@compmom All those are excellent points. I don’t know. I am not there with her. I am just hearing about it. I believe there is a healthcare professional who suggested to avoid milk and gluten. I’ll suggest to see a GI specialist. It’s been 3-4 months. She has appetite but gets a stomach when she eats anything other than very thin soup. Even that not too much at a time.
Yes a GI specialist would be good. If there is a long waiting list, I would go to ER and try for admission to get help faster. This seems kind of urgent.
In my mother’s case, her GI tract was narrowed by diverticulitis, but there would be pain with that. Docs thought, first, that it was a cancer. With her latest bout of not eating, gabapentin brought back her appetite. That is why details are so important- the cause can be so varied!
GI docs who are good with the elderly can do a sigmoidoscopy in the office without anesthesia of any kind. Endoscopy is more involved. Imaging can help without a procedure (if kidneys aren’t good, no contrast but they drink a big pink drink, which seems ill-advised, and barium not good in this situation!). Mental health can also play a role but of course physical issues need to be checked first.
Good luck!
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Well, “gets a stomach” is not much to even be able to speculate on. Three to 4 months though is a good long time to not eat properly. Time for a GI person. Has she lost a lot of weight? The 2 Cal HN is good for lactose intolerance and also gluten free. But first really needs checking out.
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Health issues are not something I consider McGyvering, especially in an older person. What everyone else said: please schedule an appointment with a specialist. At the very minimum, have them see their PCP and do some blood work etc. - it will be helpful for the GI doc to have that data.
Have to agree with others: the person probably needs to consult with both their primary care physician and a GI specialist.
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Of course, they are seeing doctors. Collecting wisdom on this board has been very useful. I get better understanding of the scope of the issue. I am now better prepared what to ask a doctor. She is reluctant to talk about it. I find it hard to coax out info from a distance. People here are helping me what to ask her, how to direct the question, etc. In the short space, I feel I know better how to talk. I appreciate that very much, everyone. Please keep the comments coming. Every bit helps. I wasn’t prepared for elder care at all. I thought we were all in good shape.
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@Iglooo I would suggest talking with a medical dietician or a nutritionist.
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When my mother was in hospice program (but living at home), she lost her joy of eating. Even her beloved ice cream and milkshake snacks and favorite drink (OJ+prune juice+peach seltzer) didn’t interest her. I did discover that she just loved watermelon. Not much nutrition, but some liquid. It was nice to have a food choice that made her smile eagerly.
The next year I sent watermelon (along with egg casserole) to an elderly church friend in hospice. The thank you note from family praised the watermelon choice, and the family/friend blog mentioned her enjoyment of the egg casserole.
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One other thing @Iglooo : people can go on for a long time with minimal food, but not mininmal drink. As long as she is hydrating and eating a little, she will lose weight but hang in there for months.
I would also make sure there is no problem with swallowing. A speech and swallow person would be the specialist. Any chance she could go to the hospital for evaluation? That is the easiest way to access a few different specialties as well as the generalist hospitalist, and palliative care or hospice too.
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Thank you for your concern. Speech sounded good. I didn’t detect anything different. She is seeing a GI specialist in a few days. I was told many many tests are scheduled. We should know better soon.
Just to be clear (relevant or not) while a speech and swallow person tests swallowing, the issue doesn’t necessarily involve a speech issue- often only a swallow issue but that is the kind of provider that assesses it.
Good luck with the testing! These things can be mysterious.
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