Loss Of Appetite Stomach Pain Fatigue

What Tests Will I Need

Your GP will be able to narrow down the possible causes of loss of appetite by asking you about your symptoms and examining you. He or she will probably suggest some blood tests, which may give clues as to the cause. An ultrasound scan of the tummy may be helpful in some cases, and/or a chest X-ray. Further tests may then be indicated depending on what the likely diagnosis seems to be.

What Should I Do If I Have Symptoms

If you have jaundice, go to your GP or A& E straight away.

If you have any of the other symptoms, you dont know why you have them, and they last four weeks or more, go to your GP.

Give your GP a good description of your symptoms. Mention anything unusual, even if you are not sure if it is relevant. If your GP asks you to come back and see them at a later date, make sure you do. Read more about visiting your GP, and our tips for helping you talk to your GP.

If you have symptoms of pancreatic cancer, its really important that you contact your GP, despite the current situation with coronavirus. Dont worry about your GP or the NHS being too busy at the moment, or it being unsafe.

Worsening Shortness Of Breath Could Be A Sign Of Heart Disease

Dont ignore shortness of breath by assuming its from a lack of conditioning or recent weight gain. If you experience shortness of breath after exertion that progressively gets worse, it could be a sign of a heart disease like aortic stenosis or coronary artery disease . Check with your doctor if you have shortness of breath that suddenly gets worse.

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Dry Mouth Fatigue Loss Of Appetite

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Tummy Pain Or Back Pain

Tummy pain or back pain are common symptoms of pancreatic cancer. The pain may start as general discomfort or tenderness in the tummy area and spread to the back.

Some people have no pain at all, and pain can vary from person to person. For example, it may come and go at first but become more constant over time. It can be worse when lying down, and sitting forward can sometimes make it feel better. It may be worse after eating.

If you are over 60, have lost weight and have tummy or back pain, your GP should refer you for an urgent CT scan or ultrasound scan within two weeks.

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Home Remedies And Care For Loss Of Appetite

Home remedies include strategies to stimulate appetite and provide enough nutrition to prevent complications of loss of appetite:

• Alter the temperature of the food or drink

• Cook or prepare meals with spices known to stimulate salivation and aid digestion, such as garlic, ginger, fennel, basil, parsley, turmeric, pepper, cardamom, rosemary, and cinnamon, among others

• Drink a small amount of alcohol about 30 minutes before eating

• Eat bland meals like rice, oatmeal and toast if loss of appetite occurs with nausea or vomiting

• Eat flexibly rather than at scheduled meal times

• Eat small meals of favorite foods several times a day

• Eat socially, with a loved friend or family member

• Exercise lightly, such as walking or riding an exercise bike

• Have fun with food, such as artful arrangements of food on a plate or using decorations

• Increase caloric intake with high-calorie, healthy snacks like peanut butter on crackers

• Pack shakes and smoothies with protein, or buy prepared protein drinks

• Stay hydrated with water and electrolyte-containing drinks

• Suck on throat lozenges to stimulate saliva production

How Would You Describe Fatigue Associated With Pots

People with POTS experience fatigue differently. Many describe it as feeling beyond exhausted. Its as if your energy is completely depleted. The fatigue is probably hundreds of times worse than your worst flu. People with POTS may also have trouble concentrating and thinking straight. Doing simple tasks may feel like youve just run a marathon.

This fatigue might come and go, hitting you without warning daily, weekly or less frequently. For some people, extreme fatigue lasts for days. Others may experience periodic attacks. It can come on at any moment even if you just woke up. And there is no amount of sleep or coffee that can make it go away.

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Rheumatoid Arthritis Can Alter Your Appetite And Cause Painful Swelling

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, swelling, and pain in and around the joints.

Board-certified cardiologist and weight management specialist Dr. Luiza Petretold INSIDER that inflammatory conditions where your immune system mistakenly assaults your healthy tissues can alter your appetite, causing you to lose weight. Conditions like this can also cause inflammation in the gut, which Petre said interferes with the absorption of nutrients, potentially leading to unexplained weight loss.

How To Treat Loss Of Appetite

The treatment for the loss of appetite depends on the cause. Your physician will likely ask questions about how often you eat, how you feel after eating, whether your weight has changed, or how long your appetite has been an issue.

Your physician may choose to run tests, such as blood tests or an ultrasound of your stomach, depending on the initial impressions from your interview and physical exam. Tests can help identify the root cause of your loss of appetite.

When loss of appetite is part of a more serious illness, good nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight may be very important to healing. Therefore, a physician may make it a top priority to help you get your appetite back as soon as possible.

Depending on the diagnosis, your physician may recommend the following treatments:

• A special diet that will help maintain proper nutrition
• Improved self-care

In some cases, you may be referred to a dietitian who can assist you with meal planning and symptom management. You might be asked to eat several small meals each day or to cut out certain foods while adding others. A dietitian can also advise you on nutritional supplements that may help ensure that youre getting all the nutrients you need.

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Changes In Bowel Habits

Changes in bowel habits that can indicate colon or rectal cancer include the following:

• New-onset constipation or diarrhea

• Changes in frequency or size and caliber of bowel movements

• A bowel that doesnt seem to empty completely

• Stool that is narrower than normal

Occasional bowel changes can be caused by a dietary change, disagreeable food or a viral/bacterial infection. However, if you are experiencing something new and unexplainedand it lasts more than a couple of dayssee your doctor.

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Ever curious what bowel changes could signal about your health? Poop may be a gross topic that no one likes to talk about, but taking a quick peek before you flush may give you clues about your health.

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Unexpected Irregular Vaginal Bleeding

Irregular bleeding, especially if its accompanied by pain during sex, could signal a serious condition like cervical cancer or uterine cancer. If your menstrual period becomes unusually heavy or irregular, occurs more often than every three weeks, or you have spotting between periods, get these symptoms checked out.

Discuss any post-menopausal spotting with your doctor. Even a little bit of bleeding after menopause is abnormal, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Some of the common causes are polyps and either atrophy or thickening of the endometrium the lining of your uterus.

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General Loss Of Appetite

For general loss of appetite or loss of appetite during or following a brief illness, see a doctor if the problem persists more than a few days.

See a doctor promptly if reduced appetite occurs with:

• Medication, but do not stop taking the medicine without first consulting the prescribing doctor or a pharmacist

• Signs of substance abuse, such as alcoholism

• Signs of an eating disorder

• Is producing little to no urine

• Loses about three pounds or more in a week

Loss Of Appetite Symptoms: Causes Types Treatments And Home Remedies

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When To See Your Doctor

You should arrange to see your doctor if you have any of these signs and symptoms:

• feeling full quickly
• pain in your tummy or lower part of your abdomen that doesn’t go away
• bloating or an increase in the size of your abdomen
• needing to wee more often

You may also have these other symptoms:

• tiredness that is unexplained
• weight loss that is unexplained
• changes in your bowel habit or symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, especially if this starts after the age of 50

These are all symptoms of other less serious conditions but if you have them or anything else that is not normal for you get them checked out by your doctor.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that if you have the following symptoms 12 or more times a month, your GP should arrange tests – especially if youre are over 50:

• swollen tummy or bloating
• feeling full quickly or loss of appetite
• pain in your abdomen

• Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network , 2013

• Newly diagnosed and relapsed epithelial ovarian carcinoma: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-upJA Ledermann and othersAnnals of Oncology, Volume 24, Supplement 6

Seek Medical Help For Heart Palpitations That Last 15 Minutes

An intermittent extra heartbeat here or there isnt something that should concern you. But if you have heart palpitations that last longer than 15 minutes especially if theyre accompanied by shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, or loss of consciousness you should be checked out, Simmons says. These symptoms could indicate a heart condition called atrial fibrillation.

In atrial fibrillation, the top chambers of the heart beat more quickly than the lower chambers. When prolonged, this can result in blood clots that can move to other parts of the body and may lead to stroke or heart failure over time.

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Tips For Caring For A Loved One With Cancer Cachexia

Watching your loved one lose their appetite and weight can cause anxiety and stress. As a caregiver, one of your roles is to make sure that your loved one eats. However, cachexia causes many symptoms in people with cancer that make eating and drinking very difficult. That often makes food a source of increased tension between patients and their caregivers. Here are some tips to consider:

• Recognize that loss of appetite may be out of your loved ones control. Trying harder to eat does not always work.

• Pushing food on your loved one can make the issue worse, not better. Avoid making food a battle.

• Recognize that your loved one may ask for food, but by the time you prepare it, they may not want it anymore. This is incredibly frustrating, but very common.

• You are not a failure as a caregiver if your loved one does not want to eat. This is out of your control.

• Be creative. Find ways to show you care outside of food, including giving your loved one a massage, holding hands, reading, or playing games.

• Preparing and eating food is often a major focus of social gatherings. Find ways to support your loved one during social gatherings that do not involve eating food.

• Make sure you are getting help with caregiving duties and taking time to take care of yourself.

• Connect with other caregivers to find support and develop creative strategies that may best suit your loved one.

Moles That Bleed Or Change Are Red Flags

Having moles isnt inherently a problem, but moles that bleed or change form are red flags, says Daniel Aires, MD, JD, dermatologist with the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. The rule of thumb is to follow the ABCDE of your mole:

• Asymmetric appearance
• Diameter larger than a pencil eraser
• Evolving size, color, and shape

The American Academy of Dermatology says these are warning signs of possible melanoma.

If there’s a history of skin cancer in your family, watch your moles even more closely. Routine evaluations can help find potential problems. If you have a concern about a mole, it may be wise to take a photo of it every six months to make it easier to notice changes over time.

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Changes To Bowel Habits

Pancreatic cancer can cause diarrhoea and constipation . If you are over 60, have lost weight and have diarrhoea or constipation, your GP should refer you for a CT scan or ultrasound scan within two weeks.

Pancreatic cancer can also cause pale, oily poo which is called steatorrhoea. Poo may be large, smell horrible, float and can be difficult to flush down the toilet. This is caused by fat in the poo. It happens if pancreatic cancer has affected your digestion, so that fat in your food isnt digested properly.

Investigating Whats Affecting Your Appetite

We may be able to figure out what’s affecting your appetite after going over your symptoms and medical history and performing a physical exam. But sometimes we need more information to confirm or rule out a cause, especially if we suspect it has something to do with your gastrointestinal tract.

At our office, we perform endoscopy procedures to evaluate your GI tract and look for conditions that might be causing your symptoms. These procedures include:

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Problems Digesting Food Such As Feeling Full Quickly When You Eat Bloating Burping Or Wind

The pancreas plays an important role in breaking down food . It is common for pancreatic cancer to cause problems with eating and digesting food.

Symptoms of this include feeling full up quickly when you eat, bloating of your tummy, lots of wind, and burping. But these symptoms are common problems and arent usually due to pancreatic cancer.

When To Seek Medical Advice

You should contact your GP if you think you or your child has glandular fever, or has a sore throat that is not settling .

They can provide advice and support to help you control your symptoms and reduce the risk of passing the infection on to others.

You should go to your nearest emergency department or dial 999 for an ambulance if you have glandular fever and you develop a rasping breath , have any difficultybreathing or develop a severe abdominal pain.

You should see your GP or call the GP out of hours service if:

• difficulty swallowing fluids is making you dehydrated
• you have abdominal pain
• you become very unwell

These symptoms can be a sign of a complication of glandular fever that may need to be treated in hospital.

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How Are Abdominal Pain And Loss Of Appetite Treated

To treat your abdominal pain and loss of appetite, your doctor will try to identify and address their underlying cause. Theyll likely start by asking you about your symptoms and medical history. Theyll want to know about the quality of your pain. Theyll also ask about when it started, what makes the pain worse or better, and whether you have other symptoms.

They may also ask if youve taken a new medication, consumed spoiled food, been around anyone with similar symptoms, or traveled to another country. In some cases, your doctor may also order blood, urine, stool, or imaging tests to check for potential causes.

Your doctors recommended treatment plan will depend on your diagnosis. Ask them for more information about your specific diagnosis, treatment options, and outlook.

If you suspect that a medication is causing your symptoms, dont stop taking it until you talk to your doctor first.

How Can I Stimulate My Salivary Glands Naturally

Chewing and sucking help stimulate saliva flow. Try: Ice cubes or sugar-free ice pops. Sugar-free hard candy or sugarless gum that contains xylitol.These products may also help:

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Bloating Or Fullness Decreased Appetite Distended Stomach And Fatigue

• Medical Author: Sabrina Felson, MD

Last Editorial Review: 6/15/2020

Malignancies that have these symptoms and signs include esophageal, gastric, and colon cancer. Ovarian cancer and lymphomas that enlarge the spleen or liver also cause these symptoms and signs. It may reflect constipation from poor diet, aging, lack of activity, dehydration, opioid misuse, or other medication side effects. Mono is a good example of an infection that can cause these symptoms and signs. Call your primary care physician.

While the list below can be considered as a guide to educate yourself about these conditions, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms and signs. Here are a number of those from MedicineNet: