Same old problem--cannot eat, no appetite

I posted a few months ago. I am getting way too comfortable with just Carbmaster yogurt (60 calories for 6 oz.) with 1/2 cup of berries, 1/2 cup slivered almonds twice a day--maybe a pack of Austen peanut butter crackers mid-day and that's it. All I can feel like eating--usually under 400 calories a day. Most of the time I don't even want that--just make myself eat it.

I take over-the-counter Centrum vitamins and D-3 5000 mg daily. I sometimes can make myself drink Pure Protein 30g chocolate drink--but it gives me gas, nausea, and belching every time I drink it.

I buy Lean Cuisine, other frozen meals but it's hard for me to eat them. I force them in and then chew 4-6 Tums or Rolaids to get past the upset stomach I always get.

I have posted this over and over. I guess everyone is tired of hearing it. Someone suggested a Dr. Garth Davis--I reached out to him but since I cannot come in (he is in Texas), he had no advice to offer. My children are afraid I am doing irreparable damage to my organs. Maybe I am, I don't really know. My primary care doctor is stumped. We have done endoscopy--no ulcers, acid reflux, blockages--although my pouch has gotten smaller than it was originally.

I guess I just keep posting on here hoping someone else has had this exact problem and can offer me some insight. I have no bariatric support because my surgery was done overseas. None of the Las Vegas doctors have support groups unless you are their patient originally. Nutritionists say eat small amounts every couple of hours. But I don't want even a small amount---I have no desire for food at all. I use medical marijuana--gummy bears--to try and fit in a normal meal. It helps but it still takes me over 2 hours using that to eat a Lean Cuisine meal and follow it up with a piece of fruit--that's all even with MJ.

I am not losing weight. I have stayed the same 113 pounds for years but I think my metabolism has slowed way down because I am tired most of the time. I have even thought that maybe the fear of getting sick makes me hesitant to try eating--or maybe that is a catch-22 where the fear causes the nausea when I do try. But since I am sane enough to know this, how could it be true?

Any help, support or advice would be welcome. I am supposed to go on a cruise to see my grand-daughter get married in May and just the thought of the meals makes me sick and I don't want my son to worry when he should be celebrating his daughter and her new husband.

If your doctor can't find anything that is physically causing this, have you considered seeing a therapist? There could be something else that is making you not want to eat. Just a thought...

I've thought about that. I obviously have had some depression--I lost my husband to cancer in October, 2013 and my sister unexpectedly died during a routine needle biopsy Dec. 7, last month. I am lonely and now that my sister is gone (she had MS and I visited her 3 days a week in the nursing home), I find little purpose to my life.

However, I have another terminally ill friend that depends on me to take her to chemo. I have friends I interact with and children and grandchildren in Ohio (I live in Nevada). I see them once a year. I was seeing a therapist but it seemed a waste of money to sit and talk about my grief with her when there was no real method to combat it. Grief takes time. There is no strict timeline. I have a grief support group of friends and we are all in about the same shape--moving from day to day wondering when our life might have a purpose again.

I'm so sorry you're having such a difficult time.

A few questions:

1. How much water are you drinking each day, more than 64 oz?
2. What are your recent labs like?
3. Do you take any iron or B12, or are your only supplements a multi-vitamin and D-3?
4. Could you have developed lactose intolerance post-WLS?
5. How are you with fresh dense protein instead of frozen meals - any difference?
6. Are you taking small bites and chewing well?
7. How much protein are you consuming each day?

I drink coffee in the morning and usually diet tea. I drink very little water because whether it is bottled or tap, it makes me nauseous. If I do drink water, then I have no desire for any kind of a meal. I sometimes get a 1 liter bottle in but it is rare. My recent labs showed only low vitamin D--thus the taking D3, 5000 mg daily. I do not take iron or B12 other than in the multivitamin. I am lactose intolerant post WLS. Fresh dense protein (like grilled chicken, steak, pork, etc) is very difficult for me to eat. I get 2-3 bites in and then get sick and cannot eat more. I take small bites--I chew thoroughly. Protein each day: yogurt is 9 g., berries 1 g., 12 g. in 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Lunch is peanut butter crackers (4 g per pack==8 if I can eat 2) and dinner is usually lean cuisine or other tv dinner--15-20 grams protein. So about 50 grams maximum each day.

Regarding fresh meal versus frozen===since the smell of food cooking also makes me feel sick, frozen meals are easier. I live alone and it is just not worth the effort to cook for one person. I have meat in my freezer that is at least a year old---not even sure why I bought it because I have never had the "stomach" to cook it.

My money says you're iron deficient, which would explain the fatigue. Per ASMBS guidelines, the amount of iron in a multivitamin is WAY insufficient for someone who's had WLS.

Have you had your blood tested lately?

Yes to blood tests--only low in vitamin D3.

Do you have your actual values handy? The guidelines of what is considered "normal" for most people is often too low for WLS patients.

No I don't have the actual printed report. My doctor went over it with me in the office and I didn't think to ask for a copy.

if you are not getting 64+ ounces of liquid a day and haven't been for 10 years, you are severely dehydrated.

Dehydration causes nausea.

I would suggest you make it your life's work to get in 64+ oz a day every day and see if the nausea goes away and you can eat.