Wondering If Anyone Has Experienced Periods Of Not Eating??

[SaraC628]

In October of 2011 I had a coupe of weeks in which I experienced a couple of days at a time of extreme nausea and during these days I would barely eat. However, on November 3, 2011 (the night my life changed forever) I got really nauseated. From that day I literally did not eat for three weeks. I would dry heave for hours at a time and the dry heaving would start just by smelling food. During this time I was so sick that I was lying in bed all day. I came out of it and went on a super low fat diet. I ended up having my gallbladder removed. About a week and a half after the gallbladder removal, I again did not eat for a few days. A couple of weeks later I experienced another episode of not being able to eat for two weeks straight. I tried every type of food I could think of, but I could not get it down. I ended up having an emptying study done and much to everyone's surprise my stomach was emptying rapidly. I have not had a long period of not eating since April of 2012, but I still have days that I have to force myself to eat. I get in these funks where I could easily go all day without eating. This feeling tends to come and go. Right now I am eating pretty well, but last week it was a fight. In fact a few days I only had a granola bar and a couple of crackers all day. And it is not really being nauseated. It is almost a feeling of already being full even if I have eaten very little throughout a day. I will start to get nauseated when I try to force the food down.

I am really wondering about this because I recently saw an autonomic specialist and he seemed surprised by that particular symptom. I really want to know if anyone has experienced something similar. I am also on Florinef and according to my primary care doctor that should increase my appetite.

[lejones1]

Yes yes yes! Exactly what you describe, although it sounds like yours was more severe. My symptoms came on quickly and I was extremely nauseous for my first 6 weeks of illness. It felt like I was going to throw up my internal organs. I picked at food when I felt okay, but was rapidly losing weight. Luckily this eased off and the nausea isn't usually an issue anymore, but like you describe, I have periods where I really just don't want to eat and it's not exactly nausea, I just don't get hungry and when I try to eat it repulses me.

I really do think this is related to autonomic issues. I never had trouble eating before. I know they can really mess with your digestive system - I'm sure other people on here know more about that.

[lejones1]

One more thing - the only way I've found to deal with this is eat small amounts throughout the day. It usually takes me 2 hours to eat dinner, I just pick at it really slowly. I also try to eat a lot and put on a few pounds during my "good" periods, because I inevitably lose it when I'm feeling bad.

[Aimes]

I've had these same issues! Mine also started after my gallbladder was removed (though I've had digestion issues my entire life). I started having episodes everytime I tried to eat. It was like an allergic reaction, diabetic seizure, and adrenaline rush all rolled up into one. I had to completely stop eating for a month. I could only have broth, jello, and protein shakes. I was able to slowly integrate solids back into my diet. Had to start with soft foods such as cooked veggies, soups, etc. I still get days where looking at food makes me ill and I have to force feed myself. I agree that eating small amounts throughout the day helps. My gastro doctor also suspects rapid stomach emptying with me, but we haven't gone through the testing yet. I've also found that even though I don't have a gluten allergy or celiacs, carbs make me feel terrible! I get tachy, my stomach gets bloated, yuck! Just more of the joys of having dysautonomia! Sorry I'm not much help, but you're not alone!

[boymommy3]

YES! No as severe as yours, but I definitely go through periods of not being able to barely eat anything because I feel nauseous, and after a few bites of food I will literally feel like I am going to gag. It's not always nausea though, sometimes, I just say that I feel sick if I try to eat. During those times about all I can handle is yogurt, bananas, or baked potatoes.

I have just recently lost 10 lbs. because of this, but the last two or three days I have felt it subsiding some. I ate the most at supper tonight that I have eaten in weeks! Which really wasn't that much.

[Katybug]

I did go through days of not eating because of severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. I was lucky to often even keep liquids down. My neurologist was, at the same time, trying to get control of my migraines. He put me an Depakote, an anti-convulsant that has also become used as a migraine profilactic. Within a week, my GI symptoms were under control. I only have some nausea now when I actually have a migraine headache. The neuro says it sounds like abdominal migraine but doesn't want to give me that official dx because it is rare in adults (mostly a child/teenage phenomenon). My GI doc says he's not qualified to make the dx official either, but that it sure sounds like it to him. Depakote has no known GI benefits other than being one of the few treatments for abdominal migraine. I can eat normally now.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/208287-abdominal-migraines/

http://headaches.about.com/od/migrainediseas1/a/what_abdom_mx.htm

http://www.abdominalmigraine.org/abdominal-migraine.html

[puppylove]

YES! There is probably one day a week I won't eat anything. Eating small amounts when you can definitely helps.

[SaraC628]

Thanks for all of the replies! I am glad to know that this is normal for dysautonomia. I used to have a stomach of steal. I would go years without throwing up. I now have reactive hypoglycemia so I have to eat or my blood sugar will get too low. In the beginning I was able to drink 100% juice which kept at least some sugar and vitamins in my body. Now I can't drink juices because of my dumb blood sugar so on the days I can't eat I dont have anything to fall back on. I guess we all just have to do our best to eat something when we can. My poor husband would go running out the door to get me whatever I was hungry for the second I said I was hungry. Oh, and I lost over 50 pounds a four month period. I was also going to mention that it was shocking that none of my doctors cared that I was not eating. I literally was in the doctors office on day 21 and 17lbs. lighter than day 1 and all she said was you need to get some protein in you. I seriously started to think I was going to die of starvation.

[Ash]

Yes! Although I have had off and on GI symptoms for a long time, December 2011, I got really sick, the smell of food would make me dry heave and eating anything had me throwing up and other lovelies. Which landed me in the hospital (12 days), I also had my gallbladder removed (no gallstones, but was all scar tissue, so surgeon said it was mostly not functioning correctly my whole life) however, even with the gall bladder gone I still had/have bouts of severe nausea, throwing-up and gastric dumping and alternating constipation/diarrhea....but for some reason unknown to me this last month I have been eating everything with no problems and have actually flipped to being starving all the time to the point of nausea soooo I am not sure what is going on at the moment. I have always though contributed all my stomach issues to POTs and my digestive system constantly having blood flow being pulled away from it. But I am not sure what to contribute this change in being so hungry too...other then I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia when I was in the hospital that the doctor said would be okay without treatment...I am thinking maybe treating it should become an option, but don't know how to go about it now....

[SaraC628]

Ash, all of your symptoms are really similar to mine. I do get periods of being super hungry. They don't stick around very long, maybe a week at a time. But during those times, I can eat a full meal and still want more. I know that I am not really doing anything different to bring on the change. Sometimes I wonder if I finally got more hydrated than usual, but I don't really think that is the case. I have figured out that I don't feel any better when not eating gluten or cutting out sugar as far as my digestive symptoms go. I wish I could figure it out though. I find it really interesting that it is a cycle. Eating normally or not eating does not seem to affect my other symptoms, aside from feeling a tad bit weaker than ususal. This illness is such a mystery!

[bebe127]

Sara,

So sorry you are having to deal with this I sure hope you get some answers soon. I agree with trying to eat several small meals a day.

I have had this issue too although not as severe. I've lost about 30 lbs., but that has been over 3 years. I am nauseaus most of the time and sometimes the smell of food makes me want to hurl. My family loves to watch the cooking shows and sometimes I want to hurl just looking at the food.

My husband is the same way, he'll go to the ends of the earth it seems if I happen to be hungry for something. Usually though, I just have no desire to eat. I'm not often hungry and eat very little at dinner. Sometimes I wonder if it is the meds I'm on, or if it is because I drink so much liquid throughout the day, or if that's just the way things are. I often wonder too, if by not eating (and often not eating the right things) I am making things worse for myself as I'm obviously not getting the nutrients I need from basically eating one meal a day. There always seem to be more questions than answers unfortunately.

Hope you get to feeling better soon

[potsgirl]

I've also had problems with losing a lot of weight in a short time (20 pounds in 6 weeks) that occurred all of a sudden about 6 months ago. I've managed to re-gain about 8 of those pounds, but it's taken this long. I was a tad underweight to begin with, so it has really drained my energy. This happened when I was eating my usual amount of calories and exercising the same amount of time as usual. There are many days that I simply don't feel hungry, or only weird things sound good, and the sight of any raw meat makes me gag. I can usually eat fish (mild, sometimes salmon) and turkey burgers. Once in a great while, chicken. I do eat a lot of carbs, which I love, but I know I should cut down on these.

Anyone else suddenly lose weight out of the blue?

[Batik]

Our relationship with food is very complicated in the world we live in today, and I think it's normal to find that physical problems with eating start having psychological repercussions. From what you say below, it sounds like you're having problems with both. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Have a discussion, here or elsewhere, about foods which are useful for when you're not hungry or feeling nauseous, e.g. bland foods or foods with a high water content.

2) Talk to your doctor about meds, both the ones which may cause you to lose your appetite, and anti-nausea medication.

3) Talk to someone about the psychological side of things. This could be a counsellor, an eating disorders forum or helpline, a good friend. I'm not saying it's necessarily a full-blown eating disorder, but it's something in that area even if it's a milder version, and they are likely to have good advice on how to get your head around it.

I have a cousin who got into this situation. She was having physical problems with eating, due to pain and GI issues, and was generally very ill and I think depressed due to her quality of life, and she ended up going off food as well. The family used to nag her to eat, which didn't help at all.

I get nausea and so forth, but not too badly. I occasionally go off my food if I'm under exceptional stress. I've had to make myself eat at regular hours, though, as otherwise I can forget to eat all day and end up tired and dizzy as a result, or accidentally eat too much without realising. I'm far too ill to be able to afford to skip meals.

I have not had a long period of not eating since April of 2012, but I still have days that I have to force myself to eat. I get in these funks where I could easily go all day without eating.

[IDreamInColor]

Yes, I have been thru extended periods of not eating. The longest period went for 6 months, I barely ate anything, food repulsed me, I tried to force food, but I couldn't. I can remember my family getting excited if I was able to eat half of a cracker.

[Ash]

Ash, all of your symptoms are really similar to mine. I do get periods of being super hungry. They don't stick around very long, maybe a week at a time. But during those times, I can eat a full meal and still want more. I know that I am not really doing anything different to bring on the change. Sometimes I wonder if I finally got more hydrated than usual, but I don't really think that is the case. I have figured out that I don't feel any better when not eating gluten or cutting out sugar as far as my digestive symptoms go. I wish I could figure it out though. I find it really interesting that it is a cycle. Eating normally or not eating does not seem to affect my other symptoms, aside from feeling a tad bit weaker than ususal. This illness is such a mystery!

One of the reasons love this forum so much, is because it shows us we are not alone! My switch from eating and still being starving to the smell of food about making me vomit happened this morning...and I think I may have found a trigger! Yay! So up until today I never realized one pattern it seemed that it didn't matter what I ate all of a sudden things would change, I could eat a salad 3 days in a row with no problems and the 4 th day I ate the same type of salad I was on the loo directly after and feeling miserable. Well Wednesday my office and I traveled to a work convention, I was a little nervous at overdoing it, and well I did and am now paying dearly (but the day of pushing and freedom was fun at least) we drove 6 hours to a large city, ate a huge meal that evening (afterwards I spent the rest of the evening in the loo and bed) the next day we went to classes, walked around venders, walked a million blocks to a museum, and watched a late night movie plus ate a heavy dinner and cheesecake (I didn't really eat until dinner, I was struggling pretty hard to keep up with the group and pushed way past my limit all the while putting on my "pretty sick face" ) well when we got back to the hotel,my heart rate was high (which is normal when I am up and about) but I noticed my BP which is usually 70/80 over 30/40 was in the 120/130 over 70/80 range so WNL but higher then my "normal" I have noticed this pattern before with throwing me into a flare, as my BP usually drops and then levels out when I am upright....so I drank a lot of water and went to sleep (of course after chatting for a couple hours while laying in bed with my roomie) well when I closed my eyes I felt like I was spinning, but I pushed through and "tried" to sleep, and all day today I have felt well hungover/drunk...my heart rates high, I feel off balanced, and just generally off, and am nauseas to the point of all but throwing up even with water...we did drive home today which didn't help, but all I have been able to manage to eat was a smoothie, and while laying back in the seat as far as it would recline while everyone else got lunch, I got one litter bottle of smart water down and some saltine crackers which did help keep me supine the next couple hours home....sorry I feel like I am ranting and going on, but I really think that pushing it so hard which = low blood flow to digestive tract all day = no eating and feeling sick even drinking water...this is just my theory but I wanted to share because I am excited about connecting something...it has only been one day but with the way I feel right now I know it may be a long while before I am back to the way I was feeling 3 days ago.....gotta love our lives sometimes, constantly giving up one thing for another.

[Angela]

i guess i am going to go in on this....never experienced this. I have always been able to eat, and I eat constantly i believe I have a high metabalism for what I eat and the fact that I don't work out. never feel nausea. prior to my first major flare i had what I thought was irritable bowel, but it went away after 3 months. after that i think about 6 months later i started experiencing my most obvious dyso flares. but no, never even in my worst flares have I felt like i couldn't eat for longer than 1 day. when it's that time of the month, i am less hungry but i can still eat. I am dx'd hyper pots and not sure what the rest of you are but it seems more hypo pots has issues with this?????

[imapumpkin]

I am a grazer when it comes to eating, i eat constantly throughout the day of since my POTS flared up I've had two episodes (not nearly as severe as yours) where all food was completely off-putting to me and i literally was having to force myself to eat and even then it wasnt much. I have constant nausea which often makes me not that excited for food but once I start eating things seem to calm down. during these episodes though it's so bad that most food makes me gag, even my favorite things.

[SnowDrifter]

I didn't have any nausea, but I do have a decreased appetite. And I sometimes avoid food because it seems like it will exacerbate my symptoms at times. I've lost 44lbs since late November because of it

[SaraC628]

So the crazy thing is that I asked my autonomic specialist about this particular symptom and he had no explanation. Interesting....

[bebe127]

I really think that for me, the nausea comes from POTS, but the no appetite comes from meds. It's a sickening cycle!! Pun intended