Aversion to most solid foods

[katyroq]

I have no idea if this is dysautonomia related, and didn't have much luck searching the internet or these forums so far, so I thought I'd just ask. 

I'm used to some level of nausea in the morning and it's always hard to eat breakfast except for liquids. 

But lately these feelings have intensified and are throughout the day. I feel some tightness up under my ribs and even thinking about most foods makes me nauseous. I can't stomach anything except cold/raw or liquid foods like fruits and veggies. I do get hungry and I can tell my blood sugar is all over the place, which the fact that I'm mostly eating fruit doesn't help. Sometimes at night at 10 pm or later I'll get hungry enough to eat a fried egg and some very dry toast and occasionally even avocado isn't too rich.

Randomly I'll feel ok and for example last week I went out to eat Mexican food, and had no problem. 

Anyway I have no idea if this is dysautonomia related but the fact that it comes and goes "randomly" in a way that seems similar to my other symptoms, makes me wonder...  Sound familiar to anyone else?

 

[Tenacity]

I had something similar at the beginning of my illness. It was like an intense lack of appetite, so intense that whenever I put solid food in my mouth, I couldn't bring myself to swallow it - almost like a reflex preventing me from doing so. I subsisted on sugar sweetened milk during that time. It eased off over the period of a few months, where I could eat solids after a few weeks. Today, my appetite is normal, unless I'm having a flare up. I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're going through.

[Guest ScottS]

Have you tried exercising before breakfast? Also, are you drinking water first thing? Doing both makes all the difference for me.

Thanks to POTS there are days when my gut motility slows to a crawl. I'm on a rather restrictive diet, a protein smoothie for breakfast, soup or cooked veggies for lunch, ramen noodles or a glass of kefir (yogurt milk) for dinner. I have to be ultra careful about eating foods high in fat. Foods high in processed sugars drive my gut wonky. I've actually ended up in the emergency room due to food related flare-ups. So, yes, what you're describing is very familiar.

[toomanyproblems]

Gastroparesis is common in dysautonomia. I have it. I've only been able to do liquids for over three years. It can wax and wane in some people though just like other dysautonomia symptoms.

[StayAtHomeMom]

It sounds like it could be related. I would check with your doctor though to be sure. In the beginning for me I had gastritis. They gave be the medication for that to try and it did wonders. Since I took the course of that medication I haven't had much trouble with nausea. That has been something like 2 years now. I did have a scope done though and it was mostly normal (had an esophagus stricture, that's it). 

[katyroq]

@Tenacity yes that sounds very similar to what I'm experiencing. Good to hear that your symptoms got better over time. That's what I'm hoping for. 

@ScottS I do drink water first thing, and I don't do heavy exercise in the morning because my POTS symptoms are worse then. But I do usually get up and moving around (take the dog on a walk around the block) before I try to eat and that does help. But not enough that I can eat solid food for my first meal, even if it's not until 11 am. I feel like I can deal with the breakfast issues but it's a lot harder when it's all day long. Sounds like you can relate. 

@toomanyproblems Are my symptoms similar to what you experience with gastroparesis? I have read about it but didn't think the symptoms totally fit. I do have nausea and bloating but not really pain /indigestion /etc. Sorry to hear how long you've been dealing with gastroparesis. 

@StayAtHomeMom Thanks for sharing your experience. Interesting that you suggest to check in with a doctor. I tend to think if I can connect a physical symptom to dysautonomia then I don't need to see a doctor about that symptom because there won't be anything they can do (yes I'm the worst patient ever). I guess I'll see how long this goes on. I haven't been eating enough which affects blood sugar and other symptoms and the ability to think. But I haven't been ill or unable to do any of my normal things. 

 

[Pistol]

1 hour ago, katyroq said:

Interesting that you suggest to check in with a doctor. I tend to think if I can connect a physical symptom to dysautonomia then I don't need to see a doctor about that symptom because there won't be anything they can do (yes I'm the worst patient ever). I

I am sorry that you feel that way. Yes - dysautonomia is not curable but the symptoms of it can be relieved in many cases. My doctor and I address each symptom as it appears, may it be GI related or pain or BP/ HR. I also suggest to see your doctor about this problem. Best wishes!!!!!

[toomanyproblems]

My presentation with gastroparesis was rather severe and probably not typical so you shouldn't take my experience as the norm. These things do tend to wax and wane though. Since POTS involves autonomic nervous dysfunction it can include your gut so sometimes there are gut problems. You can do a search on this forum to get an idea. 

[Guest ScottS]

Quote

 I do drink water first thing, and I don't do heavy exercise in the morning because my POTS symptoms are worse then. But I do usually get up and moving around (take the dog on a walk around the block) before I try to eat and that does help. But not enough that I can eat solid food for my first meal, even if it's not until 11 am. I feel like I can deal with the breakfast issues but it's a lot harder when it's all day long. Sounds like you can relate. 

The routine that works best for me goes like this:

1. Drink upwards of 32 ounces of water within the first 15 or so minutes after waking and getting out of bed. 2. Tough out the heavy POTS symptoms (which, as you experience, often hit the hardest then ). 3. Get moving and doing things (if only to get my mind off of how bad I feel). Do chores and etc. 4. Do yoga. (I've had a yoga and YQi practice since age 15.) 5. Eat a small bowl of Cheetos (for the salt) and half a banana (for the potassium and to get my gut moving). 6. Ride the exercise bike (for however long I have scheduled). I sometimes ride the bike for upwards of an hour - even after upwards of 90 minutes of yoga - so my cardio training and fitness level is fine. Still, a walk around the block is too much. (I get wiped out and sometimes feel like I'm going to pass out. I'll also, often, get nauseous. Such is the nature of my dysautonomia.) I usually will have taken in an additional 32 to 48 ounces of water during exercise. For breakfast I have a smoothie consisting of 1.5 scoops of protein powder, 1 scoop of hemp seeds, 1 banana, the liquid vitamin I take all blended in around 12 ounces of a lemon/ginger drink I get from Trader Joes.

I do this routine every day I can. It's work and it requires discipline. AND it can get to being a pain in the ***! My point? With POTS, routines work and can often be essential to keeping your boat floating upright.

That's a YQi exercise reference, by the way.

See https://jamesdrewetaichi.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/sinking-your-boat-1-the-hull/ 

It's a great, basic exercise/dynamic position for helping open up the gut, even when it's acting wonky.

 

[StayAtHomeMom]

16 hours ago, katyroq said:

Thanks for sharing your experience. Interesting that you suggest to check in with a doctor. I tend to think if I can connect a physical symptom to dysautonomia then I don't need to see a doctor about that symptom because there won't be anything they can do (yes I'm the worst patient ever). I guess I'll see how long this goes on. I haven't been eating enough which affects blood sugar and other symptoms and the ability to think. But I haven't been ill or unable to do any of my normal things. 

I will typically do things similarly but I have learned that not everything is directly connected. And if you can get just a little relief from some things, then the others things are more manageable. When I was first sick I had so many things happening at once that it was overwhelming. Now things are much better, especially if the dizziness stays away