Fasting Yom Kippur if feel very unwell fasting

ora_43

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 4:47 am

You don't need a specific diagnosis, necessarily, so much as you need to know if it's safe or not. Tell your doctor your medical history, your two experiences fasting pre-surgery, and your symptoms on past Yom Kippur fasts.

Then take the doctor's recommendation to a rav. Make sure it's a rav who is fairly knowledgeable about medical issues and fasting. This is a serious question (YK is a serious fast, but putting your life at risk is also something to be extremely careful about) and needs someone with a solid understanding.

For what it's worth, it sounds like you've been trying very hard. The amount of effort you've put into trying to fast on YK is probably well beyond what most people do.

I think that getting a heter is actually likely to make you more able to fast. Instead of pushing yourself to the limit and then "breaking" in the form of eating and drinking without shiurim, with a rav's guidance you can hopefully find a way to technically keep the fast with less physical stress (eg by drinking in shiurim).

amother

Marigold

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 5:06 am

abc 123 wrote:

I'm going to the doctor to find out why I feel dizzy, headache, can't stand up, weak etc when fasting even when I'm not pregnant or nursing. When I was pregnant one year I got heter to drink sweet drink shiurim. But I usually I end up breaking the fast on Yom Kippur because I feel so unwell from fasting
it's my personal struggle every year even though I generally consider my self frum. I keep Shabbos, kosher, wear shaitel, tznius clothes etc. This year I'm not pregnant, and I'm nursing my 2 year old (but I won't nurse her on Yom Kippur) I plan to spend the day in bed. I don't drink coffee so it's not caffeine related. What should I ask doctor to check as what could be the diagnosis of why I don't fast well? I want ask a rav for a heter to drink shiurim so I can at least not be forced to do aveira on Yom Kippur. I prefer if I could find a way to get a heter. What medical diagnosis can I get?

I don't think this is so unusual. It's possible you have a hard time keeping your blood sugars steady. It's a little worrying that you don't seem to have a Rav who you can discuss this with even before you go to the doctor. You seem very alone, could you cultivate a relationship with a Rav? I'm sure this is not the only area in your life where this is affecting you.
Many Rabonim would be happy to talk this through with you and they have enough experience to be able to guide you. If they ask for a medical opinion, you can go to the doctor then but even so you don't need a "diagnosis" just an opinion and recommendation.

abc 123

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 5:24 am

ora_43 wrote:

Thank you
This is why I want to ask for heter for shiurim in advance . Cause I can't call a rav on YK for a heter and my husband will be in shule (he will either take little kids to shule with him or my older kids 10 and 11 year old DD will help take care of 2 younger kids on YK so I can rest.

imaima

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 6:02 am

amother Maize wrote:

You can get a heter for shiurim but not for eating and drinking wily nilly

I have vomited through the fast and still couldn’t break it

It’s Yom Kippur. You’d need to have your life in danger in order to get such a heter RL.

Yes you can have a heter for shiurim and also for eating and drinking willy nilly, depending on your condition. Don’t spread nonsense.

If I were home alone with a toddler with zero chance of asking anyone any shailos and my dh in shul, and the shiurim were not doing it for me, I would absolutely decide by myself gow to deal with it. What else is there to do? When you are the only grown up in charge?

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 6:19 am

abc 123 wrote:

OP, I havent read any other reply, but this was me. I would get dizzy spells, headaches (until they turned into migraines) and extremely weak feeling, any time I fasted. I got a heter not to fast the small ones and to break if I feel I cant do it for 9 av. I spoke to my rabbi about YK. Now this could be because of migraines, but I was told to do shiurim if I feel that I can not do it. Now, I dont have some specific diagnosis, unless you call migraines a diagnosis. But just speak to a rav and tell him your symptoms. Hopefully you will be able to do shiurim.

Ema of 5

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 9:00 am

imaima wrote:

Who is getting a heter to eat on Yom Kippur Willy nilly, meaning at will, however and whenever they want? Even those who eat are generally not told they can eat whatever they want, whenever they want.

amother

Pear

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 9:07 am

Even a few days after birth one would still need a heter.
One needs to speak to a rov BEFORE yom kippur rather then having no choice but to break it on the day.

Also to the women who struggle to fast even with shiurim! it would be a good idea for their husbands to come home from shul periodically during the day.
Afaik the mitzva of the day is to fast not to spend all day in shul.

amother

Topaz

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 9:18 am

imaima wrote:

And the shiurim weren't doing what for you? The point of shiurim isn't to make you feel completely well. It's to keep you hydrated enough that there's no danger. One has to be in a pretty serious situation to actually break the fast completely.

Also, if someone is in this situation EVERY year, they have time to prepare. And their husband probably shouldn't be in shul if they have a toddler to look after. Fasting comes before everything else.

amother

Cyclamen

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 9:25 am

amother NeonPink wrote:

The two to three days before the fast I drink lots of fluid mixed with a special hydration powder. It made a big difference to me since I take this. I also drink it after the fast ends and the next day too.

What is this hydration powder? I need any help I can get. I get sick and dizzy too... I wont be in shul at all and my husband will be probably missing mincha etc just so I can make it through. We asked the shaila- husband shouldn't go at all if it means I can fast/sleep. So any help you can give would be useful so I can hopefully allow him to go for some!

amother

Tanzanite

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 10:31 am

doodlesmom wrote:

Wondering again why iv fluids wouldn’t be he perfect solution here?
Put in the port before yom tov….

Many, many rabbanim hold that an IV for fluids is never required. If you can't manage on shiurim with the most lenient shittah, you don't fast. If you can manage with shiurim, you don't need to try the IV first. IV's come with their own potential problems and are not a required option.

amother

Orange

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 11:39 am

amother Darkblue wrote:

I had a baby a day before yk and was told no fasting not even shiurim. I believe you are not supposed to fast up to 3 days post birth.

And I know people who gave birth within 3 days or closer and were told to do shiurim only. It's very individual and each person needs to ask for their specific circumstance. It's not as simple as some people are assuming. YK is not like other fasts, even Tisha Bav

amother

Darkblue

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 12:04 pm

amother Orange wrote:

That's what I'm saying that its NOT very individual. I had no extenuating circumstances, I thought maybe to do shiurim but the rav said not to and that I shouldn't try to fast at all. Another baby I had six days before yk and I fasted as usual.

amother

Orange

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 12:46 pm

amother Darkblue wrote:

That's what your rav holds. Others hold differently. Some hold that women do need to do shiurim within a couple of days being post partum, as I said, I know women who were told to do shiurim within a day or two of giving birth. It is individual to the rav, as well as to the woman. It is not a blanket rule.

amother

Maize

Wed, Sep 28 2022, 12:59 pm

amother Topaz wrote:

This. Anyone who knows they will have a hard time fasting needs to make sure they can stay in bed all day and be responsible for only themselves, no one else. Apart from shiurim people only get heterim if their doctor forbids them to fast. Right after childbirth is different because our mesorah is that it's dangerous to fast so soon after giving birth. Not that it's uncomfortable, but life threatening. That's the Yom Kippur standard.