Can't eat. I have messed up! what to do?

[Cardiaga]

Hi
Looking for some advice and have name changed as this is embarrassing. For reasons that I'd rather not go into, I've not been able to eat anything for a few days, or so I thought. I wasn't too worried as I was drinking water and tea. I looked back on my fitness tracker a couple of days ago and realised it'd actually been three weeks since I ate anything. I realise this is stupid! The thing is I don't have any appetite at all but over the weekend I tried to make myself eat small portions of bland food- some rice, cooked vegetables. It all came straight back up and provoked horrible diarrhoea. I'm sure there's not an underlying problem and it will take weeks to get a Dr appointment. Does anyone have any ideas? I totally get this my own stupid fault.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Yes. Get yourself a GP appointment. Why would you assume it takes weeks to get one? (And if you really can’t, then call NHS 111)

Why haven’t you been able to eat? I think you need to call 111.

If you haven't realised it's been 3 weeks since you ate then there's something very wrong. Please phone 111 and ask them what's the best thing to do.

OP without knowing roughly the reasons you haven’t been eating its impossible for people to help advise you. For example not eating due to an eating disorder will be managed differently to not eating due to drug ( stimulant) use for example. The way your post is worded seems to suggest you think its your fault? Not eating for three weeks is pretty extreme if thats accurate. Have you tried very small portions of say thin soup? Your stomach has probably shrunk.

If it’s been as long as 3 weeks then I would suggest phoning 111 right now.

I don’t think it would take weeks to be seen by a doctor. I imagine that will see you very quickly.

3 weeks and not notice you have not eaten you need to go to GP or A&E.

All of the above, it shouldn't take weeks to get a doctors appointment if you ask for an emergency one. Which if you haven't eaten for this long and can't keep food down then it is an emergency.

I cannot believe how blasé you are being about this. Get an urgent GP appointment and tell them what’s been going on.

You must be losing weight hand over fist, which will become another issue soon enough too.

It won’t take weeks to get an appointment if you call 111. They can make you out of hours GP appts.

I would be getting an appointment as your memory seems dreadful if it’s been three weeks since you last ate

You must be feeling wretched OP

May I ask about your mental health situation? Are you suffering with something and taking meds? What’s the backstory? I will try to help because I often don’t eat for a few days, but I need more information.

I think you need physical advice from the GP and mental health support

For reasons I’d rather not go into.
But you must. With a medical professional.

Agree with others that we need a bit more background to advise - can you try electrolyte sachets or similar as your electrolytes will be out of whack with so long without any food.

Your body will be in absolute crisis at the moment if it’s really been 3 weeks without any nutrition!

You need to seek urgent medical advice via 111

If you haven’t been able to keep food down for three weeks you need medical help. Now. Urgently.

Sorry, realised my OP may not have been clear :-( . I wasn't feeling ill until after I tried to eat on Friday. The eating seems to have made the situation worse. I know I should eat but I was fine before and now I feel like hell. Thanks for all the replies! I will try to keep up and answer

You clearly have an eating disorder so you need to contact your GP and request an urgent appointment and not seek discussion about it on a chat forum as my understanding is that that ‘feeds’ (no pun intended) the illness further

why did you stop eating if you were not feeling unwell?

You are feeling unwell after eating because your body is struggling to process food after you’ve starved yourself. It can cause a variety of symptoms so book an emergency GP appointment to help the root cause of why you aren’t eating in the first place.

I am a bit scatty I admit but I genuinely thought it had only been a few days since I ate so it was a shock to realise that it was longer. I am tall and 'well built' so weight loss doesn't show up on me for a while. I feel crappy now, but was ok before. Electrolytes is a good idea I will get some. If I phone 111 I will on forever and its such a twattish thing to have done to myself. I thought over the weekend that if I ate some bland food everything might just sort of reset but no. I can still keep fluids down - tea, water, but I haven't tried anything else.

I would try some sugar dissolved in water, with a little bit of salt in. See if you can keep that down. After a couple of hours try something really plain like a piece of dry toast or a couple of spoonfuls of rice.

But you urgently need to see a gp and be completely honest with them about why you haven’t been eating.

I would call 111 as your body may still start to shut down with no food for 3 weeks.

You're malnourished now so will need to reintroduce foods slowly, but, op, no one can give you advice because we have no idea why you stopped eating.

If you don't wish to be explicit, fine, but at least say if it was because of physical health or mental reasons.

How can you go without food for three weeks?
I genuinely don’t understand how that’s possible?