Loss of Appetite?

[revruss]

Hey friends,

I'm not looking for medical advice but wonder if any of you, or any person with an ostomy you know, has suffered from a lack of appetite? When I went in for my annual physical last March (2019) everything came up fine but the doctor noted I had lost some weight. I'm already slim but have now lost between 10-15 pounds. I now have no appetite or desire to eat. After many tests (2 EGDs, a colonoscopy, an MRI) my doc has found nothing wrong, suggested a therapist who also found nothing wrong (ex. depression). I then went to a registered dietician who told me what to eat seemingly not understanding that I have no desire/hunger.

I feel crappy most days and have resorted to medical marijuana to stimulate appetite. This works much of the time but most of my days are spent just trying to get enough food in me to make it to tomorrow. I do not work but if I did I'd not feel well enough to report to work most days. I'm no longer able to work out and am mostly eating junk food just to get some sort of taste.

Anyone heard of or experienced anything like this?

Russell

[ileo73]

How long has the appetite loss been going on? I know my appetite goes away when I have the flu but if you've had no appetite for months...

[Mysticobra]

Hello.
When I first got my pouch I lost. "lost" my appetite completely.
I had no urge to eat anything. It lasted months. And contributed to a large weight loss ove a very short period.
It was the weirdest feeling not having an appetite. I was 58 at the time.and neve had a sense of it. Just completely gone. Even the smell of any food I didn't like.
That wasn't me.
It slowly came back but took months. And to this day over 4 years later there are alot of days I just eat some days cause I know I need to eat. And I will have days where I am hungry and eat. Like a pig. Seems it outta whack still but I have gained and not.lost weight. We don't have the medical weed here. Wish they did. Gummies or something.
I would use them to stimulate my appetite..... Good luck.
P. S.
My pouch is gone. I have an ileo now. That has made my appetite better as I can eat almost anything. Cheese and potatoes are to be limited. Not that it hurts to eliminate it just that it pushes under my wafers and blows em out.

[revruss]

Thanks for the responses!

@ileo73 this has been going on for almost one year. It will be one year in March.

@Mysticobra It's weird because I've had the colostomy since 2004 and have only recently had this lack of appetite hit me. I've had a pretty good run of feeling good these last few days. I'd love for this issue to just fade away somehow...

Appreciatively,
Russell

[nickolas]

WOW, no I don't have that problem. Have had a colostomy for 15+ years. When I was on chemo, I lost my appetite because everything tasted like cardboard. About 2 months following finishing up on chemo, my appetite returned because I could taste food again.

Thus I'm going to ask, any chance your taste buds could be changing? I've heard elderly people have a hard time eating because their taste buds have diminished. Do you cook your own food? If so, try adding other flavors to your food. I'm not suppose to use salt, so I tend to add a lot of garlic, lemon, yogurt, non salt type seasoning to my food. Works for me and my husband.

Do you drink Ensure or anything like that on a daily bases? If not, you might want to consider it. It could help to keep your weight on and give you much needed vitamins and minerals.

Good luck,

Nickolas

P.S. Edited to add, have you looked at or considered smoothies?

[revruss]

Thanks for the response Nickolas!

My taste buds could be changing. I turned 55 last month. I used to cook my own food all the time but now am eating a lot of processed stuff. I know it's not good to eat but highly palatable food is about the only thing I can get down right now.

I did try a calorie drink but anything I drank would end up in my colostomy bag very quickly.

My annual physical is next month. If we can't find anything I'll probably try another doctor....

Russell

[nickolas]

I'm just throwing this out there as it was a result of a conversation I had with a friend this past week. Thought I would pass along, just in case. Guess if a person has a partial or upper dentures, that partial or upper denture can cover up taste buds in the roof of the mouth. Not sure how accurate this info is, but if you have a partial or upper denture, may want to look into that as a possible problem.

Again, good luck,

Nickolas