Before a meal, our mood is generally very pleasant, and we also have a good appetite. After a satisfying meal, we feel our stress has eased and our body and mind are satisfied. However, some people not only lose their appetite before meals but also experience abdominal pain, bloating, and other issues after eating. Why is their food not enjoyable? This should be a warning sign for gastrointestinal diseases.
If abdominal pain occurs before a meal and disappears after eating, following a typical pattern of pain relief upon eating, it is generally a duodenal bulb ulcer.
Those with loss of appetite, early satiety, upper abdominal discomfort, irregular upper abdominal pain that is not relieved by antacids, and accompanied by weight loss and fatigue, should be vigilant for stomach cancer.
If you feel you have a good appetite but repeatedly experience a sensation of an object blocking the esophagus during eating, which develops into difficulty swallowing—progressing from solid foods to liquids—and gradual weight loss, you should be vigilant for esophageal cancer.
If you feel upper right abdominal pain after a heavy meal or eating greasy food, which radiates to the area below the right scapula or the shoulder, you may likely have cholecystitis or gallstones.
If abdominal bloating worsens after meals, when standing, or after physical exertion, but eases when lying down, and is often accompanied by loss of appetite, shortness of breath, and sometimes constipation or diarrhea, in individuals who are relatively thin, it may indicate gastroptosis (stomach prolapse).
If abdominal pain occurs half an hour after a meal, accompanied by a feeling of hunger, dull upper abdominal pain, and vomiting of sour water, it is likely early-stage gastritis or an ulcer.
If a burning sensation or burning pain in the upper abdomen or behind the sternum occurs one hour after a meal, and vomiting occurs during the meal, it could be reflux esophagitis.
If vomiting occurs shortly after a meal, it may indicate a problem with the stomach or duodenum.
If large amounts of fermented food from the previous night are vomited several hours after a meal, it is commonly seen in chronic obstructive gastrointestinal lesions.
If eating is uncomfortable, everyone should pay attention to their healthy diet and look for causes in the aspects mentioned above, because the body's reactions before and after meals are a signal of your health status. If you ignore your body's warnings, it could lead to greater health risks.