8. Lack of Appetite: The Phantom Hunger
When it comes to eating, lack of appetite seems like an enigma within the world of gastroparesis symptoms. It’s the missing guest at the dinner table, the empty chair that everyone notices but no one discusses. You would think that a stomach emptying slowly would make you hungrier, but that’s not the case here.
Ironically, this condition can leave you with a sense of ‘phantom hunger’. You think you should be hungry, but the feeling is noticeably absent. You can sit in front of a full-course meal, surrounded by delicious aromas, yet have zero desire to take even a single bite. It’s like being stuck in a room with a locked treasure chest, and you’re not allowed to touch it.
Even more puzzling is how this lack of appetite intersects with the other symptoms. On the one hand, you have early satiety, making you feel full too quickly. On the other, you have this mysterious disappearance of hunger, creating a strange paradox where you neither want to eat nor feel the need to.
And don’t underestimate the impact on your emotional well-being. There’s a certain stigma attached to refusing food, especially in social settings. You can quickly become the person who’s “too picky” or “on a diet” when the reality is far more complex and less understood.
The enigma continues in the way this symptom tends to fluctuate. It can come and go, sometimes disappearing for days before returning with a vengeance. Each time it returns, it adds another layer of complexity to an already puzzling condition, making it one of the most bewildering aspects of gastroparesis. (8)
