Refusing to eat..

[treetate]

My husband is in hospital following a burst aneurysm and we are now 9 weeks into his stay. He is recovering slowly but surely but has absolutely no interest in food at all, in fact it makes him agitated! We have tried every technique but he just will not eat. He is still very confused and doesn’t know why he is in there and has no memory at all which I know will all take time but he has now lost over a stone in weight and the hospital just think he has lost his appetite but I think it’s the BI that is causing it - any advice would be much appreciated!!!

[Kirk5w7]

Hi I have no appetite at all since mine i eat because i have to and by the clock something i have had to discipline myself with.

It will come x

Janet

[cat3]

Is your husband drinking fluids Teresa or having them intravenously ? If he's drinking I'm sure there are nutritional fluids available to sustain him, or otherwise could he be PEG fed for now ?

I must say my appetite was a great source of relief for my family as once I reached the intermediary ward I ate everything put before me (food was 1st class) so I can imagine how worrying this is for you.

Can your man convey the reason for his unwillingness to eat ? In other words, is it definitely an appetite issue and not some discomfort from swallowing or digestion ?

xx

[treetate in reply to cat3]

Yes he is drinking plenty of fluids thankfully. He is very agitated and can get aggressive sometimes so they are struggling getting him to do anything that he doesn’t want to do! It is definitely the food that is an issue, sometimes I can trick him into eating a biscuit or something but he seems to really dislike the idea of eating....it is just such a worry. He is now on a normal ward and they don’t really make much effort with him, I have to go in and shower him and clean his teeth as they say he won’t do it for them! Thank you for your response xx

[treetate]

Yes it was an aneurysm, he is 48. He had a shunt put in and is physically fine but has serious memory issues and cognitive problems that I hope will be resolved at rehab but it’s like he hates food and really screws his face up when offered it. I take him down to the cafe to try and tempt him but nothing interests him x

[Hidden in reply to treetate]

I had a burst aneurysm last May and when I was in hospital my husband had to feed me because I kept saying the food was horrible. The truth is I wasn’t able to tell him that it had affected me and everything I ate tasted awful. It has steadily improved over the months but still not 100% so maybe he is not liking what he has eaten, but can’t tell you? x

[keeley24]

Couldn’t the hospital put him on a feeding tube until he starts wanting to eat again. Or at least until he can understand how important it is that he does eat at least something.

[treetate in reply to keeley24]

The trouble is he would pull it out. He is very agitated and angry at the moment 😰

[treetate]

Yes good idea, I’ll speak to them tomorrow x

[RogerCMerriman]

I think it’s relatively common for various different reasons, I didn’t eat much since I was on the wrong ward, rather than a neurological was Trauma, and I needed someone to prompt me to eat, which my wife did when she was in, but apparently nurses didn’t so I just fell asleep!

If your husband is agitated and confused that has to be the root cause and until he recovers enough so he’s less confused? What has the dietitian advised?

[treetate in reply to RogerCMerriman]

He too is on a normal ward so the nurses just think he isn’t hungry and don’t really understand the situation. I have a meeting tomorrow with the matron and will bring it up again. No one seems overly concerned about it!!!

[Hidden]

HI treetate,

Has your husband been assessed by the neuro speech pathologist, neuro occupational therapist and dietitian?

If not, ask the ward matron why not?

More to the point, why has he been placed in a general ward?

It is clear that he is not being adequately cared for during this crucial time.

[TaIaV]

Hi Treetate,

I was worried about my husband's weight loss in a different medical situation and spoke to the doctor. It helped when she told me what his weight would need to fall to in order to trigger really serious worry. It turns out that though I was reacting to the change from his normal weight, he had not yet lost so much weight that he was medically underweight. She made changes in his diet to slow the rate of weight loss and eventually it stabilized and then came back up.

I know that your situation is different because it is his aversion to food, rather than the diet, that is the problem. But still, your anxiety may be eased if you find out that his weight is still within an acceptable range. It is also a good piece of data to have to get the hospital to pay attention and take action!

Best of luck to you.

Taia

[LindaHannah]

Hello. Well this is the inpact on his brain that is triggering this. He is in a very confusing world which is busy etc. My thought is how to take the pressure off him. Yes he needs to eat, but he needs nutrition more. If he is drinking will he have Fresubin instead, milk that kind of thing? I guess he has seen a dietician who reviews him. Ask to speak to them. Getting him to eat is not working, causing him anguish which is not of his making. A PEG is a good option because the tube goes to his stomach and he would be on a feeding regime with special food supplement being administered via a pump. I think a nasogaztric tube will be too traumatic, and he will or may pull it out. Talk to the dietician who sees him and get their thoughts.

There is more to eating than putting food in your mouth as you can see here. Good luck xxx

[LindaHannah in reply to LindaHannah]

And best wishes to you both x

[LindaHannah in reply to LindaHannah]

Sorry, one more thing. If his nutrition is sorted then I think this will help to settle him and help his brain to recover, so aid his rehabilitation. Xxx

[Alice5]

Hi, it is worrying, I feel for you. My son had an aneurysm 7 years ago and the position of it affected his sense of smell, a lot of food he didn't like because he didn't like the smell.

Whilst in hospital he had nutritional drinks as he'd lost weight.

However, once home he would overeat on food he liked, never felt full and combined with the side effects of anti seizure medication he put on about 2.5 stones.

Fortunately he is now the correct weight for him and has an understanding of his food intake.

It is early days for your husband and I hope as he progresses that this food issue will lessen.

One thought, if your husband is aggressive and confused and doesn't really understand what is going on could this be one area where he subconsciously has control unlike other areas of his life that have been turned upside down...

I hope things will settle down for both of you xx