Has anyone had unexplained weight loss?

Posted by lildiva4jc @lildiva4jc, Oct 4, 2023

I've started having unexplained weight loss since May 2023. I eat every 2 hours almost 18 hours a day since I have insomnia. But I don't gain weight. I don't each junk food because of all the bad stuff in them and nothing with high fructose in it. But the most that happens is I get constipation or diarrhea. I'm drinking unflavored organic coconut milk. And that is better for my GI tract than the lactose free milk I was drinking. But it's still hard to deal with how I look now. I don't feel attractive anymore, my husband is sweet and says I look fine. But when I look in the mirror I have to remind myself to say" I love how I look" why? Because I believe that God knows what is happening to me and he doesn't want me to be discouraged. That he will always be with me no matter what I'm facing. My body is just a temporary thing. Eternity is what I'm looking for. To be with God and have a new and better body. I hope no one is offended by my religious beliefs. They sustain me as I get encouragement from reading the Psalms and seeing what they struggled with and God saw them through all their problems. May be not the way they wanted because God deals with us individually in the manner we live our lives.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

Hi Lildiva4jc,
I'm so sorry to hear of your unexplained weight loss. Have you seen your doctor regarding it? It could be serious.
I became incontinent and had unexplained weight loss. The incontinence was actually causing it. The doctor did stop my water pill and that helped. I ate a lot of ice cream and cheesecake along with good quality beef steaks and lots of bread and avocados. I finally started gaining a little weight back. So my clothes finally fit a little better after 4 months! I don't like the way I look either. My husband says I look fine too! Aren't husbands sweet?

You are so right to believe in God and know that life will get better when we are all up in Heaven with God and Jesus and all the angels! Until then, we just have to have faith and keep praying and reading the Bible. My husband and I read the Bible every morning. It starts the day out right. You mentioned you liked Psalms. My favorite is the 23 Psalm.

I hope things work out for you. I'll remember you in my prayers.
PML

REPLY

Has anyone suggested reversal of the gastric bypass surgery?
If the reason for the weight loss is problems with your liver maybe it would not help anyway?
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27387697/
I'm so glad that your faith lends you the comfort and strength you need to get through this difficult time!

REPLY

You should go to the doctor and do tests to see what could be causing the weight loss. You should do blood tests, and you may need to do a colonoscopy and other tests. I suggest you try to take (timed-release) melatonin before going to sleep, to try to sleep more. Sleep is important for your health. Best of luck.

REPLY

My GI doc told me to call him if I ever get unexplainable weight loss.

REPLY

I was diagnosed with MS in 2010. I've also suffered GI problems for years. Never knew a correlation was plausible.
I suffered acute pancreatitis in 2017 which became chronic pancreatitis. In less than 60 days from July to Sept 2022. I lost 52lbs. My GI was complacent. I finally found a Hepatologist @ University of Miami. I tested positive for "SIBO" (small intestine bacteria overgrowth):. It can only be detected by a 4 hour hydrogen breath test with glucose administered. I hadn't heard of it prior. No other doctor ever mentioned it. The treatment was "Xiflaxin" $2,800.00 for 42 tablets (a 14 day supply) i also take "Zenpep" digestive enzymes & "Trulance" which is dehydratingly effective. Next is a "endoscopic ultrasound" next month. I had never heard of them being combined.
Sorry if I shared too much but I can certainly relate. Sending positive vibes!
Michael

REPLY

I experienced unexplained weight loss from 2020. I had gastric bypass we years ago, but before this had gained most of my weight back. I finally had stool fat testing, a fecal elastase and gastric emptying study. I was diagnosed with both Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency and Gastroparesis. The cause is uncertain, but believe to be related to my previous gastric surgery. Best wishes to you.

REPLY

Keep believing, but don't leave any rock unturned. In case you haven't had a Gastroenterologist appointment yet. Suggest you look for one whom can test you properly for SIBO.

Bacteria that get into the small intestine can bloom out of control and steal even the wonderful nutrients you eat. If you have it, go to Cedars-Sinai website and look up Dr. Mark Pimentel (think that's the spelling). He's on the cutting edge of the research, but thankfully is also a practitioner. He posts info that can help doctors to discover if you have SIBO via a 2-gas breathtest (make sure it checks both gases), as well as makes recommendations on antibiotics (herbal remedies also exist but you'd have to find someone practiced with using those correctly). Also, he suggests ways to prevent SIBO from coming back.

My Mom has suffered a lifetime of constipation; so I'd not worried when constipation was my body's normal state. It's not something polite to talk about and doctors often don't inquire into this basic biological function anymore. It wasn't until going through this pre-menopausal and now again post-menopausal that I start to connect the dots between my own symptoms and some of the ones my Mom suffered through her adult life that only got worse and expanded into other realms later.

Please do everything you can to find a Gastro that has specialized experience with whatever your own condition is and learn as much about it so you can avoid any worsening of your own condition. The body is still such a beautifully complicated mystery.

I kept being thankful when the SIBO was gone; and I'd jump back into regular life -- raring to catch up on all that had derailed my personal and work and volunteer To Do lists, my exercise, my personal growth, and my social life.

Keep the faith. It will carry you through, but don't give up the search yourself. Best wishes!

REPLY
@foodjourneyisreal

Keep believing, but don't leave any rock unturned. In case you haven't had a Gastroenterologist appointment yet. Suggest you look for one whom can test you properly for SIBO.

Bacteria that get into the small intestine can bloom out of control and steal even the wonderful nutrients you eat. If you have it, go to Cedars-Sinai website and look up Dr. Mark Pimentel (think that's the spelling). He's on the cutting edge of the research, but thankfully is also a practitioner. He posts info that can help doctors to discover if you have SIBO via a 2-gas breathtest (make sure it checks both gases), as well as makes recommendations on antibiotics (herbal remedies also exist but you'd have to find someone practiced with using those correctly). Also, he suggests ways to prevent SIBO from coming back.

My Mom has suffered a lifetime of constipation; so I'd not worried when constipation was my body's normal state. It's not something polite to talk about and doctors often don't inquire into this basic biological function anymore. It wasn't until going through this pre-menopausal and now again post-menopausal that I start to connect the dots between my own symptoms and some of the ones my Mom suffered through her adult life that only got worse and expanded into other realms later.

Please do everything you can to find a Gastro that has specialized experience with whatever your own condition is and learn as much about it so you can avoid any worsening of your own condition. The body is still such a beautifully complicated mystery.

I kept being thankful when the SIBO was gone; and I'd jump back into regular life -- raring to catch up on all that had derailed my personal and work and volunteer To Do lists, my exercise, my personal growth, and my social life.

Keep the faith. It will carry you through, but don't give up the search yourself. Best wishes!

Jump to this post

My gadtroenterologist has done a EDG and a colonoscopy. But not the gas test. I don't even knows where it can be performed because he hasn't suggested it. Instead he is sending me a the Mayo clinic for testing to see if there are issues with my liver that are causing the problems. He thinks I only have a mild case of IBD. So there's not much I can do unless the Mayo clinic decides to do testing in this area as well. I'm scheduled for 1 day of testing. But things can change or we may need to go back at a later date. My insurance co-pay are high when it comes to testing. Blood work doesn't cost us anything. I'll talk to my GI doctor about the breathing test to see if he can get authorization for it and can find someone who does this. Thanks for the suggestion.

REPLY
@pml

Hi Lildiva4jc,
I'm so sorry to hear of your unexplained weight loss. Have you seen your doctor regarding it? It could be serious.
I became incontinent and had unexplained weight loss. The incontinence was actually causing it. The doctor did stop my water pill and that helped. I ate a lot of ice cream and cheesecake along with good quality beef steaks and lots of bread and avocados. I finally started gaining a little weight back. So my clothes finally fit a little better after 4 months! I don't like the way I look either. My husband says I look fine too! Aren't husbands sweet?

You are so right to believe in God and know that life will get better when we are all up in Heaven with God and Jesus and all the angels! Until then, we just have to have faith and keep praying and reading the Bible. My husband and I read the Bible every morning. It starts the day out right. You mentioned you liked Psalms. My favorite is the 23 Psalm.

I hope things work out for you. I'll remember you in my prayers.
PML

Jump to this post

I eat raisin bread to help keep me regular and well as drinking non sweet organic coconut milk but I still can't gain weight. So my endocrinologist is going to be testing my adrenaline glands to see if that is the problem. The last time I saw her last week she spent an hour with me talking about all the issues I'm having and she recommended starting a pea powder protein shake but from researching it they taste awful. So I need to do more research to see if I can find one that is unsweetened and tasteless as well. I hope that it's even available. It seems as if God is the only one who can heal me. He created me so he knows how to heal me too.

REPLY

I’m sorry you are not feeling well and have lost so much weight. As have I. Finally Dx… gastroparesis. Found “Very High Calorie Boost”(530 cal/carton)online by case only… helping me add back weight. Also I drink Carnation Instant Breakfast w/Fairlife whole milk(never a fan of cows milk but need cal)… and Glucerna Strawberry shake per day. Many people I see online drink up to 4 of the Very High Calorie Boost 530 cal shakes per day with extreme weight loss and nutritional deficiencies. It’s thick. I often “cut” my vanilla(most preferred) by half with whole Fairlife milk. Fairlife milk has higher protein than regular milk and is lactose free. It’s helping me maintain… and gain slowly. Wishing you the best of all health in the future.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.