Topic : Anorexia

 When I was in my 20's I was into modeling, nothing stupendous, mostly local things, lots of  things I said no to (like cigarette promotion), but was constantly watching my weight.   I finally got out of modeling and found I could not eat normally.   I read about anorexia, I made sure that I got enough potassium and bruished my teeth after any vomiting session.    Now I am 52, I am at normal weight, but it is still hard to eat.   And my teeth have suffered.  I've had two molars that had cracks in them so I needed root-canals twice.   I am careful to use a toothpaste that is kind to your tooth enamal.    I have acid reflux disease.   It's a wonder to me that I lived through it.   It took about 20 years to get over the worst part.    At one point my niece developed anorexia, and she did listen to her mom and me, I told her how hard it was and that I understood and would help in any way I could.   She is now a mother of two, very healthy, very pretty, normal weight and so happy.
If you have this condition, please get help, even if it's only through a book.   Do something!   The afteraffects  (if you live through it) are no fun at all.

And mothers, please don't encourage your girls to be thin because it's "in".   People shouldl not make fun of young girls and the changes in their bodies.   Our bodies will continue to change throughout our lives. 

Mandissa77

My son was officially diagnosed by a pediatrician and other healthcare professionals with anorexia.  To look at him he does not fit the stereotype of an anorexic however.  This time last year he was an overweight child so the 30 lbs he has lost makes him APPEAR healthy by other peoples standards but the WAY he got there and still continues to do is unhealthy and that is dictated by the disease.  It's been 2 weeks now and my insurance and pediatrician have been unsuccessful in finding someone who will even treat him due to his age.  I've emailed Dr. Phil about this because I know if anybody can help us BEFORE it's too late it would be Dr. Phil.  I never imagined any of my children having this disease.  Of all the things I've been on the 'watch' for with my children, this was never one of them considered.  He is the youngest of 3 boys (older brothers 11 and 13) are average weight.  Anyone out there experiencing this, please please respond.  We are desparate to find help for him before it spins out of control.  Thanks for listening.

My 7 yr old was just diagnosed with anorexia.  We have been unable to find anybody who will take him and offer treatment because he is so young.  We are on the east coast.  The only treatment facilities thus far only take them starting at 10 yrs.  His age coupled with the fact he is a boy limits our search.  I hope your son is doing better, please pray for us that our Noah will get the help he needs.....

  When I was 16 I lived this horrible disease and was put in the hospital weighing 85 pounds I was 5'9  Doctors told my parents I was not going to live but I did and overcame it and am truly so happy now. I've not had ANY problems since recovery and I want to help others know that there is hope.  The key is getting treatment in or out patient and being honest with your counsel about the issues that caused your disorder.   Choose to be free of this disease and choose to live again.  

   Haley,       haleyhf@thebluezone.net

I wanted you to know you are going thru some major life-altering proceedures.  I will let you know that ever since I hit my 30ies,  my body slowed down.  Although I do have a 'bread basket' I do accept my age,  and I still excercise to help myself feel better

Thank you for your positive remark on recovery.

I do recovery speaking @ the local hospital I was.  I'm fairly older now,  and my body is going thru the middle-aged spread, and I do accept it as a form of maturity.

I did live,  but I almost died due to mal nutrition,  and lack of maturity.

Like I said,  I'm not crazy about my physical image,  but then again,  I'm old enough to have earned it.

 

Men need the treatment they deserve.

The hospital I do recovery speaking for had some manorexics.

Eating disorders are a power trip against the natural shape of the body.

I know it is less acceptable for a male to go into treatement.  My personal e-mail address is as follows for you to get help.

hippielynn@yahoo.com

 

PLease I have suffered from anorexia over the past year. I went from wieghing 225lbs down to 95 in less than a year. Thanks to family ove just the past few months i have managed to go from eating 100 calories a day to eating more. Corrently i am up to weighing about 106lbs, and at first i was doing good with eating. But now i am really scared because all i can think about is food. ( i don't know if it's because i deprived myself for so long?) I dont eat expeccially before i go to work in the morning because i dont want to feel like a fat pig, but when i am by myself all i can think about is food and it is extremely difficult not to go into the kitchen and just start pigging out. I really dont want to have to live my entire life like this, constantly thinking about food and worrying about what im eating. it has gotten to the point where i have lost contact with most of family who i used to be extremely close with, and i think i am slowly loosing my friends. I am so scared that all this pressure is going to lead me back down to not eating anything again because in the long run I truly was happier when i didnt have food in my stomach, i didnt have to worry about feeling like a fat pig. ALso i have had a lot of people come up to me and tell me how i look much better because i have gained a little bit of wait and when they say things like that to me it just makes me feel worse. I really am at the point that I don't know what to do, i havent been able to sleep through an entire night in the past month and ahalf.

DEAR DR. PHIL,

I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT YOUR STORY ON AIMEE AND DEADLY THIN WAS SO GRIPPING THAT IT BROUGHT US TO TEARS. MY HUSBAND IS A MAN'S MAN THAT DOES NOT

EVER SHED TEARS, BUT THIS WAS CERTAINLY A SHOW THAT SHOCKED US BOTH. WE PRAY THAT YOUR ADVICE WILL HELP AIMEE GET THE PROFESSIONAL HELP SHE NEEDS. TO THINK WE GRIPE ABOUT SUCH PETTY THINGS. YOU ARE ONE AMAZING MAN AND WE HAVE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THIS SEASON.

ALL OUR BEST,

DUANE AND SHERRY GALLAGHER

Hi Hailey,

 

Thought you might like to hear from someone who has actually successfully been recovered for many years now.  My eating disorder (anorexia) began at the age of 16 and at a time when anorexia and bulimia was a new concept, and treatment options were minimal.  In fact, I was in the midst of recovery when Karen Carpenter, a famous singer, died of cardiac arrest due to anorexia. 

 

First of all, you are right when you say that you are not ready, and it is a good thing that you can admit this to yourself and others.  You may not realize it, but you have already taken the first steps toward recovery because:

 

#1: You admit that you have an eating disorder (a very hard step)

#2: You admit that you aren't ready to give it up yet

 

So, I think that you are more ready than you realize due to these two factors.  However, based on what I experienced , what you are not ready to give up is "control."  There are several reasons that giving up control is so hard for someone with an eating disorder:

 

1.  When in the midst of the disorder, it feels good to know that you, or the person with the eating disorder, are different from other people.  It becomes our identity...something that sets us apart from the rest of society and makes us, "special."  If we decide to go into treatment, then there is a fear that we will not be set apart from others and then we might just "blend in" to society and lose our identity. 

 

2.  More than likely, there is something in your life that has happened to cause you to feel as if you had no control over something.  In my case, I was molested by my grandmother for several years, and I was raised in a strict Baptist home in which I felt that I couldn't express anger, sorrow, etc.  I felt very repressed and by the time that I reached high school, I knew that no one could make me eat.

 

3.  I'm not sure how your relationship with your father is, but even though I had a father that went to Church with my sister, mother and I and he led a good life...he was absent emotionally.  This became worse as I reached puberty and began to mature.  Once I began to grow breasts, have periods, and filled out like teen girls do, my father became even more distant.  I feel that girls, even teen  girls...even grown women want to know that their daddy approves of them in every way.  They also want to be daddy's girl, even though they have breasts and a body like a woman.  Because of the lack of affection that my father offered me, I desparately wanted my body to go back to the way it was before I started blooming. 

 

I don't mean to sound like a, "know-it-all", but I can pretty much safely say that some of what I have posted hits home with you.  Usually, anorexics and bulimics view things very similarly.

 

Hailey, if you have faith in God, this can prove to be a great source of strength to get you through the rough times in your quest for recovery.  There is nothing that God can't do...and I'm betting that you think that you do not deserve God's help, but that I probably did and other do, but how could God possibly view you as someone who is worthy of his help?  Don't buy into this lie though, because you are just as deserving and worthy as anyone else.  Anorexia and bulimia are monsters that lie to us on a continual basis, keeping us as low on the self-esteem scale as it can.

 

I know that I have said some things that has probably stepped on a few of your toes, and others that are reading this.  I won't make apologies for this, because I have been there, bought the tee shirt, wore it, bought the bulimia tee shirt, wore it, but am living proof that those tee shirts are no longer needed and food no longer controls my life.  It can do the same for you.

 

Hailey, you have already taken the first few steps toward recovery...when and if you become, "sick and tired of being sick and tired," then this is when you will progress to the next level toward recovery.

 

I will be praying for you, specifically that you will listen to the voice inside of you that is crying out for help.  Please don't wait until your loved ones are attending your funeral.

 

Said with love!

 

Laurie Osburn

Levelland, Tx

lady31362@valornet.com