Does anyone else suffer from tiredness after eating? I have noticed it increasingly often recently, and today it hit whilst I was having lunch in a restaurant (between courses!) It doesn't show as full blown fatigue, but is still pretty restricting, and it usually passes within an hour.
I am 68 but pretty fit with ET JAK2 positive, controlled by Hydroxy and low dose aspirin.
I'm interested in finding out if this is ET / Hydroxy related, so would appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks
John
Yes John,in fact for a long time now I find I am better eating a little and often, a three course meal now at a restaurant really tires me .I am P V 8yrs ,Hydrea and other Meds.However if I don't eat regularly ,I become very weak and wobbly!! Keep well,Sally
Dear John and Sally,
The tiredness you describe MAY be due to blood sugar levels/insulan. I say may because it could be any number of things. I only know one. That's because I experience this. I now only eat main course and ask for double veg and no potatoes if it is that sort of meal. It works. Lower carbs lessens the fatigue afterwards.
I recently tested close to pre diabetic on a blood test. So my meal plan above is geared for reducing that. But my bigger problem is if my blood sugars go low. I have to watch this all the time and have to eat very regularly. I include a small amount of carbs. If not I have the lethergy, headaches, blurred vision etc. I would be so pleased to hear of a way not of have this.
Feeling tired after eating is generally down to all the energy in the body focused on digestion. It is also probably related to age. But for me high carbs is a significant factor.
Good luck in enjoying your food.
Mairead
I am 76, have ET and, like you, on asprin and HU. I feel extremely tired after eating and so now have reduced portions and eat more often (but am still tired!). I have no medical background but have assumed it is the result of having 'thicker' blood than most and the role blood plays in digestion. Sallie
Hi Sallie, as I approach age 70 it is interesting to me to see posts from people age 70 and over. I hope you are doing well. I was wondering if you could share your history such as how long you have had ET and how it was diagnosed and what were your symptoms. Thanks and best of luck to you and all on this forum.
Thanks Mairade & Sallie
Having been recently tested, I am pretty sure that I don't have a problem with diabetes / insulin, but I do suspect it may be something to do with the short term effect of digestion on blood. I will try to monitor it over the next few weeks to see if there is any linkage to different food types.
Many thanks for your input
John
Me too!
So difficult,I have over the time discovered various food that causes me indigestion...almost everything!!! We must tho ,eat well, how to get it right???
Have omeprazole,Gaviscon......find my Quaker Oats breakfast keeps me ok for several hrs....after that...problems,would be really interested to know how others fare.Best to all Sally
Yes, I also (ET) have noticed I get v tired after eating, but on a humorous level, someone said to me "That is why you always see lions and tigers sleeping after they have eaten!) On a more serious note, I agree with the others, and find it better having smaller portions. Best regards, Tinkerbell
I've always thought that cats have things sussed 😏. Quite a few people have suggested smaller and more frequent meals, and interestingly I seem to be naturally moving towards smaller portions anyway. Maybe my body is trying to tell me something.
Many thanks to all who responded - this is a very supportive community.
John
Today we met friends at a restaurant,we all had small portions of the 'plat du jour' and no dessert,wine or coffee.Got around to chatting about eating, friends said that they could only eat smaller meals now,no -one except me has an M P N.....general opinion was our age !!!!! We are all very young in spirit 70 +.?...Only me tho who needed to sleep for a couple of hours on returning home....?just a thought folks,for the older amongst us.
John,I think you sat in front of hubby and me at the London Day,last year.
I recognised your pic,as an artist I have a good memory for human and animal I see. Sally
Hi there, Meatloaf. You asked about my diagnosis and experience. I first discovered I had ET in 2011 but am pretty sure I had had it for at least 5 years before that. (It was very difficult to get blood from me as early as 82 when the Hospital for Tropical Diseases finished up by getting it from my feet!) I retired to UK from mainly v hot countries in 97 and from that time onwards had the most awful colds and bad chest lasting 6 weeks to 2 months at a time once or twice a year mainly in the winter months. I had antibiotics for chest infections but the 'coughs; lingered - I was so grateful I was retired and could please myself how little I did. Finally my GP picked up on a pattern of High platelets.
sorry - cont! I was prescribed 500 mg HU and asprin per day which has now progressed to 100 mg Mon=Fri and 50 mg Sat- Sun plus daily asprin ( gastro resistant. That keeps my platelets to top end of 'normal'. I am more subject to indigestion than I was but manage it by eating smaller amounts and more often. I haven't noticed any particular food causing problems but am now very aware of how I eat.
My diet is basically v little red meat and no processed food - everything from scratch and mostly organic. (Am not so happy eating out as I used to be and try to avoid other people's cooking.) I try to keep my fluids up but find am not good at exercising - any excuse even though I know I feel good after it. I also know I can exercise through my tiredness which tends to hit me after I eat.
I lost about a third of the sight in one eye last year probably as a result of the shape/thickness of my blood causing an obstruction which damaged the optic nerve. This happened at a point when I was very stressed and has made me realise I have to avoid putting myself in a situation where stress is an obvious outcome. I have found this quite difficult to accept but again am terribly grateful I am retired. I do feel for people with MPNs younger than I am.
The only other relevant thing is that if I get something, I GET it. I was basically ill with cold/chest/ flu (?) from Dec 14 - end of Feb - rewrote my will, bought more nightdresses anticipating hospital etc, bought tonics and upped my vitamin intake! I assume it is to do with a lowered immune system and I just have to get on with it. Any suggestions from others are welcome.
I don't seem to get depressed because I can really do everything I need/want to. I travel abroad still but a bit more carefully than I used to!
Sorry this is so long - am not sure it is of any help but like you I like hearing about people around my age. Long may we live! Sallie
I have found that limiting my carbs reduces or eliminates the fatigue. I am pre-diabetic as well.
Try different foods and combinations and see what works for you. I can eat baked potato skins with a little potato on them but not the potato itself.
Thanks John. I have started to monitor what I eat and record any effects. Nothing obvious at the moment. No tiredness today other than a funny little flash-crash fatigue immediately after dinner tonight (intense but lasted only 3-5 mins). Also noticed I never get it after breakfast.
If I come to any conclusions I will post them later.
John
Raised platelets after jabs 
Hydroxy Rare Side Effects
sunshine and skin rash 
Fatigue from ET or hydroxycarbamide
