Confused Appetite

Hi All,

I have noticed a bit of a weird pattern in my eating recently that's got me really confused and was wondering if anyone else had noticed similar symptoms?

I have been in remission since about July of this year after a 2 year long flare. (YAY) This is currently being controlled by 125mg of Azathioprine daily and 800mg of Mesalazine - 3 times a day. I have only really been taking the mesalazine once a day due to pure lazyness on my part (bad i know)

The thing is, whilst I was flaring I was on & off the steroids for almost 6months, which meant I gained alot of weight and developed a good healthy appetite. Since I have been off the steroids the weight has pretty much stayed on and the overall water retention/bloating has slowly faded away as expected.

But I have noticed that although I get quite hungry when it comes to actually eating I feel full after a couple of mouthfuls. I am definately not eating enough and sometimes go through the day with very little food. My stomach is rumbling and i FEEL the hunger but when it comes to eating I just can't stomach it! Its almost as though my stomach has shrunk

Quite often I feel nauseous aswell. I can't pinpoint what is causing this change and the worry is making me more depressed so i lose my appetite even more

I really don't want to lose all the weight that I have just managed to put on (i'm quite petite)

Does anyone have any suggestions what could be causing this? Or if you have experienced the same symptoms??

I felt like that when I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, before things escalated to UC. I would feel what I now call "false hunger pains," but when I started eating, I'd quickly feel full and often nauseated afterward. For me, it was a sign I was eating things that disagreed with me and that my gut ecology was off, throwing my digestion out of whack.

Have you tried supplementing with a powerful probiotic? The level you get from yoghurt is probably not enough. An elimination diet might be helpful, too. In the meantime, you might look into enteral nutrition - shakes that will provide nutrition while allowing your digestive system to rest and heal. Absorb Plus is one that's formulated specifically for IBDers.

Well, yes. I experienced the symptoms you describe before I was ever diagnosed with UC - flare or no flare. IMHO, it's a sign your digestion is still off, regardless of lack of other UC symptoms. The asacol and immunosuppresant you're on are suppressing other symptoms, but that doesn't mean your digestion has returned to a healthy level. Anything you can do to improve it... identify and avoid food allergies/sensitivities, take digestive enzymes, rebuild good gut flora with probiotics, supplement with l-glutamine to heal the gut... is bound to be helpful. Check out the book Optimal Digestion to learn more.

Im totally ok now after long flare this year but i have nowhere near the appetite i used to have and get full really quickly, everyone used to be amazed how much i could put way for a small girly !!

Got to be something to do with all this surely

Tab