Stroke survivor - always hungry

Hi @fekind,
This must be so stressful for you and your fiancé. I'm bringing @soitis4590 @IndianaScott @chesneydell1965 @carer into this conversation about stroke. They have all had experience with stroke as a patient or caregiver. I wonder if they have had any experience with increased appetite after stroke.

Fekind, did your partner work with a stroke rehab team? http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/in-depth/stroke-rehabilitation/art-20045172

@colleenyoung, yes, she worked with Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (R.I.M), both for inpatient and outpatient.

@fekind I'm so sorry to hear of your fiancée's problems with hunger and eating. I was just wondering about her past history of eating. Prior to her stroke what were her eating habits like? Any problems with restriction of food or compulsive over-eating? Also, sometimes meds can cause an increase in appetite. Her current problems might be a combination of medication side-effects as well as the stroke. I noticed that you live in Michigan and I was wondering if you have consulted the Mary Free Bed organization. Michigan has some great rehab facilities. There are also specific therapies to help with cognitive recovery programs. I hope that as you continue to seek answers you will find encouragement and help. Best wishes! Teresa

Thank you, Theresa. Prior to her stroke, she loved food, but she was very desciplined. In fact, she would often throw out unhealthy foods to ensure she didn't binge eat. She was taking a low dose of Zoloft which can cause increased appetite, her doctor put her on Celexa instead, but there has been no change. I will look into the Mary Free Bed Organization.

Hi again @fekind. I have been thinking about your post and it helped me remember my wife also had significant swings in her eating habits. One of the areas of her brain, which was damaged by her tumor, must have been her appetite control function. It changed in many ways over years. This included radical changes in volume, likes and dislikes, etc. She also began needing far fewer calories burned so she had weight gain quickly. The way I could help was by eliminating as many high calorie and empty calorie foods from our kitchen as possible. Side benefit? I began to eat healthier too 🙂

Try offering more frequent but smaller amounts of foods that you know she really likes, make yourself the same and eat them together making it a pleasant time where the experience is something she will look forward to. I'm not sure I'm clear about what the problem is...your wife not eating enough or to much? Your post was a bit unclear. Hope I helped a little. Best wishes to your wife. To be a stroke victim at age 37 is an incredible challenge and I hope she will continue to improve so you can share many happy years together.

@fekind Thanks for your reply. You provided some good insight into her prior eating habits. This information might serve her well during your next consultation. Please keep me posted on how she (and you!) are doing. I hope that you can find some additional help at the Mary Free Bed Hospital. Best wishes. Teresa

@cynthiag thank you for the advice. To clarify, she is constantly hungry and never feels satisfied after eating.

I've had a stroke, and ya, i love to eat, i always say, too bad i like My own cooking, im a good cook , lol

Is she on any medications that may have increased her appetite? I know I have been on a sleep medication that would wake me up in the middle of the night and I would eat, and not remember doing so? Just a thought...