1. < Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases

Stroke survivor - always hungry

Posted by fekind @fekind, Sep 1, 2016

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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mrisley166 | @mrisley166 | Oct 31, 2021
In reply to @babbs "My mother, at around age 80, weighed 98 lbs. She had been a healthy eater all..." + (show)
@babbs

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.

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After reading these comments, I no longer feel that I am imagining this. Trying to get my mom to understand the volume and frequency of her intake has been a source of frustration for over two years.

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alivmontoya | @alivmontoya | Dec 28, 2021

I am having the the same problem. I KNOW HOW SHE feels
S. AND I am limited with my fitness due to left side being flasid. I'm still in rehab to gain my left arm, hand,leg and foot use back. I AM 39. I had a blood clot on the right side of my brain. This is harder than child birth to recover from. It's very frustrating. My leg is getting better but arm and hand are going to to take longer.

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onecoolmom | @onecoolmom | Jul 8, 2022

Hi, I just saw this post, and wondered how your brother is doing. I’m currently dealing with the same situation, with my significant other, who had stroke about 4 years ago, then a grand mal seizure 2 years ago. He is constantly hungry, regardless of how much he eats, and it’s physically painful for him. He eats clean, was an elite athlete all his life, now 59, and this has been crushing him.

We’re you able to find answers or solutions? His doctors have checked hormones, but nothing out of the normal range, so we’re struggling to find a solution. Any advice or information you might have, would be very much appreciated.

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1 reply
elle11 | @elle11 | Nov 24, 2023

Hi
I went through the same issue n put quite a bit pounds.
I was overeating n could not understand why.
It’s been 22 months since my stroke n now is that am getting a little control of overeating.
What I found out is that is not that ur hungry, is a kind of stress anxiety in the nervous system area of the brain that was affected, the one that controls ur r full after eating, so for being affected u don’t have control n makes feel u want to eat more n more even after finishing a meal.
I will suggest give her a camomile tea during or after meals, camomile calms u down, soothes anxiety.
Try to give her fresh fruits, lot of liquids.
Yeah I remembered waking up in the middle of the night to cook n eat.
What happened is that her brain was affected in the control area, that’s why she cannot have control of the eating n overeats.
Hope this helps. Be patient. Strokes are serious. I had 2 already.

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elle11 | @elle11 | Nov 24, 2023
In reply to @onecoolmom "Hi, I just saw this post, and wondered how your brother is doing. I’m currently dealing..." + (show)
@onecoolmom

Hi, I just saw this post, and wondered how your brother is doing. I’m currently dealing with the same situation, with my significant other, who had stroke about 4 years ago, then a grand mal seizure 2 years ago. He is constantly hungry, regardless of how much he eats, and it’s physically painful for him. He eats clean, was an elite athlete all his life, now 59, and this has been crushing him.

We’re you able to find answers or solutions? His doctors have checked hormones, but nothing out of the normal range, so we’re struggling to find a solution. Any advice or information you might have, would be very much appreciated.

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Hi
Read my experience below.
Drs only know so much .

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elle11 | @elle11 | Nov 26, 2023

Definitely her stroke damaged her Hypothalamus
Hypothalamus is the portion of your brain that controls hunger. hormone cortisol, which can create hunger
hypothalamus controls emotions.
regulates your body's temperature
controls crucial urges, such as eating or sleeping.

What organ controls hunger and satiety ?
the hypothalamus
These processes show that the hypothalamus is the key central integrator of various hunger signals from the body.

What signals the brain to stop eating ?
Cholecystokinin (CCK): When we eat fat and protein, the gut releases CCK, telling your brain (through the vagus nerve) to stop eating.

a high-protein breakfast might prevent from overeating at dinner

Your body has a system for managing your
long-term energy and nutrient needs.
It’s called the leptin feedback loop.

Leptin is a hormone that’s released by fat tissue. Leptin tells the brain how much energy we’ve just consumed and how much excess energy we have stored up (as fat). The more body fat we have, the more leptin in our blood

The brain makes decisions based on leptin levels about hunger, calorie intake, nutrient absorption, and energy use and storage.

symptoms of a hypothalamus problem
High blood pressure
low blood pressure.
Water retention
dehydration.
Weight loss
weight gain with or without changes in appetite

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elle11 | @elle11 | Nov 26, 2023
In reply to @sunset7 "So my father had a stroke about 3 months ago and fortunately they were able to..." + (show)
@sunset7

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.

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Strokes change ur life completely.
U almost become another person
Changes ur personality.
So I suggest, be patient w him, let him be, remember is not his fault to be acting like this.
I had 2 strokes n changed me.
Even my closest family, grown up kids, don’t understand me w all this changes. I became a little isolated from their opinion in order to learn n adapt to my new me.
Read about stroke damages to Hypothalamus or damage to the Amígdala n u will understand him better.

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madirdee | @madirdee | Oct 9 6:34am

I hope your fiance is better. My dad had a mild stroke and he seems to be having the same condition. Although he is very thin , the way he is consuming food and drink is quite worrying as the amount if times he wants to eat is endless. Not sure why 🙁

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1 reply
Scott R L | @scottrl | Oct 9 12:35pm

In the nearly six years since my stroke, I have gone through different phases.

I've had times of no appetite, excess appetite, weird cravings, etc.

I have had incessant pain this entire time. Eating can become a problem since it's the only thing I do that doesn't hurt!

The brain and body are going through some severe adjustments and healing. I don't know about other people (since no two strokes or stroke patients are alike), but I think this will continue for the rest of my life.

You may find my YouTube channel helpful. "From Recovery to Discover":
https://www.youtube.com/@srlucado/videos

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Oct 18 8:36pm
In reply to @madirdee "I hope your fiance is better. My dad had a mild stroke and he seems to..." + (show)
@madirdee

I hope your fiance is better. My dad had a mild stroke and he seems to be having the same condition. Although he is very thin , the way he is consuming food and drink is quite worrying as the amount if times he wants to eat is endless. Not sure why 🙁

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@madirdee, how long ago did your father have his stroke? Have you talked to his doctor about his appetite? Does he eat things that are good for him or favor a particular food?

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