What does starvation feel like?

[littlelambflora]

This is not the method I have chosen, or WANT to attempt. It is simply a result of a chronic illness being left untreated or treated inadequately for over a year of my life. My body is shutting down, I can eat less and less, and I am not receiving any kind of urgent or emergency care despite my attempts to get it. I am being passed over from one specialist to another, from one test to another, and eventually I will simply starve. Hopefully I will have the courage to ctb before that happens - I want to go out with Pizza Hut and a piece of cake - but I am wondering what it feels like. I have heard it is agony. Is there a state that you reach eventually where you sort of rise above that? Stop feeling the hunger, maybe even leave this reality? I wouldn't mind having hallucinations of my sister who passed. Even if they would never come true in an afterwards.

 

[Lacerta viridis]

It's a really long, slow process, and the lack of food can damage your psyche as much as your organs. When you go without food for an extended period of time, the body begins to feed on itself. Eventually, you're breaking down your own muscle tissue.

I have heard it is agony. Is there a state that you reach eventually where you sort of rise above that? Stop feeling the hunger, maybe even leave this reality?

Here's a page from Essays on Reducing Suffering that might be of interest.

I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[willitpass]

In my experience when things get to a certain point you don't have much energy at all. Some days are better than others and you can manage a decent bit, others even getting out of bed is too much. You'll grow hair all over your body as your body attempts to keep itself warm, but the hair on your head will fall out due to malnutrition. Your legs go numb if you sit too long due to poor circulation. You're cold all the time. The brain fog is horrible, it's so hard to think about anything. Even small amounts of food or liquid will make you feel so full it hurts. It's hard to poop without the aid of at least fiber supplements if not laxatives as you aren't eating enough to maintain bowel function. Orthostatic hypertension will make everything go black and spinning if you stand up too fast. Your heart rate will start to slow down and can cause palpitations or chest pain.

My experience is from an eating disorder, however in general the symptoms of starvation are all the same. It's a slow progression. Very slow. You can feel yourself wasting away over time. Some days it feels like you won't wake up in the morning. Other days you feel like you did before you were so frail.

As you reach the final stages of death you may hallucinate. Though often starvation deaths are caused by electrolyte abnormalities that lead to sudden cardiac arrest. If you are starving from a disease process other than an eating disorder you may have other symptoms that may be the cause of death, though.

 

[littlelambflora]

In my experience when things get to a certain point you don't have much energy at all. Some days are better than others and you can manage a decent bit, others even getting out of bed is too much. You'll grow hair all over your body as your body attempts to keep itself warm, but the hair on your head will fall out due to malnutrition. Your legs go numb if you sit too long due to poor circulation. You're cold all the time. The brain fog is horrible, it's so hard to think about anything. Even small amounts of food or liquid will make you feel so full it hurts. It's hard to poop without the aid of at least fiber supplements if not laxatives as you aren't eating enough to maintain bowel function. Orthostatic hypertension will make everything go black and spinning if you stand up too fast. Your heart rate will start to slow down and can cause palpitations or chest pain.

My experience is from an eating disorder, however in general the symptoms of starvation are all the same. It's a slow progression. Very slow. You can feel yourself wasting away over time. Some days it feels like you won't wake up in the morning. Other days you feel like you did before you were so frail.

As you reach the final stages of death you may hallucinate. Though often starvation deaths are caused by electrolyte abnormalities that lead to sudden cardiac arrest. If you are starving from a disease process other than an eating disorder you may have other symptoms that may be the cause of death, though.

That is truly horrifying, and not a state I wish to reach. I am still consuming food, but not nearly enough. I suppose if the medical community can't help me within a certain timeframe, I would rather have my pizza and drift off on my own terms.

If I may ask, did you recover? I am experiencing the constant coldness as well as the feeling of fullness with very little food. But I am trying to eat as much as I can.

 

[willitpass]

That is truly horrifying, and not a state I wish to reach. I am still consuming food, but not nearly enough. I suppose if the medical community can't help me within a certain timeframe, I would rather have my pizza and drift off on my own terms.

If I may ask, did you recover? I am experiencing the constant coldness as well as the feeling of fullness with very little food. But I am trying to eat as much as I can.

I'm not recovered, but I'm eating more than I was before so I'm not in as acute of a state of malnutrition as I was. My electrolytes are absolutely fucked because I've shifted from low/medium restricting to high/no restriction and laxative abuse. So I'm not well, but I'm not really starving in the medical sense. You don't have to be eating nothing to starve to death. I reached the point I was describing above eating 800-1200 calories a day while having a fairly active lifestyle. Nowadays I alternate between binges, most days I'm eating 1000-2000 calories a day, and fasting other days all while abusing laxatives multiple times a week. Even if you have a sedentary lifestyle, if you are consistently not eating as many calories are you are burning you will eventually become malnourished.

 

[littlelambflora]

I'm not recovered, but I'm eating more than I was before so I'm not in as acute of a state of malnutrition as I was. My electrolytes are absolutely fucked because I've shifted from low/medium restricting to high/no restriction and laxative abuse. So I'm not well, but I'm not really starving in the medical sense. You don't have to be eating nothing to starve to death. I reached the point I was describing above eating 800-1200 calories a day while having a fairly active lifestyle. Nowadays I alternate between binges, most days I'm eating 1000-2000 calories a day, and fasting other days all while abusing laxatives multiple times a week. Even if you have a sedentary lifestyle, if you are consistently not eating as many calories are you are burning you will eventually become malnourished.

I'm so sorry you're suffering.

 

[athiestjoe]

So sorry you are in so much pain and suffering. This method is extremely long, painful and very likely to fail as dying of starvation is unpleasant and either SI will kick in or someone will intervene. It would be a very difficult method both in terms of success but also difficult in terms of how long and how much suffering is involved.

I hope you find everything you are looking for and get peace & serenity.

 

[willitpass]

I'm so sorry you're suffering.

I'm sorry you've been unable to get adequate care. If you are truly starving to death and they won't get you proper treatment would you qualify for hospice or palliative care to make it a more comfortable experience?

 

[eeah]

This is my time line from beginning to end, when I was "saved". Times may be off because as my condition worsened, my timing became a mess. I do know(I think) that the situation ended somewhere near the end of April.

Please note that not everyone will have the same outcome, nor will all results be the same. Your age, health condition, and weight will make factors different for everyone. It also takes a lot of willpower to not eat, and I couldn't tell you how many times I almost lost.

Voluntary Stop Eating and Drinking(VSED) means exactly that. Except in my case, I just chose not to eat, as I have read about how painful it can be without liquid, so I went with the liquid only routine. Although drinking just water can make you survive longer, no food intake can have consequences. By just liquid, it can take upwards of 2 to 3 months ( again, it depends on age, overall health, and your weight), but for some people, it could be less, could be more. I was also hiking day after day, up and down hills, so I'm sure that didn't help with all the calories I was burning up. During this entire attempt, I was in the woods.

I will skip the days as to keep this read shorter.

Week one(beginning of March): Started the no eating attempt, and started hiking on a trail(a very long trail). Stomach mad and growling because it wants food, water helped the pain subside.

Week two: Still moving along fairly well on the trail, but hunger pains are starting to hit the stomach.

Week three: The pains intensified causing cramping and severe pain, but by end of week, the pains have reduced to a dull pain. Came to a road crossing, stopped at a store and got cigarettes and a bottle. Continued hiking for about 6 miles and stopped, as this is where I planned to let VSED do it's thing.

Week four: If the pain was still there, it no longer bothered me. Was also losing weight as I had to keep pulling pants up. Several times through the next few weeks, other hikers would come by, and when they cooked their food, the smell had me feeling nauseated.

Week five: Really starting to feel the effects. Head hurting, I was pale(according to some hikers, but I passed it off that I wasn't feeling good). Was also starting to see things that weren't there. I was miserable as hell, didn't want to move. Just wanted to lay in sleeping bag and sleep all day. By the end of that week, I was starting to lose focus, and was losing the difference between fiction and reality.

Week six: I was in bad shape. I was having out loud conversations with someone who wasn't there(nobody was there). Everything around me felt like a dream. Everything around me wasn't real, to me I was just imagining everything I saw. Even though I was in this state, I still understood what I was there for, and planned to keep it.

I'm completely lost from here on out(at least for 2 weeks). I don't know days, or times. It's all blank, and I'm sure all the whiskey I had been drinking, didn't help. Week seven(or whereabouts) is when this came to an end.

Week seven: I was no longer me. I say this is because you know how when a kid pretends he's a plane, he spreads his arms and pretends he's flying? I don't know if I really did that, or if I was dreaming, but for some reason, I'm convinced I actually did it.

At some point during this week, I got out of my sleeping bag, hiked back to that grocery store. The next thing I know, I open my eyes, I was laying in a hospital bed. I remember none of this, the getting up, the hiking, being at a store, or coming to the hospital.

I had IVs in my arms, wires on my chest, and a hose up my nose. A nurse came in a short time later and says she will let doctor know I'm awake.

When the doctor gets in there, he says he doesn't even understand why I'm still alive, and he didn't expect me to pull through. I had been in the hospital for a week and a half, and they kept me under anesthesia to give my body time to heal.

I was told that while I was at the store, I dropped to the floor and was not breathing. Someone did CPR on me and I started breathing again on my own, then was transported to the hospital.

My insides, liver, kidneys, stomach, and intestines were on the verge of destruction. He said had it not been for the person giving me CPR, I would have been gone, then said I should be gone, and he doesn't know how I pulled out of it. He says for me not to expect my body to fully recover. He also asked about my eating habits, I lied and said that I had eaten, but I was sick for a few days and was throwing up what I ate. I don't know if he believed it considering how messed up I was.

I spent two more weeks in the hospital, with several weeks in a rehab(nursing home basically). I'm not 100 percent better, but for now health wise, I'm ok.

I look back on that trip, and it feels like it never happened, like it was a bad dream.

Would I attempt this route again? You're damn right I would. The reason being is because once I got into that trance to where I couldn't tell the difference between fiction and reality, I felt like I was trapped between two worlds, and in that spot between the two, I was at peace.

In my opinion, had I stayed on that trail, I would have successfully succeeded.

this post might be relevant to ur question

 

[mango-meridian]

I would check out the stickied "Non-methods that should not be attempted" thread. Death by starvation is among them.

 

[willitpass]

So sorry you are in so much pain and suffering. This method is extremely long, painful and very likely to fail as dying of starvation is unpleasant and either SI will kick in or someone will intervene. It would be a very difficult method both in terms of success but also difficult in terms of how long and how much suffering is involved.

I hope you find everything you are looking for and get peace & serenity.

I would check out the stickied "Non-methods that should not be attempted" thread. Death by starvation is among them.

They don't seem to be doing this intentionally. They said it is a symptom of a health problem that they haven't been able to get treatment for despite trying.

 

[mango-meridian]

They don't seem to be doing this intentionally. They said it is a symptom of a health problem that they haven't been able to get treatment for despite trying.

I'm so sorry! I didn't read the OP carefully enough.

 

[misatosdiary]

I don't necessarily know when not eating becomes starving but I have gone 5days+ without eating before. I don't remember much but I can recall having everything hurt, simply exiting hurt. Laying down hurt, even tho you wouldn't expect it, but having your one knee lay on the other hurts so bad. Also, simple stuff like going up the stairs, starts to be a bigger task. I know this wasnt written because of an ed but I experienced extreme hunger (I didnt consume any cals, only water). By the end of day 4/5 I thought I'd be able to finish a meal for three all alone, just because of my hunger. Lastly, sitting in front of my food, I realised I didn't want to eat at all. I wasn't as hungry as before and when I ate, I was full after some bites.

 

[Darkover]

Starvation is a severe form of malnutrition that occurs when the body doesn't get enough nutrients and energy to function properly. The experience can vary significantly depending on the individual and the duration of the starvation. Here are some common physical and psychological effects:

Physical Effects

1. Hunger Pangs: Intense cravings for food, often accompanied by stomach pain.
2. Weakness and Fatigue: A general sense of weakness, low energy, and extreme tiredness as the body lacks fuel.
3. Weight Loss: Significant loss of body weight as the body begins to use fat and muscle for energy.
4. Dehydration: If water intake is also limited, symptoms of dehydration can occur, such as dizziness, dry mouth, and decreased urine output.
5. Muscle Wasting: The body starts to break down muscle tissue for energy, leading to weakness and decreased physical strength.
6. Cold Sensitivity: A person may feel colder than usual as the body loses fat, which provides insulation.
7. Impaired Immune Function: Increased susceptibility to infections due to a weakened immune system.
8. Digestive Issues: Slow or disrupted digestion, which can lead to bloating and discomfort.

Psychological Effects

1. Irritability and Mood Swings: Increased feelings of irritability, anxiety, or depression.
2. Cognitive Impairment: Difficulty concentrating, memory problems, and slower cognitive processing due to lack of nutrients.
3. Preoccupation with Food: An overwhelming focus on food and eating, which can dominate thoughts.
4. Loss of Motivation: A decreased interest in activities that were once enjoyable, leading to social withdrawal.

Long-Term Consequences

Starvation can lead to severe health complications, including organ failure, long-term cognitive impairment, and even death if not addressed.

 

[wren-briar]

Tldr: while a healthy person trying to starve themself to death sounds like a horrible way to go, there are medical conditions which may actually make wasting away a more viable option.


I suffered from a GI issue that caused me to drastically lose my appetite. My PCP and GI specialist ran all the tests they could, and nothing was blatantly wrong. I was also dealing with cognitive issues that made it hard for me to complete basic tasks. The reason I mention that, is that there was one red flag that I noticed, but then didn't add to my notes to ask the DRs about. The one red flag was something to the effect of "Moderate/large volume stool throughout the colon.", when I had barely been eating for months and had fasted for 24 hours prior to that CAT scan.

In my case, I honestly wasn't suffering from hunger or the other related symptoms for many, many months. The one painful symptom was frequent and often really painful abdominal cramps.

Then one day, I started vomiting, and continued to have "stomach flu" like symptoms for a solid week. I ended up going/being taken to the ER 3 times as a result, and was admitted to the surgical ward twice, with a diagnosis of a small bowel obstruction.

The first surgical ward stay was for 5 days, during which time I had an NG tube for most of it, and started to get my appetite back as a result.

The second surgical ward stay (less than 48 hrs after being discharged) ended up lasting 3 weeks, starting with an NG tube again, then the decision to scope my bowels and remove an adhesion that the doctors believed was the cause of the obstruction. While in there, they found two unexplained abscesses. None of the surgeons had ever seen anything like them; didn't know what might have caused them; didn't know if they were actually the root problem, or even contributing to the problem.

For context, 15 months prior to surgery, I had weighed 219 lbs but by the morning of the surgery I only weighed 90 lbs. During most of that, I had a single nutrition drink, a red bull, and something small (stick of cheese, a single hardboiled egg, a single serving of minute rice, etc.) per day, but at the worst, it was just a single nutrition drink and a bit of sweet tea (around 350 cal per day) -other than knowing that I should be hungery, and the frequently horrible abdominal cramps, I didn't really suffer in the normal ways. Then I started vomiting (and honestly, that wasn't any worse than your standard, run-of-the-mill stomach bug, I.e. by no means pleasant, but also far from horrific).

I had been made actively suicidal a few months prior to the beginning of the vomiting, and to be honest, if I had already finished writing my account of how I had been systematically driven to be actively suicidal, I would have just let myself die then, i.e. I would never have gone to an ER about the gut stuff and would actually be at peace now.

My GI system was so damaged, that about a week after surgery (and undoubtedly even a few pounds lighter) the surgeons finally had a PICC line inserted. I'm not sure how close I was to only ever being able to "eat" through the PICC line, but thankfully, I was finally able to eat solid food again, so I avoided that particular hell.

I now have my appetite back, although my bowels require a lot of medication to continue functioning.

(https://wrenbriar.gitlab.io/#The_Surgical_Saga)

I can't imagine trying to starve myself to death, but the medical problem I had would have easily allowed me to functionally die by starvation and dehydration, without a lot of the symptoms one might otherwise suffer from.