TVH: nausea and next to no appetite because of pain

I've read so many threads on here about constant pain that I'm glad I'm not the only one. I am wondering though about being nauseous because of the pain and not having an appetite lately. My DH looks at me like I'm some sort of crazy person when I say I'm not eating dinner and I didn't eat all my lunch at work. Anyone else lost their appetite too?

Hi tj6285 -

I am so sorry this is happening to you.

Pain can cause loss of appetite, and it can also cause nausea. Have you called your doctor about the pain, and are you taking anything for it?

You should try to eat something. I know you don't feel like it, but when it is time to eat, then eat something even though you are not hungry. Maybe something gentle, like soup and crackers.

I know it's not healthy, but in the past couple of years I found that fast food was my best friend. Pain would kill my appetite and forcing myself to eat would add to the bloating, which caused pain...

Highly processed food is easier to digest, so that helped. I found that snacking while on the computer or watching tv worked too, b/c I wasn't focusing on eating. Small portions of things like yogurt and ice cream worked too - I found that things that melt in your mouth didn't seem so much like eating to me. The few times that my pain meds were at the right level I'd eat like a horse, but that didn't happen often.

Ask your Dr about it. There are meds that can help with appetite, and getting pain relief can help too. You do need to eat to keep up your strength, but don't worry about how well you're eating if it makes it harder for you. Getting protein into your system will be important for healing - you can worry about how balanced your diet is once things have gotten better for you.

Good luck!