20220412 : hunger...

I got my PEG tube replaced few days back. 

Although the one that I finally got is the simple replacement tube, they didn't know till I agreed that I would agree.

So, as a precaution, they got me ready for the other type which requires administration of anesthesia and they kept me on a empty stomach.

Funnily all the nurses kept referring to it as NBO (nothing by oral). That's funny for someone who is on the PEG only because they can't have anything orally.

Anyway, my last feed (reduced already because I had an upset stomach earlier) was at ~ 10:30pm.

I am usually fed every 2 hours.

The body is used to the regular flow of fuel to keep going.

I generally feel hungry by that time in the morning. Even with very diminished feelings, I can sense the hunger.

I was not fed before the procedure. They finally did the procedure by ~ 11:30am I think.

After the procedure they can't feed for ~4-6 hrs.

Post that it is only water (50ml) and very gradual ramp up to about 150ml and only clear fluids for the next day.

I was expecting I will struggle through this. But surprisingly, I didn't. It was very easy and I didn't feel the pangs at all.

I was on drips all throughout. All the nutrients were going into the bloodstream directly. No consuming, digesting, absorbing, etc.

I was thinking, wow - I have graduated. I managed to bypass the mouth and throat all along, this was a crazy next step - bypass the digestive canal entirely 🙂.

Which got me thinking - what is hunger?

I have always thought hunger was something that happened to us when the stomach was empty.

The experience above turned the understanding around.

Turns out, the brain (which has a direct line with bloodstream) is the one that feels hungry.

It just instructs the stomach to make noise and kick a fuss demanding fuel when it gets hungry.

Some days back we had gone to my daughter's school.

When I go on such outings, I normally reduce my feed and fluid intake so that I can squeeze out the fluid content in the body - even if bathroom breaks are unavoidable, I can reduce the quantity quite a bit avoiding spill overs.

After my full feed the previous night, I had reduced feeds on the day to ⅓rd the usual quantity. The last feed was at 2:30pm

We left home ~4:00pm.

Reached the school ~ 5:00pm

The function started at ~5:30pm

Ended around ~ 9:15pm

We left ~ 9:45pm (after dinner)

Reached home ~ 10:30pm

Shifting, change, clean and a full sponge bath took an hour.

I had a full feed at 11:30pm

I didn't have drips to the bloodstream.

At around 4:30pm, I started feeling hungry. We were still on the way. It was going to be a long evening!

Around 4:45pm it got more. My sensitivity to hunger is the same. But could know it was a lot more because I could see it. I could see the PEG tube twitch and move - the stomach must have been moving and rumbling making the inside part of the tube move around (6-8 inches I think).

Boy this was going to be a struggle!

After about 6:00pm, a very surprising thing happened.

I stopped feeling hungry.

I thought it will start again. But no - it didn't.

I didn't feel hungry after that. I was absolutely ok till I was given a feed at 11:30pm

My understanding was turned around again!

The brain was hungry. The stomach was hungry no doubt.

But something overrode it.

Was it the mind - that was distracted and engaged that it forgot/ overruled the brain.

Was it something physiological that blocks it, after crossing a threshold - maybe to revisit later when it becomes impossible to ignore.

I don't know what it was. But it is good to know that.

Especially if we are trying to follow some diet regime, fasting, intermittent fasting, etc.

It is good to know, that the body can manage if the mind is engaged and we manage to get over the time threshold...