Loss of Appetite after an Illness

Twinkle ToesTwinkle Toes Posts: 3,220
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Earlier this week I came down with a bug that had been going around our area. It only lasted 48 hours but It had flu like symptoms and I completley lost my appetite and only ate soup and a few digestive biscuits. The thought of certain foods actually made me feel sick. Now although I feel alot better, im still weak and lethergic and Im still struggling to eat even though I actually feel hungry now. I just don't seem to fancy food, which is odd for me.

The last time I lost my appetite was when I had flu, I didn't eat hardly anything for about fortnight and lost nearly a stone. Does anyone know I can get my appetite back.

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  • handymelonhandymelon Posts: 15,154
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    Having had an infected stomach back in July last year which I'm still getting repercussions from, I've come to the conclusion that one's appetite is a strange thing!

    I think your taste for food will come back on it's own like it did before - but you need to eat good nutritious stuff in the meantime to make sure you get well.

    Smoothies are good - bio yoghurt and banana whizzed up with just about any other fruit is easy to digest and has loads of good vitamins. Oats are also very nutritious - porridge or oatmeal with honey is gentle on the tum and fills you up well. Chicken and fish are easily digested - if you can't face cooking then ready-roasted chicken breasts keep well and are dead easy. You could also try nibbling nuts and dried fruit - I make a mixture of cashews, almonds, dried cranberries and dried cherries which are really moreish. Peanut butter on brown or seedy toast is good too, or poached or scrambled eggs.

    The more protein (chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cheese, nuts) you can persuade yourself to eat, the quicker you'll recover your strength - the body uses protein for repair. Lots of salad stuff and green leafy veg, too - buy frozen veg if you can't face preparing fresh, it's just as good.

    Eat what you fancy if you fancy it - anything is better than nothing if you feel rough.

    Drink lots of water. If you feel a bit sicky, peppermint tea or ginger are both good for this.

    Finally (end of lecture in sight!), you might want to try some Yakult or similar to give yourself a bit of a digestive booster. If you don't like the taste of the drinks you can get acidophilus capsules from Holland and Barrett which do the same job (they do internet mail order).

    Feel better soon!
    HM xx :)
  • Twinkle ToesTwinkle Toes Posts: 3,220
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    The odd thing is its dairy products that are really churning my stomach. Even yoghurt which I normally love! I think its because I ate natural yoghurt the day before I was ill and I some how link it with getting ill.

    Thankfully Im not off fruit, and I have manged to eat some Rivetta crackers and weetabiz today.
  • handymelonhandymelon Posts: 15,154
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    If dairy is making you feel rough, cut it out altogether - your digestive system has to work hard to break down a sugar called lactulose which is in milk, cream and so on, and if you are weak and tired it will be too much.

    Live bio youghurt is ok - there is no lactulose in it.

    Try to get some chicken or fish into yourself to give yourself some strength - once you've got more energy you'll feel better.

    And drink as much water or herbal/fruit tea as you can face - keep well-hydrated!
  • kimindexkimindex Posts: 68,247
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    Soups are a good way of eating vegetables, especially if you can make them yourself. HM is right about hydration. It's vital. Do you like marmite? (Very good for you). And if you can eat something with tomatoes in, that would be good. I had flu the Christmas before last and my appetite came back gradually, as yours will. Don't force yourself to eat more than you want or not eat things that are nominally bad for you but you fancy.
  • bluebladeblueblade Posts: 88,859
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    Earlier this week I came down with a bug that had been going around our area. It only lasted 48 hours but It had flu like symptoms and I completley lost my appetite and only ate soup and a few digestive biscuits. The thought of certain foods actually made me feel sick. Now although I feel alot better, im still weak and lethergic and Im still struggling to eat even though I actually feel hungry now. I just don't seem to fancy food, which is odd for me.

    The last time I lost my appetite was when I had flu, I didn't eat hardly anything for about fortnight and lost nearly a stone. Does anyone know I can get my appetite back.

    Bugs like the one you describe, always knock your appetite for six - and the effects last for up to 2 or 3 weeks after the infection has in fact cleared up. Normally, you will find that your appetite will return suddenly - and you will probably over compensate and eat more than usual for a time.

    If you are looking for a natural appetite stimulator - try zinc.
  • WeeksyWeeksy Posts: 6,139
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    I felt rather ill last night, after a day at the pub! Maybe I had a dodgy pint or 8! ;-)
  • ikkleosuikkleosu Posts: 11,494
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    The advice for giving kids food when they've had a dicky tummy is - BRAT. Bananas, Rice, Aplle Sauce and Toast. these are very easy things for your tummy to digest.

    I know how you feel, I get tonsilitis several times a year and the last thing I want is anything milky or eggy. Blech. I had it about 2 weeks ago and though I'm hungry still some foods make me want to yack. Though I'm really craving pizza for some reason!
  • Twinkle ToesTwinkle Toes Posts: 3,220
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    OK just now I was absoloutley starving so I decided to cook myself some noodles. I ate a few mouthfulls and gave up, Ive just thrown them away :confused: I don't get it I was hungry and yet I couldn't finnish a meal I normally love! Im not hungry now either.

    Very strange indeed.
  • Shelley FabaresShelley Fabares Posts: 2,968
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    As long as you drink you can stop eating for a while.I often stop for a week or two just to give my stomach a rest.It also seems to give me more energy and I don't sleep as much.

    We usually fill our body with crap anyway.

    Did you know that if you stop eating you still do no 2's. :p

    Not sure why ?????????????
  • me@homeme@home Posts: 13,314
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    OK just now I was absoloutley starving so I decided to cook myself some noodles. I ate a few mouthfulls and gave up, Ive just thrown them away :confused: I don't get it I was hungry and yet I couldn't finnish a meal I normally love! Im not hungry now either.

    Very strange indeed.

    Don't worry about your appetite. Loss of appetite is the body's way of keeping you from feeding the germs any further so that they can die out and leave your system. Just keep yourself hydrated and stay away from dairy products until your appetite is completely back to normal. Sometimes it takes a few weeks to rid the system of viruses. Your appetite will come back and your strength along with it.
  • Shelley FabaresShelley Fabares Posts: 2,968
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    We were both thinking the same thing. :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,675
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    Something similar happened to me. I had a dodgy stomach about 3 weeks ago. The kids got it too. They were better after a couple of days. I am still not back to normal. I sometimes start to feel sick even just thinking about food. I am eating enough, and loosing weight would be a good thing for me, but it is a weird feeling. And i also seem to have a problem with milk - thought the amount I have in tea is fine, a bowl of cereal really has a bad effect.
    Lucozade is a great help at first after a bug.
  • bluebladeblueblade Posts: 88,859
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    OK just now I was absoloutley starving so I decided to cook myself some noodles. I ate a few mouthfulls and gave up, Ive just thrown them away :confused: I don't get it I was hungry and yet I couldn't finnish a meal I normally love! Im not hungry now either.

    Very strange indeed.

    It's a sort of "false" hunger. Once you get those, the real thing will return quite soon, and you'll know instantly when the real hunger starts again. In the meantime, why don't you eat soft easily digestible things - steamed fish & lightly mashed potatoes for instance.

    How do I know all this ? - because I had a similar thing a few years back, and experienced the same as you. Do eat a little and often though, to stop yourself getting heartburn from not eating. Trust me, even if you have to force it down, it will help your appetite by degrees.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
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    Just found this thread in the search engine. On Tuesday morning of this week I awoke feeling like I'd swallowed a hedgehog. A fever quickly followed then joint and muscle pain, headache, difficulty sleeping and now sicness and diarheoa even though I haven't eaten since Monday. I have zero appetite but think I could manage a banana, strangely. Shame I am well to weak to buy any. The only other thing I can suggest is tomato juice, an Oxo stock cube dissolved in boiling water or weirdly, I can imagine nibbling on those strawberry cables. Once you get your digestive juices running again your appetite will return gradually or sometimes rapidly. I can't afford to lose any more weight so may even try some Complan if unable to eat something nutricious. I know this thread is old but it is the season so just wanted to weigh in with my top penneth. I've been in bed sleeping for 4 days and only got up to try a cup of coffee which I do not usually drink but that may help. Otherwise I have had water.

    Don't be tempted to quench your thirst with fizzy drinks as these generally increase your thirst and can sit their in the pit of your stomach and could eventually make you sick. Avoid milk also for the same reason. I know water is bland but it is the best thing for dehydration. Well best wishes to all for 2015 and next year I'm paying my £10 and having my 'flu jab. I'd forgotten just how debilitating this virus is.
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