Need to detox, but feeling lonely :(

[Soak]

I have pancreatitis and need to go on a fasting diet and detox.

 

 

Problem is, I use food as an emotional crutch. For example, I will eat excessive ice-cream as an emotional comfort and to feel better. And, also to battle my loneliness. The same is for alcohol, although my drinking levels are not as high as they once were.

 

 

Im sum, I am eating way too much sugar and fatty foods, which propels pancreatitis.

 

 

Just to explain how i feel when I get this: sick, sore abdomen, miagraine headache, depressed. General feeling of being unwell and aweful.

 

 

I know I need to go through a detox and the only way is through clean and healthy food, which is mostly juices, water and some greens. Vegies. Not fats.

 

 

Given that i use food as an emotional crutch and to feel better (binging to fill the space and allerviate feelings of isolation. A bit like cutting perhaps?) and I get a massive headache if i do not feed my sugar habit by 11am daily. To add to the detox feelings, I also feel really depressed when I am low on sugar and this occurs around 11am, as the sugar from the day before has left my body.

 

 

Thing is, i have built a really good justification system around my addictions: everything from "you deserve it" to "it doesn't matter", "who cares anyway" and "a little bit won't hurt (when I know once I break the seal, i go all the way and eat everything".

 

 

I have made a plan: to watch DVDs all day in bed tomorrow. It will be dark and probably tolerable until about 12-1pm, by which time i will start to get lonely again and want to eat to allerviate the loneliness.

 

 

Getting the time off work is no issue. I've just got to get the willpower to get through this detox / withdrawal for at least 1 day, and then another 2 days to follow. Getting time off work won't really matter. I won't get paid for the time off, but i know it's for my health benefits and to feel better.

 

 

Problem is, I don't know if i've got the willpower to get through the horrible isolated feelings that I will experience. And, there is no doubt that I will experience this. Think the withdrawal scene in Trainspotting. That is how it will be for me. I actually get physically ill when I do not eat sugar.

 

 

Please give me some affirmations or statements to follow when things get ugly and my ID takes over and i submit to the lowest common demonimator, eg, I give up and soothe my feelings / anxiety by ingesting toxins, as I usually do

[mrs rubble]

Try natural sugar instead, grab a bunch of grapes and have a handful whenever you feel like a sweet fix. Also how about getting out for a walk somewhere to distract yourself?

[FMW]

Just remember your horrible mood will just be temporary. It's not forever. Reminding yourself of that should make things easier - we can endure anything for a short time if we know it won't last.

[preraph]

You need to go to a gastroenterologist specializing in pancreatitis, because 80 percent of people die from it! My sister was a survivor. In the hospital for six months!

 

A detox isn't going to save you if your pancreas is already losing mass and dying, which is what pancreatitis is.

 

Did a doctor tell you a detox was going to stop it, or are you just googling stuff? Don't mess around with that disease. If you are not under a gastroenterolotist's care, you need to find one. I live in a big town with lots of hospitals but only two of them are equipped to try to save someone from that disease, so it's imperative that if you haven't gone to a specialist, you go now and not put it off.

[RecentChange]

I agree with others - this sounds like something a medical professional should advise in. Have you researched pancreatic diets? You mentioned juice which tends to be shockingly high in sugar - so I don’t know if that’s the best choice to get off of sugar.

 

Have you looked into things like Halo ice cream which is low fat, low sugar and high protein and fiber? I am surprised by how good it is.

 

As for laying in bed all day - for me, that makes me feel terrible. Makes my whole body ache, my back gets crampy - I have to get up and move to feel healthy. Watching a screen all day makes my eyes hurt, gives me a head ache and a neck ache.

 

Do you have access to nature where you are? Many studies have shown a walk in nature has serious health benefits. Especially for mental health. Consider some forest therapy.

[lana-banana]

Preraph is right. If you have pancreatitis you are many levels beyond what anybody else could suggest in terms of "switch to sugar-free alternatives" or "try something healthy". You are putting your long-term health at risk here. Please, please seek out a therapist AND a doctor to ask about what you need to do. This is obviously not about sugar; you're using sugar and food to mask a deeper emotional pain, but you need professional assistance to help you confront that pain.

 

Don't beat yourself up. It's so hard to make big changes. But you (with help, if you can't do it alone) have to acknowledge that you're a person worthy of love, and you deserve to be taken care of.

[amaysngrace]

I have a breville juicer and it’s awesome. I mostly put veggies in it but also will put one fruit for sweetness. For example I’ll put a big handful of baby spinach, a big handful of kale, two carrots, a cucumber and maybe seven or eight fresh pineapple chunks. All that fills one glass and it’s a great way to start the day.

 

How can you put things into your body that causes you physical pain? I agree you probably need to see somebody to figure out why you’d put any food above your health and comfort. You say the food you eat brings you comfort but in reality it’s causing you physical pain that you’ve described. I don’t understand that at all.

[Foxhall]

For a start try to get the green vegetable juices into you,

 

 

the body has a decent ability to heal once you get the right stuff in,

 

 

I am a firm believer in natural healing myself,I have done a couple of courses and studied this area.

 

 

I would advise you to visit a herbalist who will give you herbs to strengthen your immune system, some herbs are also good as an antidote to craving sweet stuff, wormwood I believe is one although you need to get these products from a proper herbal clinic

 

 

you need to work on this loneliness issue , mental problems can manifest in a physical form,

 

 

a classic one is craving sweet items- this is in a sense to "sweeten you up" as you are feeling a little bitter or lonely mentally

 

 

would you consider joining some vegan food groups, this could be good from a health and social point of view.