Okay, so here's the gist of what's going on. I'll relay the details as best as I can but . . . brain fog. My friend does not use Reddit, so I'm doing this to help her out.

So I have an EDS friend, and she has CCI or Chiari, I can't remember which. She had a fusion surgery a couple years ago, but the surgeon didn't do it correctly, so now she's facing a second surgery to take everything out and redo it all.

The only problem she's having with all of this (aside from the obvious) is that she has to gain weight in order for the surgery to be safe. She is having to travel to another state for this surgery, so I want to make sure she doesn't waste a trip.

Because of the inflammation in her neck, gastroparesis, and other issues beyond her control, she has had a lot of trouble swallowing, and it's difficult for her to eat. Because of this, she is now down to 90-ish pounds. She needs to gain as much healthy weight as she can in order to make the surgery safer for her.

And here's the catch - protein shakes and protein powders throw her gastroparesis into overdrive. She also can't tolerate most artificial sweeteners -- most notably, Splenda, Sucralose, and Stevia are out for her. She has trouble with Aspartame, too, but marginally less so. But avoiding artificial sweeteners altogether would be best.

I know a friend who is a general manager at a GNC, and he suggested to "Look for plant based high carb, high calorie protein." He also suggested a product called PurEdge Plant-Based Gainer, but she can't consume it because it has Stevia in it. Beyond that, he didn't have any other suggestions.

Does anyone know what I can suggest to her? Time is running out, because the surgery will be some time in July (she just found this out a few days ago - sorry for the short notice!).

Thanks!