No interest in food

[coloradosnyder 11]

Okay I'm curious I'm 6 weeks now post surgery and at this point I still have zero interest in any food whatsoever is anyone else experiencing this problem I realize I have to eat and I am eating my soft foods every 2 hours because I have to eat but it's not because I want to eat so I'm curious is anybody have the no desire to eat whatsoever feeling I'm just curious if this is just me or is this normal

problem I'm having is absolutely nothing tastes good I have lost all my taste buds someone else experiencing this let me know I'm curious

[no onions 258]

I'm sort of in the same boat, though my tastebuds seem ok.

I'm just not hungry at all. I am usually able to get my Protein in by using shakes, but at this point there would be no way for me to come close with the soft food diet (just started). I'm typically not thirsty either and that is more problematic because I've occasionally felt dizzy/lightheaded from it.

I think part of my issue (besides not being hungry in general) is that I'm trying to avoid throwing up and any unpleasant physical feelings at all costs. I eat super slow and may be eating too little. (I'm working on it).

[The Candidate 3,215]

Can I ask a related question as I'm still post op?

In regards to the loss of interest in food, changing taste buds, and sometimes difficulty getting in your Water and Protein quotas: how hard is it then to get in your Vitamins?

And did you never stop taking Vitamins going from a pre op to a post op, or did you stop vitamins just before surgery, and have or will at some point in the healing process, start taking them again?

Thanks for your help!

[kell778 46]

I am 11 days post op and I will get hungry but then after I eat (soft mushy stage) I absolutely could gag and I never want the same thing twice. It's tough!!

[coloradosnyder 11]

Vitamins are not a problem for all troubles I take him in the morning hmmm have a problem with that it just nothing is interesting to me I have no sense of hunger so I have no interest in eating anything

[The Candidate 3,215]

Thank you @@coloradosnyder Good to know!

[Daisee68 2,493]

@@The Candidate - My endocrinologist was very specific that I take my Vitamins with food (probably because of kidney stone issues I have). That is tough when you are getting in so little. I try to take them after I eat if I can. If not, I wait about 30 minutes and then take them. I split them up and take at lunch and at dinner. You are supposed to spread out the Calcium and Iron (if you can). I also take half Multivitamin dose at lunch and rest at dinner (1 tablet each time) to spread out the nutrients and not overload the system (in which case you will just pee out the additional because it doesn't get absorbed). I didn't take Vitamins pre-op (though I know many drs suggest it). I wasn't able to start taking them until probably Day 5 just merely because I wasn't sure I could stomach it. My B12 is a nasal spray once a week (my insurance cover it which is good because it is VERY expensive - but they provide all your other vitamins for $25 co-pay. I am going to ask surgeon this week if the nasal is really that much better than the sublingual B12. Or maybe we will know if she runs labs? I haven't had labs done yet and coming up on my 2nd check up which is basically 6 weeks post op.)

[The Candidate 3,215]

@@Daisee68 Thanks so much! That gives me a lot to go on. I appreciate you writing all that out.

I've always been a big Vitamin taker, but I never gave any thought to when I took them. I pretty much tend to take them all together at one time as a pre op. I figured that would have to change post op as we just won't be able to chug them like that. And I heard that the order you take them does matter. Thanks for the clarification, it helps a lot. ????

[no onions 258]

Can I ask a related question as I'm still post op?

In regards to the loss of interest in food, changing taste buds, and sometimes difficulty getting in your Water and Protein quotas: how hard is it then to get in your Vitamins?

And did you never stop taking Vitamins going from a pre op to a post op, or did you stop vitamins just before surgery, and have or will at some point in the healing process, start taking them again?

Thanks for your help!

Hope this helps --

For me, I only took vitamins pre-op for a couple of weeks and I did not take them 24 hours before surgery. In general they were fine pre-op. They were chewable.

I'm finding the chewable versions to be off-putting now (post-op) and I prefer the small Multivitamin pill that the Dr. prescribed. It's not difficult to get the multivitamin in (once per day) and because I know I'm probably not getting the best nutrition at the moment, I really try and get the Vitamin in. calcium citrate is an entirely different story though -- I'm supposed to take it 3x daily and it is a larger pill. I break the pill in half and can generally get two pills in each day (4 halves). I don't think I could take the Calcium pill without breaking it in half. Oh, I have some B12 nasal spray shot that I take once per week. I'm not sure what that is doing for me to be honest.

I didn't receive any instructions (or have forgotten, if I did) on when to take them (w/ food or w/out food, time of day, etc). I'm going to check on that with the Dr. just to be sure.

Edited July 12, 2015 by no onions

[The Candidate 3,215]

@@no onions Yes, it helps immensely! I will also try halfing or quartering my larger Vitamins. I am currently taking some chewy Calcium Vitamins, along with liquid B 12, B 1, and Biotin, among others. The rest are in pill form.

Thanks again!

[rosemary79 136]

Okay I'm curious I'm 6 weeks now post surgery and at this point I still have zero interest in any food whatsoever is anyone else experiencing this problem I realize I have to eat and I am eating my soft foods every 2 hours because I have to eat but it's not because I want to eat so I'm curious is anybody have the no desire to eat whatsoever feeling I'm just curious if this is just me or is this normal

problem I'm having is absolutely nothing tastes good I have lost all my taste buds someone else experiencing this let me know I'm curious

I found that I really had no interest in food until I moved to the solid food stage. I don't ever get hungry like I did pre-op but I just start getting cranky and feeling low if I've gone too long without food. I am finally getting to a point where I am getting Protein from food and not having to choke down the Protein shakes all day. I still drink unflavored Protein in my Decaf coffee every morning but, I'm getting almost all of the rest from food!

[InspirationMySon 135]

I had a similar experience for the first 3-6 months. When my doctor said my taste would change & previously "yummy" foods would be disgusting I was like yeah right! But it happened and it was like being pregnant at time food smells made me feel really sick.

I would focus on getting your Protein in and not so much if you are "eating" like others or like you "should" be. If you are eating the required Protein & keeping up with your fluids then you should never feel hungry. Protein is digested slowly, causing your body to feel satiated longer.

[QuilterGal 216]

I am really looking forward to not being hungry!