Loss of appetite

[cattia]

Hi there everyone. I have experienced for the past ten days or so a loss of appetite that seems to has come out of nowhere. I haven't been ill and my anxiety hasn't been higher than normal (I've had loss of appetite with extreme anxiety before). Work has been stressful but I'm finished for Christmas now and things have not improved. I can eat but I'm never hungry and even foods I normally love I just have zero interest in. I'm pretty worried that I have cancer. I had blood tests that were normal but that was back in August. I'm wondering should I go for more? Has anyone ever experienced this with no apparent trigger and it's resolved on its own? I honestly feel like if I didn't make myself eat I could literally go for days without food.

[Redsmum]

Hi Cattia, i’m exactly the same been like it for past few weeks. Never feel particularly hungry, sometimes just the mention of food can make me feel nauseous. I do suffer from HA & have been quite bad with it over the past few months, but i do worry about this loss of appetite, normally at christmas i’m tucking into the quality street by now but haven’t even opened them yet.
Sorry i can’t be of more help but i do know how you’re feeling. Take care.

[cattia]

Thanks Redsmum, I'm sorry you're going through the same thing. Yesterday evening I felt peckish but today I'm back to not wanting anything. My weight is on the low side anyway and I have a real fear of weight loss so this definitely isn't helping. Most people are worried about putting on weight over the Christmas season but I'm just worried about losing it. I hope your anxiety improves soon for you.

[cattia]

Jumping on here again because my appetite still isn't back, it's been two weeks now. I have started up with a pain in my upper left abdomen right under my rub cage about level with my bra line so now I'm worried about pancreatic cancer or spleen pain which could mean some other cancer. Cancer is mu biggest fear. I've been so wrong out with this and I know I'm in a bad spiral but don't know how to make it stop. Km also super run down right now with a sore throat and feeling really under the weather.

[Hypomania]

Hi cattia, I know we've been chatting a bit on my other thread, but i just wanted to reiterate that reading the posts here, it really sounds like you're just too stressed to focus on eating. I'm the same way when I get very anxious and I can lose weight quite quickly in those situations. Actually, I was worrying about my esophagus stuff earlier and couldn't be bothered to eat at all. That said, I actually forced myself to do something to distract myself from the constant anxiety, and lo and behold, I started feeling hungry again and had a meal. Maybe you could try some distractions and see how that goes?

[NoraB]

Hi there everyone. I have experienced for the past ten days or so a loss of appetite that seems to has come out of nowhere.

Brain tumour
Bowel issues
Blood blister
Discharge
Bladder cancer
Blood test fears

These are your threads from this year alone.

In your most recent comments, you are 'freaking out' about pancreatic cancer.

This implies that your HA is currently running at 'high' - which will affect your appetite, and this normal response to stress is HA fodder in itself.

[Redsmum]

Hi Cattia, i’m in a real bad place myself at the moment. Had been taking ibruprofen & paracetamol as advised by walk in clinic for severe muscle pain in groin & thigh. I don’t know if they have made me ill but i’ve stopped taking them now. I just feel so generally unwell, can’t describe it any other way, still no appetite, constipated although not as bad as i was, stomach pains, aching all over body, all i want to do is lay down & thats just not like me, no interest in anything. I too am on the light side so definitely don’t want to lose any weight.
I’m going to give it one more day & tomorrow if i don’t feel any better i’m going to phone 111 & see what they say. Sorry to be such a misery. Take care & hope you feel better today.

[cattia]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate people taking the time to talk to me. It helps a lot! Hypomania, I think you’re right about the anxiety taking my appetite away. Last night when I was feeling more relaxed I felt hungry again but this morning my anxiety has been really bad again and I have only just managed to force myself to eat something small even though it’s lunch time here.

NoraB, it’s honestly embarrassing reading all the things I’ve posted about. I actually was thinking a few weeks ago that this is a high risk time for me. I have a very busy and stressful job which I enjoy but it takes a lot out of me. I run on adrenaline a lot and often when I stop for the holidays, my anxiety suddenly hits. The trouble is even though I see myself in the same pattern as I’ve been in before, I can never break the cycle of ‘this time I’m right’. I always think I’ll be able to but when it comes to it, I just can’t. I feel like I can’t leave things to see how they turn out because I am so worried about dying and leaving my kids. I’m so sick of being in this same cycle time after time.

Redsmum, I’m really sorry you’re having a hard time too. I totally relate to how you feel. When my anxiety is bad I feel the same way. I feel so exhausted and unwell and just don’t want to do anything or even talk to anyone. Normally I have a lot of energy so it’s not like me either.

I read something yesterday about floating stools being a sign of pancreatic cancer, and then this morning I noticed that my stool is floating. Maybe they always have, I don’t know as I’ve never focused on that aspect of them before, but it’s freaking me out so badly. They have also regularly had mucous in them lately so I was also obsessing about that but this has really sent me into overdrive. I think I will contact my Dr tomorrow (we now have to contact them using an online form) and see if they can suggest anything. I feel like I’m going to be back in that loop of waiting ages for tests, getting more and more anxious and just not being able to find a way out of it.

I also still have the pain under my left rib. It’s noticeable when I drink cold liquids, not when I eat or drink hot stuff. I am 43 so I know that I’m getting to the age where things like pancreatic cancer are more likely. Also I have read too much stuff about people starting out with mild symptoms or ones that come and go and then by the time they get diagnosed it’s too late. I hate that Ive read this stuff but my mind feels weak and I can’t seem to stop myself, like an alcoholic reaching for a drink even though they know it’s the worst possible idea. Just that lure of reassurance is too tempting, even though I know from experience that it always has the opposite effect anyway.

[pulisa]

Cattia, I believe you said that you were a senior teacher so I expect term time has given you multiple challenges with covid and also plenty of alternative worries to take your mind away from your own HA? So when term ends you have unstructured time to fill and unlimited access to Dr Google and other health websites which satisfy your need to "reassure" yourself with morbid medical stories and the like..

If you had a student with HA, what would you advise them to do? Based on your own experience.

[NoraB]

NoraB, it’s honestly embarrassing reading all the things I’ve posted about. I actually was thinking a few weeks ago that this is a high risk time for me. I have a very busy and stressful job which I enjoy but it takes a lot out of me. I run on adrenaline a lot and often when I stop for the holidays, my anxiety suddenly hits. The trouble is even though I see myself in the same pattern as I’ve been in before, I can never break the cycle of ‘this time I’m right’. I always think I’ll be able to but when it comes to it, I just can’t. I feel like I can’t leave things to see how they turn out because I am so worried about dying and leaving my kids. I’m so sick of being in this same cycle time after time.

Hi cattia, it wasn't my intention to embarrass you - it was about perspective.

I understand your fear about your kids lovely. That was my fear too, and nothing has scared me more than leaving my kids before my job is done.

It helped me to accept that, while I cannot control when I die, I do get to minimise the risk of dying prematurely by living as healthily as possible and also I have control over how I want to spend the time I do have - which is now.

'Be here now' Ram Dass.

I think that ^^this^^ is the key to living. X