Exploratory [NDNT]

[Emanon]

Borderline catatonic state.

Sometimes occurs that not able to remember a single sentence so have to look at the page and write every letter.

It still won't go into memory so I have to try that for hours.

But this is just one example, and far from the worst case. Studying for 12 hours is luxury.

 

Difficulty walking is a given, lower leg muscle is very built specifically for one stage of walking, before foot lands, where brain tests the muscle to make sure it can take another step.

[Russ H]

And this occurs after you eat? Have you had your blood sugar tested? Do you experience bloating and burping after eating?

[Emanon]

Only incompetents at ER have blood sugar tested. After drinking 2L of juice I could test blood sugar normal.

Yes. It is also sustained so completely I thought it would simply be a fact of life.

[Russ H]

OK, so it does not sound like diabetes. Do you experience a swollen upper abdomen after eating and burping?

[Emanon]

Yes. Occurs primarily with gluten, rice included, even if quantity is a few spoons. Generally lack of "burp" otherwise.

[Russ H]

That sounds like a dysbiosis which is common with coeliac disease. You get bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine which produces gas and probably toxic by-products that get into the bloodstream. We call it SIBO (small intestine  bacterial overgrowth). For people with coeliac disease it generally corrects itself on a strict gluten-free diet. Mine took 3 months to go. Some foods seem to make it worse. To help, you can try a low FODMAP diet. This starves the bacteria of the food they thrive on.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/low-fodmap-diet/

[Wheatwacked]

I was very malnutritioned. Walking to the mailbox at curb was a major feat.I remember when I slept most of the time. During TV commercials I would forget what I was watching. That will get better.  Don't eat gluten, work on vitamin replenishment.  Good luck in school.

[Emanon]

Probably the greatest challenge is actually meeting nutrition requirements. For so long, I have been deluding myself my diet causes my weight, that I'm unable to eat a necessary amount of food. To reach even a 1600 calorie target seems like a Herculean task.

The moment I worked on related deficiencies (iron, magnesium [metabolism], etc) this became a serious and recurring problem.

How is it even possible to become overweight, I don't know. I'm just trying not to experience cell death from starvation.

The fullness response occurs early, and the amount I'm naturally comfortable with is something on the order of <<400 calories per meal, after which I must endure a 2-3 hour period of pure lethargy. Finicky hunger response; following it, probably capped at ~300/day in solid food. 

And these are fairly dense foods too, chicken, eggs...

[Emanon]

The other one is really apparent reaction to any food. I get knocked down hard by one light meal. Trying to hit the calorie target, the immune response functionally incapacitates me. I can feel myself "going stupid" in real time, and it takes a night to recover. Am not sure how to proceed on this point.

While this is mitigated somewhat by anti allergens [again] this only prevents me from going below borderline catatonic point. This should be intensely distressing, but atm, such a feeling is beyond my range of cognition.

Seems I either starve/set cap for <<400 cal, or become functionally incapacitated, caused by sense my mind is swimming through something imperceptible to complete basic tasks. The viscosity of which increases with food volume.

This creates serious problem with day to day function, since brain seems to lose ability to apply certain functions to moderate behaviors.

For example, in process of writing comment, not able to consider beyond logical implications. Or makes impulse suppression very difficult task, not only because its difficult to suppress desire, but because the impulse becomes reactionary to exposure and not interest.

To illustrate, exposure of my scathing (private) critique to current self, on a game, causes sudden strange interest to reinstall it. But blocking this completely irrational behavior requires so much effort I've been just, sitting here, digesting food, for about 4 hours now. Oh, maybe I just lost the ability to filter out distractions to two ribs.

Not to mention unfortunate tendency for heart rate to elevate significantly coupled with unsteady breathing, reduced strength, etc

[knitty kitty]

@Emanon,

How long have you been eating less than 400 calories?

You may be suffering from malnutrition.  You may be having a bad reaction to foods because you are so deficient in vitamins that your body can't process it.  

I'm familiar with your description of your brain function.  I felt that way when I was not absorbing sufficient nutrients.  

You would be wise to get some medical attention.  It may be a very serious thiamine deficiency and electrolyte imbalance called refeeding syndrome.  

Thiamine deficiency causes elevated heart rate, rapid irregular breathing, reduced strength, fatigue, changes in the way you walk, foot drop, impaired memory, and altered mental state.

Please seek medical attention!  

 

Refeeding Syndrome...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440847/

Deficiencies in B12, Niacin and Thiamine can each cause dementia if not corrected as soon as possible.

Does your university have a health clinic for students?  

Edited May 19, 2023 by knitty kitty
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[Emanon]

Better part of this year? I do not have precise time frame. <1200 calorie for much longer. Like I said I was rather dedicated to self persecutory delusion that my diet predicts my weight, not particularly aided by uniquely helpful advice.

I do not fear death in these situations so am not sure I am within profile. However electrolytes seems good concern.

I have been trying with supplements as I mentioned but I do not know about characteristics.

Yes there is a clinic