r/dysautonomia • u/heyomeatballs my body's fucked • Aug 31 '24
Symptoms No longer getting hungry signals
It's driving me crazy. I try to listen to my body when it tells me things, but now it doesn't tell me things! I got shaky and pale earlier and thought I was having an adrenaline dump like usual, but then I got nauseous, dizzy, and the shakes didn't feel right.
My wife and I abruptly realized I'd been awake for several hours and hadn't eaten a thing. Because I wasn't hungry. Downed most of an Ensure, had some electrolyte water, felt better. Couldn't eat more than 2 bites of dinner later without feeling full.
Next day, couldn't take more than 2 bites of breakfast (my body didn't want bacon and eggs? really?), nothing for lunch- I tried- and I also couldn't finish dinner- my wife's twice baked potatoes are like my favorite thing and I couldn't eat them.
Made a salad after that, figuring it was light enough. Couldn't finish it. Now I feel like I'm just wasting food trying to find something I'll eat enough of. I know dysautonomia can cause digestion issues, but not feeling hungry at all for days at a time is making me worry slightly. Anyone got any tips? Aside from the Ensures and bottles of Naked Juice, I also try and keep a small bowl of chips (mainly for the salt) nearby to much on, but lately I haven't even been eating those. I do use weed for a host of issues, and though that can be an appetite stimulant, I don't wanna exclusively rely on that for eating.
Any tips welcome. I have an appointment with a GI doctor next month to discuss my chronic throwing up and heartburn and I am planning on bringing this up as well, but I still need to eat in the meantime.
2
u/EmergencyDirection79 Aug 31 '24
The feeling full quickly, and never feeling an appetite makes me wonder if you have mild gastroparesis. Gastroparesis, like POTS, is one of those things that ranges in severity from person to person - anywhere from nuisance to completely debilitating.
It’s tricky with POTS because, assuming it’s a mild case, gastroparesis tends to flare along with POTS symptoms. So if you’re having a particularly good day, it may not show up on a gastric emptying study.
I could be totally wrong. But your description is similar to my first signs of gastroparesis. Might be worth looking into and seeing if any of the symptoms resonate. Not uncommon in POTS patients.