This is not meant to be a scientific study, but a reference for those curious about the effects of a hungerstrike on the body. I sent a list of questions that I thought would be relevant to people within the animal rights community. The following is the exact order and wording of questions and responses.

(all questions pertain to the time of the hungerstrike)

age: 24

sex: female

height: 5'9"

number of hungerstikes undertaken and their durations:

1 for 15 days. I was on another one for like 3 days which doesn't seem very significant to me but, if you're interested, let me know and I'll give details on that too.....

what you consumed during the strike (water, juice, salt, vitamins, etc.) exact quantities if possible

water and juice. i would guess approximately 12 - 18 oz. a day.

For the next five questions, "before" means up to the point of the strike, during is obvious, and after means any time within a month of ending the strike. Please give the number of days between ending the strike and consuming the substance. did you smoke before, during, or after the strike

no

did you drink alcohol, before, during or after the strike

yes, i drank alcohol before and after (not during) but i don't remember how many days or weeks passed between the end of the hunger strike and when i first drank alcohol again.

did you drink caffeinated drinks before, during, or after strike

yes before and after, and my answer would be the same as the one above regarding alcohol (sorry, this was 3 years ago and i have a very bad memory).

did you drink coffee before during or after the strike

yes before and after, same answer again about the time between.....

did you take aspirin or ibuprofen before during or after the strike

i know i've taken aspirin before and i highly doubt that i've taken any since but i won't swear to it.

amount of activity engaged in (jail/vigil/rest, school work, work, excercise, debates, etc.) again as specific as possible

i was in jail so there was only so much you could do. i mostly stayed in bed but i tried to exercise for about a half hour a day for the first week at which time i became too weak to do so regularly but still tried to do some light stretches when i felt up to it up until the like the 12th or 13th day when i couldn't anymore at all.

weight before and after

i don't remember my weight except that i lost about 15 pounds.

% body fat before and after (or if you don't know, below, at, or above "normal" body fat levels for your sex and height)

i don't know. although i've always felt like i must be above normal levels, the few times i've tested (once in high school and once recently), i registered "normal". i certainly wasn't any heavier then than i am now so i can't imagine any reason it would have been any different during that time.

muscle build (non-athletic, athletic, body builder)

non-athletic.

your state of mind during the strike. did it change considerably. when and how. Were you able to think clearly.

yes, i was able to think clearly (just thought about food more!)

the state of your body. energy levels, bowel movements, feelings of discomfort or hunger, all at different phases of the strike.

i probably won't remember these details very well but i'll try:

days 1-2 everything normal days 2-5 feeling very hungry and having some bodily discomfort but no decrease in energy level days 5-8 hunger pains went away but i still thought a lot about food (i LOVE food!), had some short spurts of a lack of energy and a few dizzy spells days 8-11 started feeling weaker, dizzy spells increased and hunger pains resumed days 12-15 quite weak and generally dizzy, stomach pains intensified

that's the best of my recollection......

how did you sleep during the strike. did the amount or quality of sleep change and how so. Did you dream and what about

i don't recall any difference in sleep patterns (except that it was hard to fall asleep in the first place because of all the noisy gangster women on the cell block) and don't recall any dreams.

how did you come off the strike. What did you consume when >you first came off the strike, and how did your body feel and handle the food.

i had soup the first day and had a little bit of solid food the next day (don't remember what but probably bread or fruit or something) and, to the best of my knowledge i was eating regular food (although less than usual) on the third day. i adjusted and handled the food well.

did you experience any negative health affects during or after you came off the hungerstrike (acid reflux, gastritis, ulcers, bowel or digestion problems, etc.)

not that i know of :-)

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last updated 11/29/00.