My mom hasn't eaten in months, vomits daily, losing muscle mass, what can I do to help her?

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Hello Everyone, please bear with me as this will be on the longer side - but I do need help and appreciate any feedback you can provide. 

My mom used to be full of life, loved to travel, try new restaurants and test out new recipes. Cooking was always a passion of hers and she did it well. I was lucky enough to grow up eating gourmet meals thanks to her and she passed that love for food onto me. In recent years, however, my mother has lost this love and now even the thought of food disgusts her. She is 51 years old and has not eaten a full meal in months, maybe even a year at this point.

A few years back, she was bullied pretty harshly at her old place of work, which was a school. She dreaded going to work so much she would vomit every morning before going in because she was that nervous to face the faculty. We noticed that on top of getting sick each morning, her hair started thinning, she had no desire to eat, and within months, would completely stop eating. For example, she would eat ONE BITE of a meal or snack and say, "I'm full". Currently, the thought of food disgusts her. 

Many times, she either feels bloated or nauseous. 

A few months back, she got full routine blood work done, and everything came back normal. She saw a specialist and got an endoscopy done, which also came back normal. She has always had high blood pressure, and an overactive thyroid, which to me, would not have a direct correlation with what's going on, but I could be wrong. 

Overall, her mental health seems to be slipping a little as well. I don't know if this is related to stress, or her trying to cover up what's going on - but she repeats herself like crazy, which she has never done before. I'll hear the same story several times. Someone mentioned to me this could be linked to depression? 

We just got back from my wedding, which was a destination wedding, and I noticed her behavior change. She was happy, she ate, did not vomit the entire trip, and was kind of full of life like I knew her to be in the past. It seems weird to me it could be switched on/off like this. She suffers from allergies (because of where we live) and said she noticed a difference when we were away.

I know I'm kind of all over the place here, but I just want some answers and want my mom to be healthy again. She is the kindest, sweetest person and deserves to live a happy life that she was living prior to whatever is going on. ANYTHING HELPS!  biggrin

Here's a recap below:

[u]SYMPTOMS: [/u]Constant Nausea, Not Eating, Fatigue, Loss of Appetite, Bloat, Hair Thinning, Vomiting, Constant Cough/Nasal Drip, Allergies, Loss of Muscle Mass, Mood Swings 

[u]DURATION:[/u] 1.5 years (since it got bad) 

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1 Reply

  • Posted

    My first thought, before I even saw that you wrote it, was hyperthyroidism.  Is your mother on medication for this?  If so, does she get routine blood work to make sure her levels are normal?  This is VERY important.  If she is not on medication, she needs to be asap.  Hyperthyroidism is a nightmare and can cause every single symptom you describe.  If she is not seeing an endocrinologist for her thyroid disorder, she needs to get a referral from her family doctor and make an appointment.  Best wishes...

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