#fortimel

Doctor prescribed me these nutritional supplements at a time when I was struggling a lot to get enough nutrition through my feeding tube. The goal was that whatever little I could take by mouth would at least be high-calorie.

Oral nutritional supplements are medical foods, high in calories and rich in protein. They come in many forms: dessert creams, fruit purées, drinkable yogurts, soups, and even cakes, etc.

During my years of medical wandering, I was literally prescribed almost every version available to see what I could tolerate… but I couldn’t tolerate any of them because I would vomit them all.

Today, even though I can eat a little bit orally without vomiting, I still struggle to tolerate these supplements. I was prescribed new ones, but they contained lactose (which I’m intolerant to). So I was given lactose-free versions, but even without lactose I still have a hard time digesting them, and they trigger symptoms.

When I checked the ingredients, I realized they’re full of complex additives and most importantly there’s nothing natural in them! So it’s no surprise that my fragile digestive system can’t handle them.

It just shows that a product being medically prescribed, sold in pharmacies, high-calorie, or enriched with vitamins doesn’t automatically mean it’s healthy or suitable for everyone!