I NEVER feel hungry, can this be anything other than cancer? Distraught
Posted , 72 users are following.
Hello, I am a 25 year old male, I've searched the internet high and low but there doesn't seem to be any reassurance out there for me. I lost my appetite seeminly over night about 3 months ago. Over that time I have seen 4 different doctors and they have presribed various things like laxatives and acid reflux as I have also had mild digestive complaints on and off. None of these have had boosted my appetite though. I still enjoy eating and do so to keep my energy levels up, but I never actually get hungry and sometimes I get bloated after meals. I also had a colonscopy (I requested it) to rule out colon cancer and it was all clear so the doctor just gave me anti-anxiety meds assuming my lack of appetite was psychological. Only thing is I'm convinced it's not and have seen another doctor who I persuaded to give me an ultrasound. Doctor doesn't seem too worried though and just seemed to imply I'm a hypochondria.
Assuming I am right about the lack of appetite being physical, can I really be anything else but cancer? I'm convinced what I am experiencing now is cachexia, or wasting from late stage cancer. I can't help but think it's pancreatic cancer with liver mets as I also have digestive complaints (have even had floating stools for a while now), I initially considered this just to excedingly rare in people my age but my symptoms just seems textbook. All in all just can't really believe this is happenning and I'm terrified about the ultrasound.
4 likes, 145 replies
JoyKF53 longseason
Posted
Hi. I think you're reading too many text books. There are many reasons why someone's appetite diminishes. You've got no appetite yet you enjoy eating, isn't that a contradiction? Are you having night sweats that absolutely soak the bed? Have you had a sudden obvious drop in weight? Are you suffering from fatigue? Are you feeling unwell? Is your skin an unusual colour? If you had "late stage cancer" you would have lost a large amount of weight and be extremely weak. Have your ultrasound, I'm sure that whatever is wrong with you is not cancer. Which isn't to say that there is nothing wrong with you but more investigations are needed to give you a diagnosis. Stop worrying and let me know how you get on.
longseason JoyKF53
Posted
'You've got no appetite, yet you enjoy eating, isn't that a contradiction?'
I've debated this a lot with friends/family a lot recently and they often take this point of view, I contest this however. It's like when you get halfway through or towards the end of the meal and you're not hungry as such, but you still enjoy eating the rest of the meal. This pretty much has described relationship with food for the last three months. I would say a lack of hunger still constitutes a lack of appetite, even though lately I have been literally binge eating out of depression and concern about possible illness.
I did lose weight when all this begun yes as I forgot to eat, but since I have been eating more, maybe partly as a subconcious effort to not waste away I have gained weight. I have been tired very recently but that's a common side effect of mirtezapan which I have just started. And I always thought you can have advanced cancer without feeling particularly ill, and you decline rapidly at the last minute. And thank you I will let you know, your words have been mildly encouraging, but in a way I'm almost hoping they find nothing wrong and it's just some weird unexplainable occurence, as I can't really see what else they could find if not something very serious. As I type this I'm getting a dull pain in the middle of my back, not good
linzi81566 longseason
Posted
Hey did you ever get a answer to this? I'm having exactly the same thing x
longseason linzi81566
Posted
Nope and I'm very worried. Had an ultrasound on MONDAY which I think was normal as not heard from GP then. Will probably get a CT scan done next, am worried about pancreatic cancer even though it's very rare in people my age, have constant lower back discomfort and no appetite, stools are bulky and smell bad. Still no appettie, but no weight loss as I eat according to the clock without a feeling of hunger
erika20957 longseason
Posted
I know exactly what you are talking about! I physically have no hunger. I can go days without eating and and don't feel hunger. However, the main reason I eat is just because of the mental drive to do so. I am a total foodie: I love cooking and I love eating. So even though my body doesn't feel hungry, my brain at every meal pretty much says, "Hey, that food looks good. We might as well eat it." Or, "We haven't eaten all day. Let's get dinner." So, even though I don't get hunger pangs or a physical drive to eat, I still do because I don't want to be malnourished or for my body to starve, and also I just love food.
barney34567 erika20957
Posted
Are you on any meds? Many meds suppress appetites.
If you're not on meds, I suggest you see an endocrinologist to run some tests.
linzi81566 longseason
Posted
longseason
Posted
So ultrasound is confirmed normal, although 'limited images of pancreas obtained', annoyingly. GP isn't being very cooperative, thinks that my lower back pain, lack of appetite amongst other things is all just IBS. I have been feeling pretty ill last few days, have even found blood in my stool(pancreatic cancer not a common cause of this, but a potential cause nonetheless). Have back pain that keeps me up 2nd half of night that I'm worried about, feels spinal. Gonna have to go private for a CT scan I guess as I really have not been feeling all that well last few days, unusually tired at times and have mild night sweats
linzi81566 longseason
Posted
longseason linzi81566
Posted
No, and I still have no appetite after 8 months. Having a chest CT scan in a couple of weeks as I now have a cough and some vague pain. Very worrying times. I had a clear chest x-ray but they're not all that reliable.
Jay83 longseason
Posted
Hi
I have had the loss of desire to eat. I don't get hungry... Ever. This has been like this for 10 months. I have soft small stools and also Bloated stomach. Do you have Bloated stomach?. Discomfort from the lower abdomen?. Lost any weight?.
My gp also thinks I have ibs. I've had no tests done other than blood which came back fine.
Last 2 weeks has been worse for me as I was ill with some virus so lost 8 to 10 pounds and struggling to eat in the morning now.
longseason Jay83
Posted
During the first three months of this episode I did have some gastrointensetinal symptoms similar to the ones you suggest. Because of this, doctors tried to tell me I had IBS also but I think these symptoms were just coincidental. Now after many months I have developed a cough and so my attention has turned to that and so I'm having a chest scan done
(after seeing many different doctors). Besides, I don't really associate a total lack of hunger with IBS. It could be that you also have incidental gastro symptoms, or as your gastro symptoms are of a permanant nature than mine maybe it is related to your loss of appetite and it's all due to an underlying condition, but I'd be very hesitant about putting it down to IBS.
I did lose weight at first but since I have been so inactive since this all started it's mantainted itself now, after all I still enjoy the taste of food so still eat when I feel my blood sugar get really low, I just never actually get 'hunger' feeling you know.
Have you lost any weight? As you have been having problems for so long then maybe just push for tests.
erika20957 longseason
Posted
Wow, this is crazy. I deal with the same things! I am a 20 year old female and I haven't felt hunger in over two years. I haven't lost weight from it because I eat regularly, wanting to make sure my body doesn't become malnourished. When it first started, however, I would go days without eating because of no hunger and also abdominal pain that has plagued me for years, as well as bloating after meals and GI issues. I have been to almost 10 different doctors, trying to figure things out, two of which have been gastroenterologists. The first one brushed me off dismissively and told me I probably have IBS, and that I should try a few different medications, none of which did anything. I have done what feels like a million different tests: countless rounds of bloodwork, around 10 CT scans, an EEG, endoscope, a few ultrasounds, and more. Everything always comes back normal. It is very frustrating.
jess879 erika20957
Posted
I'm in the same boat as you except I rarely get abdominal pain(from food), just always a 'heavy'/full stomach. And yes, it's extremely frustrating! I'm also a 20 year old female and never get hungry but always eat regularly. I get extremely bloated most days(seriously like 5 months preggers). I got an endoscopy done and it showed I had mild inflammation of the stomach lining i.e. gastritis. I also had acid reflux but this fortunately was treated by taking PPIs. Doctors basically told me I have IBS and should try out the low FODMAP diet. So I became vegetarian when I was 16 and this issue gradually cropped up when I was 18. Introducing fish and eggs back into my diet did help a bit with reducing the bloating.
erika20957 jess879
Posted
I also deal with acid reflux, so I had to take a PPI and that helped. My bloating seriously makes me look pregnant sometimes too, and it is so frustrating! I wish there was something we could do that would help all of our weird symptoms.
Kray erika20957
Posted
I'm in the same boat.. it's been two and a half years since i lost my appetite. sucks...i know... I agree .I wish we could all just solve this .. I actually did lose weight over the past 6 months but recently have put a little bit of it back on because I have been trying really hard ..weight gainer and all..but I am never hungry . i just eat to eat. Docs have not found anything , as of yet, either. sorry to hear bout your situation, too. I believe that if I was walking in complete alignment with the Lord ..He would heal me but I'm not exactly there these days Maybe I could pass this on to somebody else who may be able to have a closer relationship with ...have a closer relationship with God, if u choose to believe. Jesus has performed Miracles before in my life when I had a better relationship with him.. before i backslid🙏✌
angela53718 longseason
Posted
You have had every test possible. Maybe it's time for a psychological consult?
barney34567 angela53718
Posted
Good idea.
Another idea is - with respect to reflux - to reduce the dose of some of the meds or change the meds.
I had reflux for 5 years and often changed the meds or the dose and now am reflux free and on no meds.
PPIs are bad news long term.