After being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a couple years ago, I have been on a ton of different medications, with the most recent narcotic pain medications being Oxycontin and then Methadone. Throughout this whole ordeal, I have developed stomach issues, which have continually gotten worse and worse. I have been taking Zofran for nausea and vomiting for a long time now, and it just does not work effectively. I am nauseas all the time, puke often, deal with constipation on an almost daily basis, and have a lot of abdominal pain all the time.

I have been trying to figure out what is going on with my stomach. I have lost so much weight, it’s absolutely ridiculous. I am 5’6” and a healthy weight for my height and frame is around 130 pounds. At this point, I am now down to 92 pounds, which is scary. I can see and feel all of my bones, which makes it very uncomfortable to do ordinary things, like sitting on a hard surface.

I have had this feeling for a very long time that my medications have actually been making me worse. I did get this semi-confirmed when I went to see a gastroenterologist a couple of weeks ago. After reviewing my symptoms and history and feeling my stomach, his gut instinct is that I have developed what is called Narcotic Bowel Syndrome. Apparently, this is a reaction to narcotic painkillers, which causes the digestive system to be completely out of whack, causing the symptoms I am experiencing. He did schedule me for an endoscopy, just to make sure he’s not missing anything, but thought it would probably be normal.

I went on Friday for the endoscopy. That was an interesting experience, since they do it under anesthesia. I swear, that was the best sleep I’ve gotten in a while! But of course, the endoscopy was essentially normal. They did see some redness in the beginning of the small intestine, but thought it was probably just from rubbing together. I believe they took a biopsy, but chances are very good that it will also be normal.

This means my only option is to go off of my narcotic pain medication, which is fine, because it is not effective anyway. However, withdrawals are extremely tough on me, so I had to switch to a liquid Methadone, so that I could wean down on a much slower schedule, hopefully eliminating any withdrawal symptoms.

Anyway, after learning about this Narcotic Bowel Syndrome thing, I tried to do some research. Unfortunately, it seems like perhaps this is a syndrome they are still discovering, because I really could not find much about it. Most of the links I found were all to the same clinical study on this condition, which really did not give me very much  information. I also mentioned this to my pain management doctor, and he had not even heard of it!

Oh well. Normalcy is apparently my hell, because even though I hurt all over, am extremely weak and tired, can barely eat 1000 calories a day, can’t stop losing weight, am dizzy and lightheaded most of the time, can’t sleep, and get severe migraines and tension headaches several times a week, ALL OF MY TESTS ARE NORMAL! Or close enough to normal apparently. But no matter what I do, no matter how closely I follow my doctors’ instructions, nothing gets better. I continually get worse. I don’t know. Maybe its not fibromyalgia. Maybe its something else that they just haven’t discovered yet. I do want to go see an endocrinologist to have my thyroid checked by a specialist. But that will most likely be normal as well. I wonder if there are any other conditions that are misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia. More research, I suppose…

I feel that fibromyalgia is a definite curse. I know some people who have fibromyalgia don’t necessarily feel it as severely as I do, or maybe don’t have as many other disorders going on at the same time. I don’t know. But I actually find it discouraging to hear from people who say they had it and exercised and got all better. Sorry, that one just isn’t going to work for me.

One of the worst parts of this whole mess is the stomach issues I have developed. I don’t know if it’s due to my medications or if it’s actually another disorder or condition, but it is so hard to eat. People don’t understand how depressing it is to know that you NEED to eat, for the sake of your health and body (and for fear of disappearing otherwise), but are just physically unable to eat. The nausea is horrible. I take nausea medication usually given to chemo patients, and even that is really not enough. It’s extremely stressful to try to force food down your throat every hour or couple hours throughout the day.

I have an extremely difficult time trying to get enough calories into my body. I’ve been doing research and based on my current weight (about 98-100 pounds, which is extremely scary to me), to keep from going into starvation mode, I need about 1200 calories. To maintain my current weight, I need about 1500 calories. To gain a pound a week, I need to consume over 2000 calories. It’s really a struggle just to hit 1000 calories. I’m finding that in order to hit the 1500, I need to be eating almost every hour. I’m trying really hard not to eat junk food, but instead to eat foods that will actually nourish  my body. I know at this point that I’m probably malnourished. So I want to eat only those foods that will most effectively nourish my body. Unfortunately, eating healthy foods makes it even harder to meet that 1500 calories (or the 2000, which is what I really need). Fruits and vegetables just don’t have that many calories. I’m not that big of a meat eater. And I’ve been having difficulty with breads and cereals for months. Plus, I really want to avoid ANYTHING with High Fructose Corn Syrup, because that stuff is the devil.

I truly believe that most of us have been poisoning our bodies for years, if not our entire lives. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I grew up eating stuff from boxes, cans, bags. Of course, my mom is a pretty good cook, and she did make meat and vegetables all the time, but our breakfast on the weekdays tended to consist of sugary cereals. Lunches were typically sandwhiches with chips or something. Maybe an apple. And side dishes at dinner were typically out of the box. After I moved out and got married, my diet went downhill fast. Between work and school, it can be so difficult to eat healthy. In comes junk food, fast food, anything in boxes with “Just add water,” on the side. All of that stuff that contributes to the downfall of one’s health.

Once you get to the point where everything you’ve been poisoning your body with starts to affect you, its extremely hard to get back. And I’m really at an extremely low point. Because I’ve had problems eating for so long and am now malnourished, my energy levels are SO low. My muscles are weak. It’s extremely hard to function. I hate this. I want to feel good again. I want to be able to eat a normal meal. I want to feel human again.

Healthy Ways to Gain Weight

If you’re one of the few Americans who are underweight, you know how hard it can be to pack on the pounds. But just as it is in losing weight, a little planning and attention to good nutrition can help you gain weight.

By Dulce Zamora
WebMD Feature (http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/healthy-ways-to-gain-weight)

Do you find it hard to gain weight? If so, you’re probably the envy of family and friends. It seems as if you can eat as many cheeseburgers and chocolate bars as you would like, and still not register an ounce.

Yet little do people know how much you’d love to put meat on your bones, perhaps to feel less lanky, to be able to wear certain clothes without appearing scrawny, or to just be healthier.

Ken Chuk is one such person. He is a 32-year-old finance manager who wishes he could put on a business suit without looking like he just got out of college. His fast metabolism and tendency to feel full with smaller portions, however, make it hard for him to add anything to his 5′ 11″, 140-pound frame. He’s tried to lift weights, suck down protein shakes, and stuff himself with ice cream, cookies, or cereal at bedtime — all to no avail.

“Everyone in my family is thin,” explains the New York native. “I’ve given up trying to gain weight because I figure it will happen eventually.”

Chuk is right in that all of us will tend to become heavier as we age, but health experts say there are plenty of things people can do now to build critical mass.

The Skinny on the Underweight

What’s so wrong with being too thin when it seems to be a non-problem compared with obesity? The truth is that being underweight has its own risks.

Those who are extremely lean tend to have weaker immune systems, making them prone to infections, surgical complications, and slower recovery times for illness. They tend to have low muscle mass, and less than ideal hair, teeth, and skin composition. They may have disruptions in the ability to regulate hormones and protect bone health, and women could become unable to menstruate.

All of this could be avoided by maintaining a healthy weight, a measure that obviously differs from person to person. As a rough rule of thumb, women should be at least 105 pounds for the first five feet of height, and another five pounds per inch after that; men should be at least 106 pounds for the first five feet, and an added six pounds per inch, says Dan Heinemann, MD, a board member of the American Academy of Family physicians.

Another gauge could be an individual’s body mass index (BMI), which is a system to categorize size based on a person’s height and weight. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports that people with normal weight have a BMI of 18.5-24.9. Anything below that is underweight, and anything above is overweight (25-29.9) or obese (30 or greater).

Why So Thin?

There are many reasons why people may find it hard to gain weight. Genetics can obviously play a role, but individual personalities and the environment can be strong factors.

“Sometimes people think they just have a fast metabolism, but that’s not always the case,” says Cindy Moore, MS, RD, director of nutrition therapy at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). “They just might be more physically active.”

For example, there are people who tend to move around more, burning more calories than they take in. They’re either always the first ones to volunteer to pick up after a spill, to do the chores, to walk everywhere, or to play a lot of sports. This level of physical activity is not a bad thing, says Moore, but being aware of it is important in understanding the factors affecting one’s weight.

Then there are others who lose their appetite, experience a change in metabolism, and/or lose poundage and muscle mass fast because of various reasons, including illness, chronic pain, depression, stress, and side effects from drugs.

In children, the inability to gain weight may signal a condition known as “failure to thrive,” which means a kid is not growing appropriately for his/her age. This may be caused by an illness, or eating patterns dictated by a parental idiosyncrasy. According to Wahida Karmally, DrPH, RD, spokesperson for the ADA, there have been kids who have not developed properly because they did not receive enough nutrients from being on a raw food, macrobiotic, or vegan diet.

Assuring Healthy Weight Gain

Whatever the suspected cause for being underweight or for unexpected weight loss, and as much as some people may be happy about being thin — as opposed to being fat — it’s important to discuss the matter with a medical professional.

“If somebody’s losing weight, and they’re not trying to lose weight, they need to talk to their doctor to find out what’s going on, because that is not a normal phenomenon,” says Heinemann, noting weight loss may signal a disease such as diabetes.

Being able to eat anything with abandon is also deceiving — even the skinny need to worry about having too much sugar and fat for good health. Poor diets can lead to ailments such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Plus, people who gain weight eating anything and everything tend to retain it as fat, and in much more undesirable places. For a more ideal distribution of weight, it’s best to stick to nutrient-rich foods, and to exercise at the same time.

“If you want to have a nice shapely body to go along with this extra weight, you’re going to need to work out so that you put the weight on in the form of muscle as opposed to the form of fat,” says Heinemann, recommending a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training for the whole body.

Heinemann, Moore, and Karmally have more advice for people wanting to pack on the pounds in a healthy manner. In following their suggestions, it’s important to do things in moderation and to have patience. Healthy weight gain, just like healthy weight loss, takes time and requires a conscious effort to apply good habits.

Recommended Ways to Gain Weight

• Have meals with the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and the right kinds of fat (such as unsaturated and monounsaturated fats, olive oil, canola oil, pistachios, almonds and walnuts). Heinemann suggests the following ratio: 60%-70% carbohydrates, 10%-15% protein, and a small amount of fat.
  
• Eat foods higher in calories, vitamins, and minerals, as opposed to higher in fat or sugar.
  
• Pack more nutritious calories in each serving. For example, you may add grated cooked eggs to mashed potatoes, ground chicken to soups and gravies, cheese in casseroles, eggs, and soups, and nonfat dried milk in soups, shakes, milk, and mashed potatoes.
  
• If you get too full too fast, try having more high-calorie foods or slices of foods as opposed to consuming the whole thing (raisins versus grapes, granola and Grape Nuts versus corn flakes, mango slices versus the whole mango).
  
• Limit drinking beverages to a half-hour before and after a meal.
  
• Drink mixed juices (apple/berry, peach/orange/banana as opposed to one juice beverages) for a higher calorie intake.
  
• Try a small amount of alcohol (4 ounces of wine, 6 ounces of beer, or a half-ounce of liquor with juice) before a meal, as it could stimulate appetite. Moore warns, however, that this recommendation must be cleared with your doctor, especially if you are on any medication. Too much alcohol can be detrimental to health, and could lessen your resolve for eating healthy.
  
• With moderation, you may add in good fat sources to meals such as nuts, avocado, olives, and fatty fish (salmon and mackerel).
  
• Snack in between meals. Nuts, dried fruits, and yogurt are good options, but it’s also important to find nutritious foods that you will enjoy.
  
• Have a nutritious snack before bedtime, such as a peanut butter sandwich.
  

Damn. Eating is so freaking difficult. I don’t know why. I can’t figure it out. But it takes me so long to eat so little and it is so much work. It really makes me not want to eat, which is not good, since I already have no appetite. And trying to decide WHAT to eat is ridiculously difficult. I feel nauseas all the time and puke so often. I have lost an incredible amount of weight, and I am now seriously underweight for my body frame and height. It’s really scaring me. I’m trying so hard to eat something, anything, but I do want to keep it to more healthy items. I know I probably have a malabsorption issues at this point, so I’m trying to make sure that what I am putting INTO my body is as healthy as possible. But healthy foods have so little calories and I can’t eat enough of them. To maintain my current weight, I need a little over 1200 calories. To gain 1 pound a week and get back up to 115 pounds by October 20, I would have to eat over 2000 calories. I can barely get 1000 calories down my throat on most days. I can’t lose any more weight. If I do, I’ll end up seriously sick and in the hospital, which I cannot afford. I’m doing a lot of research on food and nutrition and so forth, so maybe I’ll find something in there that can help me, because the doctors are absolutely useless. I’m so tired of this.