My partner has had ME 4.5 years, beginning with shingles. It's always been mild, she gave up work but managed a restricted life. She's never had any indication of gut issues (all test results indicated very good gut function) but she lost a lot of weight in a slow slide over about 18 months to 7st 7lbs (105lbs - BMI 16.4). She turned it round by eating ave 2,200 calories a day and put back about 1/2 stone (7lbs) to reach BMI 17.5. In mid-July she had a virus (we think), with fever, sickness and diarrhoea. The diarrhoea has continued ever since, the last few days she can keep nothing down. She's lost 4 lbs in the last 8 days and her weight yesterday was 7st 3lbs (101lbs - BMI 15.8). She saw a doctor in mid-August, who tested for e-coli & various other things & told her there was nothing wrong with her. She saw a nutrition specialist last week, who recommended a day of bone-broth fast followed by introducing egg yolks and then other foods - the egg yolks coincided with the worst stomach reactions yet. She saw her Perrin osteopath on Friday, who was sufficiently shocked that she wrote a letter to our GP recommending various tests. In the meantime, she hasn't got up today, feeling lightheaded and heart rate very high when she stood up. She's drinking ginger-infused boiled water. It's 3 days since she kept anything at all in long enough for any digestion to have taken place. I have no idea what to do. Any suggestions gratefully received.
I'm so sorry, this must be extremely worrying for you both. All I can suggest is trying to get more medical help, stressing the weight loss and the fact that she's not keeping any food down and any other symptoms. Best wishes to you both.
It sounds as if you need medical advice. If you are acutely concerned that may mean accident and emergency. I assume you are in the UK and the GP system has really ceased to function for anything of serious importance.
She's trying some oral re-hydration solution (water, sugar & salt) which I made from an internet recipe, & she's just had some rice which she seemed to tolerate quite well earlier in this illness. I've also just talked to her about going to a&e if the rice goes straight through her.
I worry that we are providing medical advice here. Medical advice is not just recommending prescription medicines but any advice given in medical situation, including advice that might delay getting a medical opinion. Weight loss and diarrhoea for 8 weeks requires a medical diagnosis following full clinical history and examination (which a nurse is not trained to do) and investigations. It is not a typical presentation of ME so I don't think issues relating to ME are relevant. I don't think anyone can give advice on what to eat or drink without a diagnosis.
A neighbour of mine, she does not have ME, had similar symptoms recently. She was under some stress and she and many well meaning friends put it down to the stress. She had Lost one and a half stone and was having difficulty with all food and drink. One visit to the doctor sorted her. He diagnosed an infection, prescribed antibiotics and she was perfect after about a week. Other tests showed no other problems,but she went through a lot of unnecessary worry.
Where are you located? Are doctors saying its just ME and giving up looking for the cause? Have you got second or third opinions? Any tests done?
@PeeWee If your partner isn't feeling any better tomorrow morning she should either go back in to see her doctor right away, or go the hospital and get the ER to do some testing.
So sorry she’s doing so poorly. I agree with the others that it would be good to seek emergency or urgent medical help. Rehydration solution should ideally have a few more ingredients than water, sugar, sodium, and chloride, but that’s a start. I hope everything works out and she improves soon.