitals. Have you been thorough something similar? Sharing your story will help more people understand what we experience.

By the way, I still love cycling! 😁