[pct-l] Remedies for loss of appetite

[Clint Kaul]

Diane,

I received this off-list but thought it worth sending to you.  I had made
a previous comment about being surprised no-one suggested giardiasis.
I received this in reply; I stripped the sender since I don't know if they
wanted to be identified.

>>> I would also consider the possibility of Giardia.  I struggled big
>>> time with a number of symptoms for almost 2 weeks, but the biggest
>>> were loss of appetite and fatigue.  My fatigue was so bad that I felt
>>> like I was trying to climb Everest even on minor climbs at 4000 ft.  I
>>> always felt full to the point of nausea after eating maybe 5
>>> tablespoons of dinner or choking down one bar.
>>>
>>> I didn't think I had Giardiasis because I didn't have much in the way
>>> of symptoms at the other end, if you know what I mean.  I finally did
>>> some research and realized that I likely did.  I took Tindamax at
>>> Hikertown and 24 hours later I could eat like a horse and I've been
>>> great ever since.
>>>
>>> The symptoms of Giardiasis that you don't here about much include loss
>>> of appetite, early satiation, lactose intolerance, fatigue, malaise,
>>> and smelly burping and gas.

Cheers, clint

On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 8:40 PM, Diane Soini<diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:
> I don't have any suggestions for why you lost your appetite. I've been
> struggling with my stomach, too, for several weeks. I cannot eat much
> but I do get hungry. Usually after I eat, I'm pretty sorry I did,
> except for dinner. By sorry I mean that I feel queasy and on jarring
> downhills my stomach actually hurts. Even town food doesn't sit well.
>
> Some foods don't bother me so much but I am not eating a lot of volume
> of any foods. I haven't really lost a lot of weight, either, and have
> only had a couple of bonking moments, so I think I'm ok so far.
>
> I thought it might be some kind of bug because I have not treated all
> my water. But I don't have the runs, and sometimes it's been the
> opposite.
>
> I've been experiencing this at low and high elevation, so it's not
> elevation-related.