Always Hungry

I've been feeling like that for a couple months too! I've noticed that I my hunger intensifies when my temp is below normal. Do you check your temp regularly?

Have you had your thyroid checked recently? Hyperthyroid can do this... Make sure they test your TSH, free T3, and free T4, along with thyroid antibodies. Only looking at the TSH doesn't catch all the cases of abnormal thyroid.

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-Razzle

hello...
2 tired for 30.....no i dot check my temp...every thermonitor in my house is needs batarys lol....but i dont want to start checking it tho....i for got to mention this to my dr. last time i saw him...

razzle...i have never been checked for a thyroid problem....i dont know much about thyroids....i have to look into this ....do you have any info this?

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"I will not let Lyme controll my life i will controll my own life"

Best thyroid info portal I know of is http://thyroid.about.com/

In a nutshell, the thyroid gland is the "master of metabolism" and can have dramatic effects on your body if it is under- or over-active. I hope this helps,

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-Razzle

thank you razzle!!!!!

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"I will not let Lyme controll my life i will controll my own life"

if its not my thyroid what else could it be.....i feel like i am lacking a vitamin...i dont eat much meat so maybe thats why...i had a steak and cheese sandwich yesterday for dinner and i wanst hungry at all after i ate that but i cant eat meat all the time....but chicken never really fulls me up to and i can only eat a lil at a time cause i get sick of it.....i rather eat veggies....fruit...bread...eggs....pasta....salad...peanut butter....i know its not much to eat but i dont eat pork i get sick on it and red meat i cant digest it right....

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"I will not let Lyme controll my life i will controll my own life"

Hypoglycemia can leave you feeling hungry all the time. There is a test but it's easier to just try a hypoglycemic "diet" and see if you improve.

The way to deal with hypoglycemia is to eat every 2 to 3 hours from when you get up to when you go to bed. Each snack should have protein. Bread, pasta, white rice, and some fruits will make you hungrier that if you didn't eat at all. Nuts, nut butter, cheese, and eggs are good sources of protein when you don't want meat.

Eating this way can cause you to gain a lot of weight if you aren't careful. You have to think about what you are going to eat and bring snacks with you everywhere you go. Plan a days worth of food and then divide it into 3 or 4 meals and 3 or 4 snacks. You reduce your carbs but it's not like Adkins. You choose low glycemic foods, foods that don't raise your insulin levels too much.

This is something I do to myself and you may look into it.

Insulin resistance from eating to many carbs and/or too much processed refined foods. The high carb load is quickly converted to glucose which spikes your blood. Then your pancreas produces insulin which triggers the cells to take in the glucose. You crash off the sugar spike and get hungry again, eat more junk and start the process over. Finally you exhaust the insulin receptors on your cells so the cells can no longer absorb the glucose. It is converted to fat in the liver. You feel tired and hungry. The fat cells are loaded with insulin receptive cells so they are now getting the "nourishment" instead of the organs and tissues needed to keep you healthy and active. You get fatter and feel tired and hungry.

You need to eat high fiber carbs that take time to digest and do not quickly turn into glucose. Whole grains like brown rice and lots of vegtables. You need to also eat more protein - nuts, seeds, beans etc - not just meat which is full of toxins. Limit fruit. No sugar, white flour or alcohol. We can fool ourselves with "halo foods" which are marketed to be the healthy choices for junk food. Instead of potatoe chips, I can eat a whole bag of whole grain chips. Instead of sugar, I can eat a whole loaf of carrot bread made with honey. It takes months to recover. In the meantime, you are hungry!

I have a similar problem, and have gained almost 50 pounds since I began feeling ill in May 2007.

A potential mechanism causing this reaction could be due to inflammatory cytokines, which are high in many people with chronic illnesses. Apparently these can bind to leptin receptor sites in the brain, which can cause disregulation of the hunger mechanism, see for example:
http://www.commandtheraven.com/2008/08/01/mold-and-lyme-toxins/

As this site also discusses, neurotoxins could play a role in this biochemical pathway. Some recent research suggests that Lyme bacteria do produce neurotoxins. Ritchie Shoemaker is an MD who is the major proponent of this toxin hypothesis; there are mixed reviews of his Lyme treatment protocol, but based on what I've read to date some people find it very helpful. At any rate, it is pretty well accepted amongst LLMD's that the production of inflammatory cytokines is increased in Lyme patients (not sure if they agree if it's due to biotoxins or some other immune reaction). Disregulation of the thyroid and leptin hormonal pathways are two results of this process which could explain appetite changes and changes in ability to loose weight.

There is a lot of info on the internet about this. I know a little bit because for a while I thought that my symptoms might be caused by mold toxin exposure (I work in the humid tropics for my research, and our research station is utterly overrun by mold in the wet season. It probably doesn't help that the house where we live has asbestos in it, too! I had to start sleeping outside in a hammock rather than inside in a bed!) It might still be a factor, but I think having Lyme would probably be more serious than mold exposure -- though the latter can't help!