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She won't eat any good food, then ends up in pain. I have tried encouraging her but she just wont listen. She often doesn't know what she has eaten, but I see traces of crisps, chocolate, ice cream over the house, when I do her and dad's tea, she refuses to eat and it is having a negative impact on her health. She believed she has eaten healthy and forgets what she has eaten.

My Dad slept with a wedge under his pillow. Laying flat is where the pain happened.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia back in 2019, and have had absolutely no issues with it as of yet, but I was told that if and when it ever starts to bother me a lot that surgery may have to be done. But I also know not to lay down for at least 3 hours after I eat as to not aggravate my hernia.
So the fact that your mum is having pain caused from it(if in fact the pain coming from the hernia and not something else)should tell you and her doctors that perhaps something more permanent like surgery needs to be done, and that perhaps she is laying down too soon after eating.
However like already mentioned the anesthesia from any surgery can cause dementia symptoms to become worse, so just be aware of that.
And if you're wanting your mum to eat healthier, perhaps you need to be the one who does the grocery shopping for her and your dad(with their money of course). However a little chocolate and ice-cream never hurt anyone, so I wouldn't completely take her treats away as she deserves to enjoy whatever time she may have left on this earth as having dementia is a death sentence as I'm sure you're already aware of.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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This is now a discussion with her MD and a nutrition consult.
I would also research online all about hiatal hernias.
They are VERY painful.
The food will press up against this hernia. She will need to eat small amounts and let it pass and must be sitting up well and remain sitting up for at LEAST two hours after eating.
She should be allowed to eat what she likes but too much "good food" such as fruits and veggies can cause a lot of gas, a lot of pressure upward, and a lot of problems with roughage. You may need to supplement her nutrition with ensure and other things. If she likes chocolate that's GREAT. Make a chocolate milkshake out of it.

Hiatal hernias can be excruciating, often leading patients to believe they are having chest pressure from a heart attack.
Time to talk with the doc about all this.
Good luck.
And if your loved one is "of an age" PLEASE allow the eating of loved foods.
Life is short for them and this is one of the things that can make it less awful, all of it.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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