Is this common?

[pennyc02]

Hi everyone. My 77 year old mum

Is currently recovering from a heart attack and heart failure. She has lost so much weight and her appetite is really poor. She’s only 5 ft and before she went into hospital weighed 8 stone 4 and now weighs 7 stone 9. I have 2 questions

1 is this normal to have lost so much weight and have no appetite

2 what kind of foods can I give her to help her put some weight on.

[Neilor73]

Hi,

I didn't have a heart attack but had A Fib which caused heart failure. Whilst it was being sorted I totally lost my appetite and lost 2 stone over a 6 week period. I only ate if my wife put a meal in front of me and when I had medicine that had to go with food.

Now I am almost sorted (I'm not quite there) my appetite is back.

My uncle, at a similar time, had a heart attack and he is also lost weight dramatically.

I think when you feel that ill food isn't really on your mind - or that was my experience at least.

I hope your mother recovers soon.

[pennyc02 in reply to Neilor73]

Thank you for a quick reply. Yes I do think if I didn’t nag her to eat she wouldn’t.

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

Hi

I had a heart attack and cardiac arrest on 28th December 2018, my weight at the time was 12 st 12 lb, by the end of January 2019 I was down to 11 st 10 lbs without even trying to loose weight. I think it was the shock of it all and being terrified of it happening again.

Once I got my head around the fact that I would wake up every morning my appetite came back, at which point I radically changed to a healthy diet and further steadily reduced my weight to it now hovering around the 10 st mark , I'm 5 ft 7 in, so gone from being overweight to a good BMI

I'm sure we all react in different ways, I think appetite loss is probably fairly common.

My old diet would help your mum put weight on, but I can't recommend it, as it was probably one of the things that put me in hospital in the first place 😒

[Nathan53]

Hello Penny - I think older people often have poor appetites particularly during illness and after being in hospital. Smaller frequent meals and snacks can help. Years ago when my Mother came out of hospital after having pneumonia she just stopped eating and lost over 2 stones in weight. I am sure at the time I obsessed about the situation trying to get her too eat. I was serving what I thought were small portions but dietician suggested reducing further. Eventually situation improved but it took weeks. Try soups, milk puddings, egg custards but basically the foods she likes best. If her medication has recently changed this maybe affecting her appetite. See attached link for best food when heart failure is present. secondscount.org/healthy-li...

[Hidden]

Hi, it's normal to have reduced appetite and weight loss. I lost 4 stone and its stayed off since the HA.

Find a food that she likes.. With me it was ice cream and let her have as much as she wants.

She's probably in shock and in time this will pass.

God bless x

[Janma123]

My hubby lost his appetite around the time of his heart surgery and for months afterwards. The only thing he would want was his breakfast porridge and rich tea biscuits! Very small portions and often was the key,

He had also become vitamin b12 deficient and when that was corrected he improved.

Don’t worry too much about what she eats - anything that she fancies or will eat is ok!

[benjijen]

My 88 year old mother refuses to eat 'proper' meals. She also has alzheimers and vascular dementia so there is no reasoning with her. She eat biscuits, fruit and sweets so all sugar based and virtually no nutrition. If I didn't buy those for her she would eat nothing. She has many other health problems and was not expected to survive last time she was in hospital. There is nothing of her now and no way would she survive if she became ill with the virus. I'm her main carer but am concerned about going in to her due to my own underlying health problems. I can understand those who don't have an appetite; it's difficult to force yourself to eat.

[Prada47]

Hi Penny

I would suggest asking your local Chemist. I know they stock some stuff which is available through Prescriptions that help people with loss of appetite.

Regards

[seasider18]

Have looked up the right weight/BMI for a person on her height and build ? 9lbs was not a lot to lose.

[45sue]

I also lost weight & appetite in the wake of a HA . Went back to normal after blood test showed I had a deranged liver caused by Atorvastatin & was taken off it. Hope your mum has had liver function checked .