Welcome to Oshi Patient Stories, an interview series where we hear from the real people who have found lasting relief from digestive symptoms with Oshi’s virtual gastrointestinal (GI) care. In today’s interview with Cindy, talks about how Oshi helped her expand her diet after pancreas and gallbladder surgery, while keeping symptoms in check.
Cindy shares her experience with Oshi Health.
What used to be the hardest part of managing your GI symptoms during the holidays? How did your symptoms typically flare during this season?
One of the hardest parts of managing my GI symptoms during the holidays is the food. There’s heavy meals like sweets, spices, and high fats, um, previously I had chronic pancreas attacks, so when I do eat this food, I will have either a bowel movement change, constant bloating, stomach pain, and just being too gassy.
Previously, I had a lot of pancreas attacks. Currently, I have had surgery, which is called the pancreatotomy with an isolated transplant. But one of the hardest parts of managing my GI symptoms during the holidays is the type of food. That I had to eat, um, I had to understand that sweets or high fats or eating too heavy actually flares up my pancreas. Um, I had to be very careful because if it doesn’t flare up, then I get constipated or I get very gassy. So those are, I would say, the symptoms that would flare up for me during the season, but most of the time my pancreas will flare up because of the type of food I’m eating. And that means I will eventually be at the hospital for 1 week or 5 days.
How did/does Oshi help you approach the holidays differently? What’s one thing you’re excited to experience this year that you couldn’t in previous holiday seasons?
One of the things that I’m excited to experience this year that I couldn’t in the previous holiday season is eating high fat food like fatty food, you know, sweets, different spices, I mean, um, previously, I only ate vegetables and protein, now I’m really excited to eating more of different type of um food that’s gonna be on the on the dinner, um, table. So after surgery, uh, my gallbladder was removed, same with my pancreas was removed, so I was very lost of what’s, how can I prepare myself for this holiday season, what are the things I could eat?
Well, because I don’t have a pancreas anymore, I’m still able to eat fatty food and sweets, which is a really good thing. I met with a GI doctor who helped me adjust my daily routine. One thing is enzyme pills. So enzyme pills will help break down my food, um. Now I have a good understanding, because if I’m eating high-fat foods, I gotta increase my enzyme pills, so that was a really great conversation we had about that. The second thing is, since I don’t have a gallbladder anymore, I do have a lot of bile in me. So I met with a nutritionist, she was able to provide me a lot of feedback, a lot of support on the food, different types of food approaches, what I should eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but one of the biggest things that I should be partaking in, which I do, is fiber. So fiber is gonna help absorb that bile, and it’s gonna, my stool is gonna be good and normal. Um, previously, my stool, my bowel movements were. Pretty regular, not really great.
So some of the approaches that we, the GI doctor and nutritionist, have talked about were about the food, just because after surgery, my gut health has changed, but with the approaches that I was given and the advice, this holiday season, I am really excited to eat more than just veggies and protein. I think it’s really good to, you know, try different family members’ meals, the desserts that they’ve made, so I’m really excited to try other things that I haven’t tried for a long time, because I was scared of the flare-up that I was getting.
How has Oshi helped reduce your stress around food or gatherings during this time of year? If someone dreads the holidays because of GI issues, what would you tell them about Oshi?
After my surgery, I was still a little worried about the type of food I was eating. So when I met with Oshi, honestly, I felt a lot of stress off my shoulders. Meeting with the GI doctor and the nutritionist was very helpful. I felt very confident, caring, knowledgeable, and understanding with them, like they know exactly where you are. This is what we should do, and these are the pieces of advice they gave me. So I did feel a lot less stress. I did feel more of that relief in me, where Oshi actually listened. They listened. If one thing doesn’t work, they, you know, they had other backups, they were like, OK, well, this is another second thing that we offer, and one of those was what my experience was the enzyme pills. I was taking pancreas pills and that didn’t do well with my stomach just because they’ve noticed the symptoms, so we changed it up. We changed it up to Zempep. I take enzymes with Zempep, and that has relieved my stomach a lot. So now we have found the medication that was very supportive for me.
They were very consistent in following up, meeting up, making sure, you know, there were frequent meetups. So if you are a bit stressed about the holidays, what to eat, or traveling. I do want to tell you that Oshi is very caring and will support you. They care about your needs, and they will listen to you. They honestly do build that relationship, and I love that, and not just that, but you get to actually meet with them through Zoom. So Oshi is offered through Zoom with that support, and it was fun. It was a fun experience where I listened, took their feedback, and made that approach. I’ve moved forward with it; however, it could be a bit scary, but I do want to say just trust in them. I trust them so much that moving forward, I am going to stay with Oshi. They know my story, so I’m sure they’re gonna want to know yours too. They will care for you, so I really appreciate Oshi for my support of where I am right now.
