Looking for support: Chronic illness weight gain journey!

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Hi everyone! I’m new here, my name is Jess and for the last 8 months I have developed an (undiagnosed) condition which has caused my body to firstly lose interest in food due to changes in tastes and smells, and reduced my appetite. A series of badly prescribed medications resulted in side effects, after that I began developing severe anxiety, depression, massive panic attacks, dizzy spells, mood swings, suicidal thoughts, nausea and regular vomiting. Since seeing this doctor my heath has continued to decline rapidly. I now get full after a few mouthfuls of food; and then spend the next up to 5 hours in pain. When I was finally malnourished enough to be admitted to inpatient care, i received a gastroscopy and endoscopy which showed no physical reasons for this weight loss. I was discharged and disagnosed with an eating disorder despite the fact I have none of the physiological symptoms of bulimia or anorexia ☺️ really just needing a little more support in this recovery, I’ve lost a lot of hope and am skin and bones so anyone who has recovered from a similar experience, I would love to talk to you 🥰 wchz6dp1nh0v.png

Replies

  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
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    I know how challenging it can be to chase a diagnosis. I wish you the best of luck in keeping your determination and to keep fighting for yourself and your health! MFP is an excellent and v supportive community.

    All the hugs and support in the world <3
  • leemckernan143
    leemckernan143 Posts: 5 Member
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    My sister had similar symptoms. She dropped to below 100 lbs and became severely malnourished. Stabbing pain after eating or drinking. She just had surgery for MALS (I don't know the actual name). Basically, the branch of the aorta that takes blood to the GI system is "hook" shaped because of a ligament that is too tight. It decreases bloodflow, and oxygenation. It can also effect the nerves contacted to the GI system. It is very rare. You could Google it and see if it fits you.
  • jessicawebster1481
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    I just looked into MALS, and it definitely fits my symptoms so it is something I’ll ask my doctor about for sure! Thanks so much ❤️ I’ve dropped from ~170lb to 98lb, the only thing that’s helped me gain weight so far is an antipsychotic that I was prescribed for sleep but unfortunately that made me too emotionally unstable. At this stage even a long shot is better than nothing 😁
  • vesseyfamily
    vesseyfamily Posts: 19 Member
    edited October 2019
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    My name is Sheryl V. I have (from head to toe) MDD, OCD, PTSD, chronic headaches, deteriorating eyesight, chronic ear infections, some hearing loss, chronic sinusitis, chronic sore throats, hypothyroidism, degenerative discs in my neck and back, permanent nerve damage in my arms, fibroadenoma cystitis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, Gerd, IBS, PCOS, deteriorating joints, permanent nerve damage in two toes and to top all that fun stuff off... CFS, Fibromyalgia and two types of arthritis I know of so far. And... I have test results that back up all those diagnoses from doctors to prove it. Some ignorant fool once accused me of being a hypochondriac too. I laughed and said, "I wish. That would be easier to fix." Anyway, those are just some of the things I'm dealing with. I left out a few things. I still have my sense of humor though and that's what matters most.
    If you're interested and it's okay if you're not... Please know you are not alone. There are many of us out there dealing with the same sorts of things. Hang in there and keep on going.
    [edited by MFP mods]