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Stroke survivor - always hungry
My fiancé who is only 37 yrs old had a massive hemorrhage stroke on the right of of the brain in October 2015. She still has left side paralysis, but making some progress. One of her major issues is weight gain which is making her recovery more difficult. She is experiencing a feeling of always being hungry and has not had the feeling of being full since her stroke. She also does not remember what and when she eats. I continually remind her of what she ate, portions and the time she ate. I have tried recording everything she eats so she realizes how much she is consuming, but she doesn't have any interest and is only concerned about how hungry she is at the moment.
We have inquired with her neurological Doctor, family doctor and brain surgeon, but none of them have offered any solutions. Her family doctor suggested a wellness plan, but I know she will not follow it.
This hunger issue is also causing her frequent emotional breakdowns.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
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Good! Get all the information you can from the nutritionist, take notes if that helps, even find out if there is a way to ask questions from home. I am taking 16 different kinds of meds and talking can help me better than another med. If I have to take more pills I will if they will help me be more "normal" (remember, normal is a just setting on a dryer). mlmcg
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1 Reaction@annsandhorst
I just found this article from the American Heart Association that I think will help your understanding of how stroke affects the thalamus, and help you prepare questions for the nutritionist.
- When Stroke Affects the Thalamus http://strokeconnection.strokeassociation.org/Spring-2015/When-Stroke-Affects-the-Thalamus/
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1 ReactionThank you. Very interesting article. One neurologist told me it had to do with feelings. Makes sense because I had a lot if stress at work.
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1 ReactionI just had my 3rd stroke and was prescribed Warfarin . My appetitehas increased for sure. It started in the hospital and continues now. Always hungry never satisfied.
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1 ReactionThree strokes, I have had only two, so I have no idea what three are like. Strokes affect different parts of the brain, so do not be surprised that your third stroke attacked the food part of your brain. Have you had time to check out the side effects of warfarin? I am not taking it, I am on another med, so I cannot tell you anything about it. One of the things you may want to find out is what part of the brain your stroke was in and if that area has anything to do with what you eat. I have to remind myself to eat and I do not feel hungry, I guess one of my strokes turned off my desire for food. Unfortunately, yours was turned on and running out of control. You may have to be your best advocate to get someone to help you. Remember, "It's not your fault". Shout it from the mountaintop if necessary. Good luck.
mlmcg
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2 ReactionsGreat message @mlmcg to all stroke survivors and especially to @annsandhorst. I really liked your words, "You may have to be your best advocate to get someone to help you. Remember, "It's not your fault". Shout it from the mountaintop if necessary." Teresa
So my father had a stroke about 3 months ago and fortunately they were able to give him TPA and do a brain stent to improve blood flow so he seemed to be okay however when he returned home he began to go to the kitchen and eat things constantly to the point that he wouldn’t even sit down, just pull things from the fridge or microwave and eat while standing up. Now he is literally in the kitchen all the time, cooking and eating even minutes before lunch or dinner and he usually doesn’t wait to eat those meals with family or guests. The only upside is that most of what he eats is cauliflower or some low calorie vegetables so he hasn’t had weight gain, but the behavior has become a real problem for multiple reasons. Wish I had a solution but telling him only makes him upset and he disregards whatever we say to him about it. Not sure if that’s from the stroke or just being stubborn.
My mother, at around age 80, weighed 98 lbs. She had been a healthy eater all her life. She never had a documented stroke but we noticed she would get up from a big meal, would be totally distended and say, "I'm starving." I tell her it was not physiologically possible. Didn't matter. Her weight went up to 128 lbs. in a matter of a couple of years. We would tell her doctor something was very wrong and I assumed it was neurological, but we were ignored. Of course, then she developed heart disease and died during an attempted angioplasty. No help to offer here - just a corroboration that this has happened before. A neurological cause was the most obvious to me.
I’m not sure what it is. Just tell her she’s not alone. I was 37 when I had a stroke in 2016. It’s awful in so many ways but one of the biggest ones is that I could never get full. I also didn’t (and still don’t) want anyone telling me what I can and can’t eat. It’s getting better now, I’m able to get full and stuff, but the only thing that’s seemed to have helped is time. If you guys find a real solution, please comment here because I’m tired of not being able to control my eating.
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1 ReactionUnfortunately I don’t have any suggestions, but my mom is 77 and she also has these same symptoms. She can eat a full meal and within minutes she is asking for something to eat. When I remind her of what we just ate, she does not recall it. We have tried several small meals, logging food intake, etc. All she knows is she is hungry and feels I am being cruel. Her weight gain is significant which has also added additional problems. None of her physicians address this issue. I wish there was more assistance with this issue