Posted by gardenergirl on February 4, 2004, at 17:31:52
In reply to Re: MAOI diet and Chinese restaurants--any advice? » gardenergirl » cubbybear, posted by sb417 on February 4, 2004, at 11:37:06
Thanks for your response. I am puzzled by a couple of things, though.
> Why not just play it safe and stick to the blander foods until you are no longer on MAOIs?
I'm not sure about the assumption that at some point I will not be on an MAOI. Nardil has been the only med. that works on my atypical depression. I can foresee being on a maintenance dose at some point, but why would I stop taking the only drug that has ever worked?
>The MAOI diet is NOT a game. It is serious, and there ARE life and death reasons for adhering to it.I'm not sure what was in my original post which suggested that I do not take the diet seriously. Actually, I feel I am being quite proactive in dealing with an upcoming situation in the safest manner I can.
>A hypertensive crisis can be a crisis that will resolve OR it can progress and cause a cerebral hemorrhage and/or death. Cerebral hemorrhages are devastating and nearly always fatal.
I agree with the above with the exception of "nearly always fatal." I have worked with many survivors of cerebral vascular hemorrhages. CVA's can cause lasting disability or death, but "nearly always fatal" puzzles me. I have not seen data to suggest that.
>If you or someone you know and trust do not prepare your food, there is no way you can know what ingredients are in it. Printing a card is a good idea, but will the cooks read it? Can they read? Will they understand it? The kitchen may be filled with knowledgeable people, or they may be overworked, lowly paid illegal aliens who can't speak a word of English.
I agree that eating out in restaruants is riskier than eating your own food. Are you suggesting that people on MAOI's should never eat out unless they know the cook and the source of the food? I wonder about that because I have had a number of positive experiences in asking wait staff, managers, and cooks to help me select safe menu items. More than one restaraunt even showed me their recipe so I could check the ingredients myself. Obviously, if I am in a restaraunt where I cannot trust the advice of the staff, I will not order food if there is not something safe on the menu. This is a judgement call, of course, but it's my life on the line, and I tend to be quite protective of it.
>If you are unable or unwilling to follow the dietary restrictions, then it's best not to take an MAOI.
Again, I wonder what there was about my post which suggested I was unable or unwilling to follow the diet? Incidentally, I have been quite successful to date in managing to avoid complications.
Regards,
gg
poster:gardenergirl
thread:309075
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040204/msgs/309440.html