Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: jaypo on October 21, 2020, 06:47:59 PM
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Just wondered if anyone has had unintentional weight loss and if it could be meno related,I'm at a loss as to why I can't gain,I got a shock when I weighed myself,down to 10st 3 from 10st 9, I'm now eating double and still not gaining,I've had a full blood count ,thyroid,diabetes,pancreas,ovarian cancer count,liver,urine,tests,you name it,but apparently a clear blood count DOESNT rule out cancer,so of course I'm now panicking about that.
Can anyone relate?
Thank you xx
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Franny,thank you,I seriously thought I'd come home after being away for a few days and have gained some weight but no,I ate like the proverbial horse and nothing.
It's so disheartening and puts me on a downer,health anxiety doesn't help either I suppose :'(
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How R your bowels ;-). Also water weighs heavily. A pint of water weights 1lb and a quarter?
It may simply be an autumnal adjustment also, you've been working hard on that hall ;-)
Do you need a worming pill - seriously, have you picked up something from the kids? If you are running round with them more often?
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Had a faecal test done too clkd,was normal,stopped drinking all the water too,maybe it's anxiety and I just don't know I'm suffering it,it's just reassuring to hear that someone else has had unexplained weight loss
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'within normal limits' for you then. Think of all the exercise you've been doing in the last 4 months and that you actually haven't lost much overall. Results are normal. We take on fluid in our diet daily so don't need extra - if pee is straw coloured ...... it's OK.
Don't stand on the scales. Keep a food diary?
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Again,I've NOT been doing ANY extra exercise,normally I'd be running twice a week or on the cross trainer,I've stopped all that too because I don't want to lose any more :-\
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I hate you lol. ( joking xx)
I have no colon, and a damaged small bowel. I have 2 stoma bags. I can’t eat normally and get about 1500 cals a day.
I’ve put ON 3 stone since my botched op and hate it.
If yiu are healthy try not to worry xx
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Hi jaypo, any unintentional weight loss must be investigated. You had a lot of tests but there are many other tests out there. Can you think of any other symptoms?
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Nothing really uptick,I've had every test done,the only test that hasn't been done is one for SIBO which is bacteria in the gut causing malabsorption,so I'm doing that one myself,don't think you get it on the nhs,when I mentioned it to the dr,he said weight loss wasn't a symptom but it is,I looked on the nhs site :-\
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Yes SIBO can cause weight loss but usually after you had a lot of other digestive symptoms such as bloating, wind, nausea, constipation or diarrhoea, pain, fatigue and anaemia (in more extreme cases). How's your poo? ::)
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Always had issues with my gut,wheat intolerance which was misdiagnosed as IBS,30 years ago. I do have bloating,really bad nausea a couple of months back but now,I'm generally feeling ok,Health anxiety may be playing a part,just don't know :(
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Also - if you aren't exercising as much/often muscle loss may be the reason?
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I was thinking that too clkd,think my head may explode trying to suss it all out :-\
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Always had issues with my gut,wheat intolerance which was misdiagnosed as IBS,30 years ago. I do have bloating,really bad nausea a couple of months back but now,I'm generally feeling ok,Health anxiety may be playing a part,just don't know :(
So you had other symptoms. Anxiety can cause weight loss through decreased appetite, but you said yours is okay. Muscle loss could be a reason, if you had already lost most of your fat, which I don't think it's the case. There are only 2 'normal' ways of losing weight. It's either to decrease calorie intake through diet or increase calorie burn, through exercise or a shift in metabolism, by correcting hormonal imbalances. Do you know what was causing nausea? Are you on HRT?
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Of course you're worried. But how does your body feel? R U extra hungry? Dehydrated? R U sleeping ..........
:foryou:
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Oh sweetie, worrying is normal, but highly overrated :) I agree this has to be investigated, but don't think about cancer, losing weight is not the first symptom and certainly not the only symptom. Maybe you have a persistent gastroenteritis? That nausea you had a while ago could be the bug upsetting your stomach. Many viruses are hard to spot in blood and poo tests. Extra hungry as CLKD says, means bug! You can also have a small gastric ulcer, sometimes they don't cause symptoms.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/unintentional-weight-loss/
:tulips2:
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Extra hungry for me means that my body is hungry ............ ::) because I haven't eaten at the 'correct' time for the amount of energy I have used.
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No,not on hrt ,not sure about the nausea,it lasted about two weeks,I had been on ABs a week previously and blamed them to start with but the nausea went on too long,I'd also had gerd and had that lump in my throat,so did a diary to see when it was at it's worst and it was coffee,so cut that out and no more reflux or nausea.Thanks uptick for taking the time to reply
The one other difference of late is more adrenaline surges,I've got that butterflies in my stomach feeling again,had this once before,a year or so ago and it died down,is that anxiety?
Thank you ladies,sage and clkd,got your pm franny....
Can you tell I'm grateful ;D
Groundhog,I'd do anything to put the weight on,seems we're never happy doesn't it,sorry about your health though,that's horrible for you :'(
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Yes Jay, the butterflies in your stomach suggest your on high alert and anxious.
It's because your stressing over not seeing me, ;D but I'd have thought it should've been your OH who had the butterflies over the thought of seeing me, instead of you! ::) 🤣😂🤣😂
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:D. I HATE that feeling below my belly button :'( like I'm going to chuck up. Then my belly tightens and anxiety sets in. I can't remember what excitement feels like.
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No,not on hrt ,not sure about the nausea,it lasted about two weeks,I had been on ABs a week previously and blamed them to start with but the nausea went on too long,I'd also had gerd and had that lump in my throat,so did a diary to see when it was at it's worst and it was coffee,so cut that out and no more reflux or nausea.Thanks uptick for taking the time to reply
The one other difference of late is more adrenaline surges,I've got that butterflies in my stomach feeling again,had this once before,a year or so ago and it died down,is that anxiety?
Thanks jaypo. I'm glad you're not on HRT, not that I don't like it, but it could be affecting your gastric issues by slowing gastric emptying and affecting gallbladder. What were the ABs for? Yes, two weeks is a lot of time to put up with nausea. Poor thing. I used to have nausea during migraine attacks, but once I got rid (hopefully) of H. pylori they have stopped almost miraculously, so Sage has a point, have you ever been tested or treated for H. pylori? It's a very common cause of unintentional weight loss and nausea. Maybe this is just an emotional issue (anxiety, depression, stress) and if there's something you're not comfortable to share in a public forum it's tricky to try to establish an organic, physiological link. Once the emotional issue has been dealt with, which is much more complicated, you could still have an organic imbalance going on. I've read your previous posts and noticed that you had the same issues a while ago, in 2018 and 2019, so maybe there's a pattern? Are you particularly anxious at this time of year? Stress, anxiety and depression walk hand in hand but they're not triggered by psychological issues only, in many instances they are your body telling you something is not right. And by 'something is not right' I don't mean anything sinister, it's probably a bug or a gut microbiota imbalance. I'm currently dealing with a big red patch on my tongue, apparently a very rare type of thrush, and I've had been on ABs in Feb and June this year, so I reckon they are the culprit. I had been diagnosed with IBS in my late 30's and now I think that maybe it was the H. pylori treatment that could have messed up with my gut microbiota. I'm on pre+probiotics and already feeling better, poo has changed dramatically. Sorry to digress, really hope you can figure out what's going on so you can have some peace of mind. Health anxiety is a vicious cycle and menopause seems to add fuel to the fire.
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You're very kind uptick to take the time to tell me all this.
The ABs were for an infection in my finger,took a week and a half's worth to clear it. A few days later the nausea started.
I remember being bad in 2018, it's when I joinedthe forum,my anxiety was through the roof then,2019 I remember weight loss but it went back on quite quickly, I try so hard not to let anxiety get the better of me and the rather cheeky jillydoll has been through it all with me,it's good to have someone to vent to(thank you Jill :) )
I've not been tested for H.pylori,not even heard of it tbh,you would think my dr would suggest something!?
We are a right bunch aren't we?
Oh the only reason I'm doing the sibo test is that one of the bloods came back with too high serum folate which I believe is folic acid and the notes said,if this isn't a supplement causing this,test for sibo but the dr poo pooed it,I'm veggie so he said that's probably why my folic acid levels were so high,a good
thing,in his opinion.
Thanks again for all your help,hope you too feel better soon xx
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love it "The Dr Poo Pooed it" ........... :D
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Hi Jaypo, have you had your thyroid levels checked recently? Unintentional weight loss can be a symptom of hypothyroidism, as is increased anxiety. Sorry if you have already mentioned this, but I thought I'd ask.
Hope you get this sorted out and start feeling better! :foryou:
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Hi C.C., I think she said thyroid tests results came normal.
Jaypo, I think it's worth mentioning Helicobacter pylori to your doctors. It's a very common infection and it can become chronic over the years.
Interestingly, it can cause atrophy of the stomach lining, which impairs acid folic absorption and the body compensates it by increasing absorption of folate produced by bacteria in the gut, thus increasing blood folate levels.
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Also: many GPs don't recognise thyroid 'within normal limits' as might be necessary to have further testing if symptoms continue!
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Wow,glad I mentioned that to you,sounds like something,wonder why gp didn't mention it >:(
I'll definitely phone on Monday and ask about it.
Thank you all xxxxxxx :-*
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Hello ladies.
I understand that garlic has many anti microbial properties and some people say that eating it raw helps their stomach problems, they even recommend rubbing it on the gums to cure gingivitis.
I have a bleeding gum atm so I am putting that theory to the test for the next couple of days. You never know it might work and it's much easier that trying to see a dentist!
Maybe a Google search will turn up some interesting information.
Wishing you well.
K.
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Hi Kathleen - I’d recommend Gengigel gel for your bleeding gum. You can buy it at a pharmacy.
Hope that helps! :)
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Good advice, Jenna.
Kathleen, garlic can lower fibrinogen levels, impairing blood-clotting and worsening bleeding. That's why it is good for cardiovascular health when blood clots are suspected.
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We eat garlic almost every night in stir fried concoctions, curries, into rice with chopped ginger, sometimes twice a day as DH adds a good quantity to my pizza and his salad ...... Have no trouble with bleeding gums ....... we do use Tip-ees in between the teeth. Several times a day.
Any medical condition which ends in 'itis' means infection. [Tonsilitis, appendicitis, gingivitis]. Therefore seeing a dental hygienist is good to get to the basis of any problems. Garlic applied to the gums may cause soreness as it can be quite warm!
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At least it'll keep the vampires away, if nothing else! 🤣😂
I love garlic. 😋
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Sometimes if my gums bleed, DH asks "I didn't know that you were out flying last night" :D
Due to my inherited narrow jaw line my teeth don't fit which means that the hygienist has to work hard every 3 months ......... advising Tip-ees in-between.
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Hello again ladies.
Jenna and FrannyB - many thanks for the Gengogel suggestion for bleeding gums. The last two nights I have put a little raw garlic on the gum that was bleeding and there was even more blood when I brushed my teeth last night.
Maybe I chewed too hard or over did the flossing. I think I will get some of the gel tomorrow and use that. Thanks for the heads up!
Take care ladies.
K.
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Hi Teresa :-* He did offer a full body scan but said it's a lot of radiation,especially as I've had a ct colonoscopy and also a foot scan so I said I'd wait and see how things go. All my bloods came back normal so he says he'd be very surprised if anything was wrong,my anxiety has subsided since I stopped weighing myself,so I'll hang fire. Feel a bit rubbish being like this considering all you go through xx
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It is not a competition!
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:-\
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Who feels worse than anyone else ;-) - we are here to share, moan, groan, sympathise.
How do you feel overall?
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You're an inspiration thats for sure :-*
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Nice words Teresa ........ if we knew it all we wouldn't need each other ;-)